A reno and deco in Perth
Wed, 8 Jun 2011Nelly of Twinkle & Whistle just completed the renovation and decoration of a typical 80s brick house in Perth, Australia (meaning it lacked character and had small pokey rooms), and wanted to share it with our readers. Here is a bit about the project from Nelly:
The owners - the beautiful photographer Jasmin Castillo of Lush Photography and her husband-to-be Mark - were craving for a house that will be as vibrant and funky and colourful as themselves. They had a billion ideas and didn't know where to start or what would really work for them and for their space. They were also on a tiny tiny budget. So they called me to the rescue. We discussed their requirements and lifestyle and wishes, I prepared a few moodboards to share my vision of the place, they loved it and off we went!
The renos were made very gradually, with Mark tackling lots of the work himself on his days off (sometimes with the assistance of a few handy friends too). This left me enough time to source most furniture and accessories, in Australia and abroad, and to make quite a few bargains. During this process, Mark and Jasmin also welcomed a gorgeous little girl, Matilda, into their home... and I was asked to turn their packed storage room into a practical nursery.
I think Nelly did a fabulous job with this little home on an even littler budget. It is warm and inviting, contemporary and comfortable, and completely liveable. I love it all - from the dark walls of the entrance and office for a bit of drama, the calming neutrals of the living room, the modern bathroom with a glass partition instead of a typical shower curtain and the lime green kitchen backsplash. You rock Nelly!
(Photos by Heather Robbins of Red Images Fine Photography)
Reader Comments (26)
Snug! Great job given the tiny budget. My only gripe is that there is a distinct Ikea overload in places. Perhaps this could be scaled back in due course with some handpicked vintage/rescued and restored pieces. The colour palette is eclectic enough to accommodate occasional accent feature and/or eccentric piece of furniture. That said, great job! The house looks both inviting and comfy!
Any chance on getting a sourcing for the coffee table in the living room? What an adorable house - I'm just a little jealous!
I seriously love the bathroom. Hope mine turns out half as good :)
Love the colors! It is hard to renovate (never mind decorate) without money. Great job!
This is such a cute space! I would have never thought to use charcoal gray for the walls... but Nelly did a great job pulling off the look :) Oh my gosh... and grass as a centerpiece? What can I say... it works!
I love this house!!
Really like the lighting fixtures used throughout, especially the one in the nursery- love the texture.
Love the dark grey walls!!! Do we know the paint colour??
This house is adorable--modern and happy. Just saved the picture to my "dream bathroom" file for when we have the $$$ to do a reno.
Hi everyone!
Thanks for taking the time to have a look at this home and to comment - very much appreciated.
AB - Funny you mention this because, in fact, there is only a few Ikea things but I understand what you mean... The large majority of the "stuff" in this house are second-hand finds, vintage or not (entrance cupboard, nursery wardrobe, nursery chair; dining chairs; side table, etc). Some smaller elements are design replica sourced on the East Coast (office chairs, office lighting). Some others were imported from France (bed linen, bedroom lighting and living-room pendant), while the biggest pieces (couch and bed) were sourced in various local stores. Saying this, living in Perth (being the most isolated city in the world and a very prosperous one unfortunately means that everything tends to be overpriced!) means that we sometimes had to resort to the good old Swedish giant :-) I believe that a home is always a work in progress and I know that one of Jasmin and Mark's wishes is to have a unique place. We will get there by gradually replacing all superstore elements of the decor with antique/vintage or designer pieces. But for now, and with a little 10 month old girl to look after, they're happy with what they have and they will not be too fussed if their daughter decides to practice her drawings skills on their coffee table :-)
Larita - the coffee table was bought second-hand but it is an old Ikea design (from about 6 years ago, I think)
Courtney - I don't have this info handy right now but I will get back to you ASAP. Please, if you can, send me an email at nelly@twinkleandwhistle.com and I will email you the answer back.
Thank you again for your feedback!
The bathroom is wonderful. Great use of tile - creates an impact. Also love the light fixture in the study, reminiscent of Le Klint?
Absolutely lovely - although the picture above the bed reminds me of an egg being fertilised by sperm!
Thanks to Shivali and clp for your comments!
clp - I never looked at it this way but now that you mention it... :-) :-) It actually represents one of the native flowers of Australia, I think.
I am totally biased about my home town....but go Perth!!! Whoot! Where in Perth is this great little place?
Laaarrvley bathroom, just heaven.
I never realized that I would miss Australian flora until I moved to Canada. When I relocate back home my house is going to be FILLED with native flowers.
Love it, love it, love it. This little home looks like a designer home but real people live and entertain here. Really like the framed pics & personal items etc. that obviously mean alot to the family who lives here to incorporate these elements into the home is a wonderful touch and also Nelly's job as the designer to help her clients to live with what she has brought into the home. It has inspired me to make sure that the designer I choose should be in tune to my family's needs and to not over do the design to a point that we wouldn't be able to live in the home once it is completed. Well done to all!
Thanks for your response Nelly, much appreciated. You are clearly a magician (especially if one factors in the isolation of Perth). As I hinted in my earlier post what I love about your work is this rather inexplicable and exceptional eye for colour and mood coupled with a canny ability to place objects (his and hers bed side accents! Inspired genius!). At this second my only wish is to teleport you to the UK to makeover my apartment!
I can confirm wishes are horses! I am riding one :o)
And here comes the moment where I blush... :-) Once again, thank you so much for your comments! It's great to see that so many of you enjoy Mark and Jasmin's house. I know for a fact that Mark has emailed this post to pretty much everyone he knows - it's a great mood buster!
Rebecca - The house is located SOR, close to Cannington.
Mandy - you nailed it! As a residential designer, the whole point is to make not only a beautiful, but also a liveable, practical design that suits the clients' lifestyle and tastes. To me, that's where the excitment is and there is no better feeling that seeing your clients being happy and proud of their new home. If a designer doesn't want to deal with their clients' wishes, well, in that case he/she should consider working on store displays...
AB - Be careful of what you wish for! I travel to France several times a year and the UK are only one hour flight away from there... :-)
I adore the kitchen and the work area. I love how the colors came out as appealing. Thumbs up.
what an absolutely stunning home! So colorful and fun, yet sophisticated and relaxing! NICE job!!!
From a fellow Perthian I know how hard it is to source those funky special items that seem to be in all the other parts of Australia. I have been hunting forever for trendy light fittings like chapiz chandeliers but have had no luck, enough about me, this house is magical, dark walls, white furniture, heaps of quirky art works and homely touches. Great work :)
Another Perthian here, and to those who airily assert that Nelly should've used IKEA less and vintage more, I say this: if you're so clever, move here and show us how it's done.
I guarantee that after 6 months you'll be a broken husk, whispering, "How is it that EVERY thrift store contains nothing but ten year old particleboard rubbish from Big Bob's Budget Furniture Barn?"
And then I will laugh at you.
...that's great Nelly! I'll keep an eye on your travel schedule via Twinkle & Whistle email address. Look forward to seeing you in Europe sometime!
I love how very adult the ambiance is, not *despite* the kiddie touches, but even incorporating them. The living room is completely liveable, and the kitchen a perfect blend of color and utility.
this looks amazing! the colors and patterns work great together!
Another Perthian here... what an amazing space. I'm glad to finally see Perth get some air time. I second all of the above - finding a decent vintage item in any thrift store in Perth is akin to winning the lottery :) let alone any of the amazing interior trends we see on all the eye candy blogs anywhere in Perth. All I can say is well done. Please share the paint details of the grey study - I adore it.