Ideas Blog
Thread Count – Can You Handle the Truth?
If I asked you what criteria you should use to choose good quality sheets, what do you think the number one answer would be? Some might suggest brand name, but I can guarantee that one of the top answers would be thread count. We've all heard it - buy the highest...
Renovate at Your Own Peril
It's a truth universally acknowledged that living in your home while you do major renovations is a really bad idea. Okay, so let's be clear here - I'm not talking about serial renovators. I'm sure you know the ones I mean - basically, they buy a house, renovate it...
Vignettes – What to Use
When it comes to styling a vignette, it's easy to think it's just a case of popping a few items in the appropriate place and it's done. But a really good vignette should have a lot more going on under the surface. This is particularly true when deciding on which items...
Controlling Kitchen Chaos – Part 2 – Shelve It!
We started out the push to get chaos in your kitchen under control by looking at hanging stuff up. Not one for the minimalists in the crowd, but effective nonetheless. This time around we're still not making minimalists happy, as this time we're looking at how to use...
Colour and Interior Design – Blue
Blue is a very popular choice in interior design, particularly in the current trend for Hamptons style which is almost exclusively white and blue. This is hardly surprising, given that blue is a cool colour known for its calming and relaxing effect. It's often popular...
Sensational Sofa Cushions – Part 4
In previous articles I've talked a lot about arranging cushions in groups, and it's time to change gears. This time I'm going to take a look at the ever popular "alternating cushions" approach to styling your sofa with cushions. In its simplest form, this involves...
Toilets – Don’t Get Bogged Down
Whether you're designing a brand new home or renovating your old one, it's important to dedicate some time to the toilet. No, not sitting on one while you contemplate your plans, but what style to use, where to locate them and more. We've put together some helpful...
Vignettes – Where to Put Them
"Vignette" is a popular term when it comes to styling your home, and essentially it's used to describe a small group of objects. The vignette should create an attractive focal point to draw the eye, and potentially tell a story. So the question is - where should you...
Controlling Kitchen Chaos – Part 1 – Hang Stuff Up!
If you're blessed with a kitchen that has more than enough storage for all your assorted bits and pieces, lucky you. Most of us, however, always seem to be at least one cupboard or drawer short of what we need. But instead of bemoaning a lack of kitchen storage, it's...
Colour and Interior Design – Red
When it comes to interior design, colour use is incredibly important - but also very subjective. A colour that evokes a positive response in one person, may create a completely opposite response in another. However, despite individual differences, knowing what type of...
Sensational Sofa Cushions – Part 3
Back with some more great ideas on how to style cushions on your sofa. Last time we looked at cushion arrangements arranged symetrically on either side of the centre of the sofa. This time we're flipping that over, starting at the centre and working our way out. After...
Street Appeal – Where’s the Front Door?
We've all done it. Turned up at someone's home, only to stand on the footpath outside puzzling over where the front door is located. To increase street appeal, your home's front door should always be easy to locate, with a clear route to it.1. Make your front door...
Analagous Colour Scheme, Anyone?
Recently we looked at using complementary colours when putting together the look of your home. This time we're taking a look at analogous colour schemes. Analogous (even harder to say than it is to type!) colours sit next to each other on the colour wheel. As an...
Creating Storage out of Empty Space – Magic!
At a time when many people are working from home, it's become apparent that productivity requires your home spaces to be better organized. It can simply be that you now have more "stuff" in general because you have work stuff as well as personal, or the reality that...
Street Appeal – Plants Instead of a Fence
Defining the front boundary of your property with plants is a great way to give its street appeal a lift. Some people like the starkness of modern design, but for most people the visual bulk can be overwhelming. Breaking up the facade of the building with planting is...