Making the most of a study nook in Austin Maynard Architects’ Tower House. Photo: Peter Bennetts In my home I have a random little space that sits outside both ours and our son’s bedrooms. It connects to a hallway that links the upstairs bedrooms and is an odd, leftover space that was once intended to
If you want your home to look photo shoot-worthy, if even only temporarily, there are tricks to help. Photo: Armelle Habib A home less ordinary is much more achievable than you might think. Just look behind the designer curtain at some of the smoke and mirrors we use to make spaces shine as brightly as
There’s nothing quite as misguided in interiors as forcing a style onto a home that it clearly doesn’t suit. I’m a firm believer in creating homes that are appropriate. This applies to use, budget, the building and its heritage but also, and importantly, geographical location. That means creating homes that suit their environment. There’s nothing
Newry Street home, styled by Fenton & Fenton. Photo: Dave Kulesza Having an open-plan area that’s too large might sound like the same sort of affliction as having a bank balance that has too many zeros. Boo hoo. Poor you. But there are challenges to working with a large open-plan space, given that space can
It’s important to test how the colour will look in your home. Haymes Greyology. Photo: Haymes Paint Giving your interiors a fresh lick of paint is one of the best ways to inject some personality into a space. Here are some of my favourite colour choices right now and how to apply them in your
When you understand the origin of great design, and its basic vernacular, you’ll find it so much easier to apply to your own home. When you understand the origin of great design, and its basic vernacular, you’ll find it so much easier to apply to your own home. Here’s my quick and easy guide. Armoire
According to interior designer Darren Palmer, we are now making status purchases for our kitchens. Photo: Supplied As someone who occasionally reviews fast cars for a living, I try hard not to get upset about the idea of my children buying self-driving vehicles. But I must admit the concept that they might grow up to
When it comes to styling your first property, there are a few items that are worth investing your money in. Five things to splurge on in your first property A complete bed look You spend a third of your life asleep so you might as well enjoy it. A complete bed look isn’t just getting
Starting out in design as a child-free, single man, I didn’t grasp the full responsibility of designing a home for a family with children in it. I recall one particularly sharp, fragile vase I put into a client’s home, along with a white fabric sofa – my mistake only becoming clear to me once I
The Courier-Mail caught up with The Block judge Darren Palmer to find out what’s happening this year when it comes to home decoration. When it comes to lighting, Palmer said Christopher Boots, the Australian lighting designer based in Victoria, was one to watch. “He’s doing some of the most exciting stuff I’ve seen, full stop,
