The one where the power tools came out....

Here's what happened in our house yesterday - a new entranceway from one man, some power tools, and his helpful assistant:

(Just so you're not confused - this is the helpful assistant, not the builder.
He's taking expressions of interest for assistant work - no job too  small)

Today, when Mike comes back he'll gib up the old front entrance and sort out the wall issue we have where we want to mount the TV - then hopefully we will have a lounge area.

This house has such an awkward living space - it is light and airy, but weirdly laid out with strange dimensions.  We're hoping this new arrangement will work better - it's still a little bit awkward, but it makes the most of the awkwardness I think!

Weekend progress

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had fantastic weekends.
Ours was split between work and a frenzy of renovating.  Although for all the effort there's not many changes that can be seen....yet.
We started tidying up the garden and fixing up the million little problems with the reticulation before we could put in some more plants.  It was like burying a whole lot of effort and money in the ground - but totally necessary.
Most of the effort was spent around the pool area - it's a big wasteland at the moment with an ugly, rickety fence that needs lots of screening.  We picked up lots of golden cane palms which should cover most of the fence in a year or so.
So, here's the plan:

Because it's in the sub-tropics, and because people in Broome spend a lot of their time living outside, the outside of this house is even more important than the inside.  It really does need to be amazing.

But, there's stuff going on inside too!  I picked up a great chair to recover for the office this weekend and ordered these new fabrics to finish the space off:

I'm totally in love with chevron stripes right now.  And it seems so are a lot of other people in the design world - they're everywhere. from floors and furniture to fashion.

It's also the start of a pretty exciting week here at the SD Files - we're finally getting the power tools out and knocking down some walls!  (or building some) Remember this window and my post about it becoming a door:

Well, Mike our friendly builder arrives at 7am tomorrow to start the ball rolling!  This is going to totally change the feel of the the living areas and will tie the whole outside/inside flow thingy together!

Bye Bye Donkey

The last of the Warm Donkey has gone.

Donkey:

Not Donkey:

The beautiful artwork is by the very talented Ms Suzy French!  She is a local Broome artist and I love her detailed oil paintings - they make me want to go and explore the Kimberley more.  This one is called Cygnet Bay and Chardonnay.
Go ahead and visit her website to see her other amazing pieces.  She ships Australia-wide and internationally.

I need lots more pieces on this wall to give it the gallery look I'm after - but it all takes time - and I'm fast running out!


Originally, I planned to install timber tongue and groove panelling here, either painted or left natural.  I still love that idea but it all hinges on what we do in the kitchen.  I'm leaning towards painting over the Jarrah (!!!) - and I might do it soon......

But for now, I just got my roller out and painted it the same colour as the rest of the house.  I couldn't live with the Donkey any more.


I'm also madly trying to get some other small (and big!) projects on the go - so please come back for the next installment soon!.

Dining Room

I've had a busy couple of weeks with clients but I have managed to get a couple of small projects done for the dining area that have been sitting around half-finished for ages.

I finally put a couple of coats on the Ikea bench seats we purchased before we moved in.  We have literally been using them with just a coat of primer on for more than a month! (actually, they probably got primed at least four times, as every time I put a coat on, a certain two-year-old took to them with a screwdriver or hammer or something!)
This is what they looked like before:

I painted them Taubmans White Pearl, which is the same as the doors - because I had some left over and it seemed silly to go and buy a completely different colour of enamel paint for such a small project.

The table is birch - and is also from Ikea.
I plan to buy these galvanised Tolix chairs to complete the setting.

The artwork is a framed tea-towel from fantastic little online store Hunting for George, which I discovered via the brilliant Studio Home blog - (my go-to for all great things Downunder - if you haven't checked this out already and you like pretty things - go and do it!)

Framed art always looks great, but it's expensive.  To keep costs down (and your carbon footprint)  get second-hand frames at your local framer.  Mine always has a great collection that she keeps on hand

 I picked up two, as I had two tea-towels framed - eventually I plan to hang them together on another wall.

My framer dismantled them for me.  I brought them home and gave them a few coats of paint, then took them back and she cut them to size and re-used them.  Not only is this a great way to recycle old frames and still get a custom look - I literally saved hundreds of dollars.
My original quote to frame both tea-towels was $600. (from a different framer).  The actual cost, including the frames, came to $100 - for both!  Happy.  Days. 

Here's a before shot of the dining area:

And now:

I love how much the look of a room can change, just by hanging something pretty on the wall.

SD Interiors - bringing it to the masses since 2011.

Here in Broome, we're pretty remote.  We're on the edge of one of the world's greatest wilderness and most remote regions.  From the Northern Territory to Perth and everywhere in between, there are people living in some of Australia's most far-flung destinations.  But we know that doesn't mean they want to compromise on good design.

So, we have launched our NEW e-Design service! Now it doesn't matter if you live in Fitzroy Crossing or Humpty Doo, if you have internet access, we can help you create a beautiful home - at the fraction of the cost a full design service.  

You can read more about it, and how it works, on our website Here:

e-Design isn't a concept unique to SD Interiors. But although it's widely used in countries like America, here in Australia it is only just emerging.  We think if there was ever a place that needed a service like this, it's here.

White-Out

I thought this month's Broome Advertiser column was appropriate, considering how much white paint I've been splashing around lately.  If you don't get the Broome Advertiser, click on the image below to read my column this month:

I hope you all had great weekends!  Mine was filled with renovating projects that didn't quite make it (we planned to mount the TV on one of the living room walls, but it turns out it's a bit more of a major project than we thought.  We now have to rip the gibrock off the walls to get the cables through and then reinstall it!).  So for now the TV and lounge furniture are staying were they are.  We also had a LOT of reticulation to fix because the front garden is slowly dying and we want to start transforming the front of the house to give it some sexy street appeal ASAP.

I've also got a lot going on with work lately and there's lots to do this week, so renovations may take a back-seat for a week or two.  BUT I do have a couple of little projects on the go that hopefully I'll be able to share soon.

Room updates

Lately I've been debating whether to post progress reports on half-finished rooms or wait until each one is complete.  Archie's room is almost finished. The base is there - but there's a fair bit of artwork etc to go up to complete the look.  However, I decided if I waited until each room was completely finished it could be a long time - are designers ever really finished?  I'm constantly, moving, adding and fluffing rooms.

So, here's a reminder of what the room looked like before:

Possibly the most uninspiring space ever.

And now: 

We've added the teepee, some bedding and a bedside cabinet but still need to dress the walls with artwork etc and the stuffed animal trophy heads to complete the safari theme.

The bedside cabinet is painted in blackboard paint so Archie can literally draw on the furniture.

oops - pantless model!

There's also a blackboard wall which is currently in progress:

Once the second coat goes on, these two squares will be finished with frames, making it an instant/changeable gallery.  Initially I planned to paint out the whole lower half of the wall, but I'm glad I've gone for something more discreet.

The carpet won't be replaced until much later when all the bedrooms are done at once.  Also, I really wanted to paint this room a fun colour, but I've resisted (for now). 

It's a little bit retro - but Archie seems to like it.  

Update on the office

I finally finished the desk.  It's not at all how I first imagined, but I'm pretty happy with it anyway.

The ginger is gone - there was no way it was going to work with the floor (which will probably stay) and it just gave off a horrible veneer-like vibe.  So, it's now white.  Which I was actually trying to avoid, because, you know I love white and it's becoming a bit predictable.

In the end it always comes down to why white works best:  It contrasts well with colour, and I plan to inject a lot of colour into this room. And it freshens, brightens and modernises all at once.  It just works well with the aesthetic of the room.

I'm also aware that while this renovation is to showcase the design skills of SD Interiors, it is also a reno-to-sell, which in a way is a complete contrast to the design aspect.  Eventually, we want it to appeal to as many buyers as possible, so the challenge is to design something that is fresh and fun that showcases design, but also appeals to a wide demographic - tricky!

So that's why I'm also not injecting too much colour with paint (although I'd love to), as come sale time I would be forced to paint it all out again, and it just kind of defeats the purpose (not to mention time and expense).  I'm not ruling out wallpaper though.....

Now the desk is done, the room still needs shelving, a cabinet, a beautiful lamp, a large mood board, some artwork....and a chair!!!