Displaying posts labeled "Reader’s Home"

Styling for sale

Posted on Fri, 15 Apr 2016 by KiM

A dear reader of ours named Erin was talked into setting up a real estate staging and styling business in Perth, Western Australia after nailing it on a couple of homes she staged for friends and neighbours of friends. This townhouse in West Perth is one of them – and it’s already under offer (if not sold by now).

There are more than enough 1 bed new to newish apartments in this suburb and surrounding suburbs where the balcony’s overlook each other plus there are 50 to 150 of them in each block. This one’s saving grace is it’s in a group of 8 that allows pets unlike the apartments. Pets are like plants in my eyes.  They make a house a home. Ideally I would have loved to wack art on the walls but as the whole place was freshly painted inside and out the owner wanted to leave the walls clear so the new owners can hammer away til their hearts content.  I also would have loved to put another rug or two in but I need more rugs like a hole in the head as with the owner.  I am though still trying to source a well priced rug to possibly put underneath the wee dining table. we did this using mine and the owners furniture with all linen, cushions, vases, plants, basically every accessory you can see coming from me. I did get the owner to spring for the rug in the upstairs sitting area which we sourced from gumtree which is similar to craigslist as she was happy to keep this after the sale. The owner wasn’t keen on hiring furniture and admittedly I would rather purchase second hand to keep costs down and sell furniture on after the sale to save costs for the owner. Plus she had a few sofas and coffee tables in her main residence, borrowed a spare bed from her mum and luckily owned the eames and expedit. I’m a big believer, in beg, borrow and steal, purchase what you need and store anything downright ugly and not suited to the target buyer. But will hire furniture if need be.

You may remember the Brooklyn loft of Mara and David that I shared almost 2 years ago. Well, Mara and David have since changed careers (from photo agent and still-life photographer to creative director of CVintage shopping event and sommelier), lifestyles, and moved to a new city. Now located in Charleston, South Carolina, they have completed renovations on their new home and sent along some photos. This house has such beautiful architectural details and they have done such a great job decorating their new digs (with most of the same furniture just reupholstered). Thanks for giving us a peek Mara and David! 

(tasting table by Landrum Tables)

(reclaimed wood shelves by Brooks Custom Woodworks)

Design Crew

Posted on Thu, 4 Feb 2016 by KiM

Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don’t know what to do? You’re not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you…. that’s you lot… the readers! Hop to it. I know you have just the right solution. Today’s design dilemma comes from Paula.

Desperately seeking kim & jo’s interior ideas for a super/super long (24 feet long) by a super narrow (6 feet wide) living/dining/kitchen empty blank space that all connected open. I mean, I haven’t any clue how to explain this cold empty apartment and I am lost without a clue where to begin. Paula is looking to create a warm, calm, inviting home with the rather awkward space she has to work with as seen below.

I would like to share my thoughts and I hope many of you will too! First though – why oh why do people think dividing up a floor in an open concept space like this with 2 different materials is a good idea?! This space would be easier to work with and flow better if all the floor was hardwood. Paula I don’t know if you own or rent but either way, if you can swing getting that doing-nothing-for-the-space tile pulled up and replaced with the same hardwood that would be an awesome start. So I would basically pick a lovely calm, neutral colour and slap that all over all the walls. I usually say grey but you can really go with anything you like. Then pick 1 or 2 accent colours. I would then delineate your dining and living room zones using area rugs (neutral with a bit of your accent colour). I would get a round dining table and some not too weighty chairs like Eames or Philippe Starck’s Victoria Ghost chairs. I would try and find a very slim loveseat/sofa just under 6′ long and cram it in that nook under the 2 windows along the back wall. Or check if Ikea or small-space furniture companies makes a sectional that isn’t too bulky that might fit with the lounge part along the back wall. Then you can have a couple of occasional chairs in the more open area facing the loveseat with maybe a tiny table between them and they won’t be so crammed in. I would mount the TV on the wall behind that door in the photo above so it’s out of the way. That’s it – just keep a flow of colours throughout the entire space and keep every piece of furniture light, airy and ideally armless because I guarantee you’ll bring home furniture and wonder why it looked like a good size in the store but so big in your space. 

Reader’s home: pegboard is underrated

Posted on Wed, 3 Feb 2016 by KiM

We received this email the other day from Hannah:One of my favorite features has been the opportunity to see how other people around the world live (and work) in their homes, and I would love to submit my husband’s live/work space in New York’s Lower East Side neighborhood for your consideration to share with your readers! We recently got married last month in December, and he will be at his space until he moves in with me in the beginning of March (ah, New York City romances!). It’s a 550-square-foot apartment with “2 bedrooms” (both bedrooms are windowless) that he lives in by himself and also uses as a full-time office. There’s one closet – in the living room – for the entire apartment. Matt has always had a modern, minimalist style, but this apartment truly pushed him to come up with creative, innovative solutions to maintain his hyper-organized, decluttered lifestyle. When his lease ends and he moves into my 2-bedroom apartment in a little over a month, we plan to put up pegboards and I can’t wait to see what happens 🙂 If anyone was uncertain of the usefulness of pegboard, then this post is for you. What a great way to deal with a serious lack of storage space, while keeping everything off the floor and close at hand. More details of Matt’s home is here and his recent pegboard collection here. (HUH??? ONE CLOSET… in the living room?!)

Reader’s home – Kiki’s London home

Posted on Wed, 30 Sep 2015 by KiM

It has been a while since we have featured a reader’s home, so I am excited to share one with you today. Kiki is a Brazilian married to a Canadian (an Ottawan specifically – WOOT!) and they have been living in this Crouch End, North London home for 3 years now. They have recently done a loft conversion, adding a master bedroom ensuite, walk in wardrobe and laundry. DTI was a big source of inspiration for Kiki and I think she has done an awesome job. I love the accent walls – cool wallpapers and black always wins in my book. Fab tile choices in the bathrooms as well. This home is stunning, as all London homes seem to be. I want to hug those wood floors. Thanks Kiki!

Most of the artwork is Kiki’s – she’s a mixed media artist.


This is Lola 🙂