Driftwood Interiors @ Remodelaholic!

So..imagine my surprise when I got an email from my lovely blog buddy Kerry over at A Tranquil Townhouse, telling me that my bathroom renovation (I blogged about it in one of my very first posts here) had been featured on Redmodelaholic! I had no idea, and I have to say I'm surprised and thrilled all at the same time. Here are a few pics:

I also had the good fortune to be featured on the fantastic Desire to Inspire's Easter reading guide. I'm seriously chuffed that this little blog of mine was featured on such great  sites, and just wanted to say thanks to all of you who take the time to pop in and leave your lovely comments, it means the world to me and really does make my day!

p.s A quick update on the big makeover, which is now in full swing. Let's just say it's had its fair share of 'issues', but I'm LOVING it so far, and am just about to head off now to start work again. So think of me today peeps, working my little fingers to the bone!



all images Driftwood Interiors

Inspiration

Just can't help myself...had to post just a few more images from my inspiration folder. Little pieces in these rooms helped form the design of my big makeover. Sorry for being such a terrible tease, but all good things take time, so by my calculation this project should be roughly three times as good as I first thought!

from Wisteria 

Willa Nordic

Willa Nordic

love this room by Brooke and Steve Gianetti via Velvet and Linen

Big plans..

So..today has been busy. And really exciting, because I've been working on some big plans for this house of mine...


Now my hubby is on a course for work at the moment, and I have a crazy idea...I'm going to take on a seriously big makeover while he's away. Hopefully he's as excited about it as I am (fingers crossed!), but loving the way my home looks, and the way it makes me feel, is really important to me and I know he'll be happy with whatever I do.

So, I may be a little scarce over the next few days. But just wait till I show you what I've been up to. I really hope it looks like I imagine it will, but one thing's for sure, it won't ever look the same again!

There's no way I can bring myself to post without including some pretty pictures, so here's some of the beautiful rooms that have inspired this crazy idea of mine.

Holly over at Life in the Fun Lane's lovely bedroom

..and the before 

Chris at Just Beachy installed all of this panelling herself - is there nothing this girl can't do?

Now this post wouldn't be complete without Layla and Kevin's fantastic kitchen re-do, when this was the before...

 

 

 

and after...

and how about what Lauren from Pure Style Home did with this bedroom 

to turn it into this

See you all soon!

Vintage chalkboard DIY

On this fine Anzac day public holiday, with the kidlets working furiously on assignments due at school tomorrow (of course, they wouldn't dream of doing them ahead of time) I decided a quick and easy DIY project was the perfect way to spend the morning. So with my new favourite toy, my airless spray gun at the ready, I whipped this old vintage frame into shape. I still had the old backing board, so it was one of the quickest makeovers I think I've ever done.

Now, to make it even more functional,  I added some little hooks to the bottom of the frame. I'm on the lookout for some antique keys to display, but for now it will do double duty as a key rack.

had to show you my handbag keyring - isn't it cute?

Now, here's a little tip. You really don't need to use chalkboard paint; artists' acrylic works just as well. The only thing to remember is that the paint needs to be very matte, if it has the slightest shine to it the chalk won't adhere properly. Here I used a mid grey which gives an aged appearance, although the colour looks quite a bit darker in my photos.

 Jo Sonja or Matisse paints are my choice for this job

Here are some befores...

..and after.

all images by me - sorry about the rubbish quality - I definitely need a new camera (or maybe just some talent in the photographic department)

Not bad for about an hour's work, huh? Quick, easy and gorgeous - my favourite kind of makeover.

While I was tinkering with this little project, I came accross a few treasures I'd forgotten all about, stashed away in the dark depths of my shed. I can't wait to get started, my only problem is I have too many ideas and not enough hours in the day!

p.s. this little makeover is a part of the Sunday Showcase Party here, so pop in and see some of the other fantastic projects on show.

Enjoy your weekend,

Lest we forget

Architectural brilliance

I distinctly remember reading an article some time ago, where a number of well-known interior designers were asked to name their favourite architects. Now, I can't remember many of their answers, but it did make me think about who I would be naming when the time came time for my magazine interview (!).  Now, I realise there are some very infuential and well-known names to choose from. But for me, there is one Aussie architect whose work stands head and shoulders above the rest, and always makes me weak at the knees.  

Walter Barda is the man responsible for some of the most beautiful homes on Sydney's northern beaches. His work has featured in numerous television programmes and commercials, as well as being offered as luxury holiday accomodation. What I love about his designs is that, although he has an unmistakeable style, each home is completely unique. His trademark use of beautifully detailed ceiling treatments is so distinctive, as is his obvious love of timber. As can be expected, a connection with the outdoors is paramount.

 many of his designs boast sandstone features

 Who wouldn't love working in this kitchen?

Barda often uses banks of bi-fold doors to create indoor-outdoor rooms

What a bedroom to wake up in each morning!

And as a side note, celebrity gardener Jamie Durie has been working with Barda for the past few years to design his new home. They also collaborated on the design of Hamilton Island's new yacht club villas. 

Barda has stated that he feels he's restoring a little of the northern beaches' history whenever he builds a new home, recapturing some of what's been lost from our beach suburbs.

"I often think: 'Oh that's great, we have put one back!' " he says. "Because overseas they celebrate and revere their little timber homes but we never did. There were a lot of timber structures that have been eradicated up and down the coast and sadly we end up with brick veneer suburbia."

I love his philosophy almost as much as I love his designs!
 


images 1 - 8 via walterbardadesign.com
images 9 - 11 via realestate.com.au

Ta Da!!

Ok, I know this has been a long time coming, but I've finally finished the first of my vintage chair makeovers. I decided to paint the two seater white, so I can play around with colours and fabrics to my little heart's content. Here she is:

I've loved this black paisley for ages, and really like it for the seat cushion. I agonised over whether to paint the chair black, but now I can use fabric as the focus, and then change my mind when I get sick of it - which is often!

It was really a quick and easy way to give new life to a tired old piece. The set was in perfect condition, and all it needed was a quick clean, priming with a coat of sealer/undercoat (I always use Zinsser, it's fantastic and works on all finishes) and three coats of white gloss via my new best friend, this baby.

I seriously wish I'd bought one of these sooner - it's fantastic and so easy to use.

Here are the befores (sorry, forgot to take one of the two-seater, I was in far too much of a hurry to get going!)

And now...

 ...here she is all painted and pretty.

I did have one issue, for some reason I had this weird hot pink sap? leach out when the first coat went on. I have no idea why this happened - anyone have any ideas?

 Looks just as good with some neutral taupe cushions

 

I'd had this Ralph Lauren fabric stashed away, and initially thought it would look great on the seat cushion. After I saw it, I realised it was just wrong, so kept tweaking things until I was happy.

I threw a white matelasse quilt over the seat, and I quite like it in combination with the crisp blue on the cushions.

Ok, so now all I have to decide on is some gorgeous cushions. I like the black and blue and white so far, but then I was visiting the lovely Judy's blog, Verandah House, when I saw these:

Les Indiennes by Mary Mulcahy

 ...and these..

...and now I'm loving this green! I think I might paint a chinoiserie-style artwork for above chair, similar to the wallpaper above. And those of you who read Viv's lovely blog will recognise the piece on the wall, my daughter saw it and fell in love with it, so we just had to get one.

So, what do you think? You guys are all so chic and stylish I'm sure you'll give me even more pretties to add to the mix, but hey - that's the fun part! Oh, and this little makeover is a part of the Best DIY Projects in April Link Party over at Beneath my Heart blog, so go check out some of the other amazing transformations on show.

Enjoy the rest of your day,