My first real (kinda) interior design gig!

One of the things I was keen to get into when I moved back to NSW was to redecorate my husband's parent's house. This is in progress so photos and story later. But I also had been asked to help with my brother and sister in law's home. It used to be a pokey pokey pokey tiny 2 bedroom 1950s home in Upper Blue Mountains. My brother in law extended the living space to include a kitchen and dining area... Renovations are just complete!

I visited them late 2008 and this was their living/dining/kitchen area:



To the left of the pic, you can just see the same table as in the below pic, which gives you an idea of the size of the space.



Come 2 years later in April 2010, the furniture has changed somewhat with an addition of various items and a piano.



Significantly, the extension was well underway:



See above where the white wall ends? That was the end of the old kitchen space!



They used to be real kitchy-country folk. Then my sister in law went for the provincial sweet look whilst my brother in law, under my strong tutelage and influence, began to venture out into the world of eclectic and more modern...

They knew they wanted a fresh look to their home. But they left the colours, design, and look to me!

Here's what it looks like now:



A bold pink stripe across the room. (They weren't keen on the whole wall being pink, so I suggested a art-deco-esque floor trim used as a picture rail, which they instantly jumped for and now we all love, and white under that.) I also chose a modern pendant shade for their dining room.



My brother and sister in law really wanted an island bench workspace for their kitchen too, but I advised them strongly against one, because there simply wasn't enough space for one without losing valuable spaciousness and lightness. They even went to Ikea with the intention of getting one, but thankfully, returned without one, seeing some wisdom in holding off.



But then the next challenge was what to put on the walls?



When I think artwork, I stick to my eclectic feel and knew the look I wanted. My brother in law collects interesting industrial and vintage pieces that I thought would work with their new artpieces... so against my sister in law's natural inclination to be as conventional as possible... this is what I came up with:





What I've started there is not permanent of course, this allows the art display to change, to be refreshed every few months... to evolve.

Course, this house is far from complete... but my brother and sister in law are so thrilled with their new home, their new look. And what is great is that I got to stretch my inner (and hopefully outer) interior designer!

We've just finished 90% of the in laws' place so hopefully soon I can have another show and tell!