Gold Chalk meets Josh and Charlotte from The Block

I recently attended Josh and Charlotte from The Block’s guest talk at Coco Republic Design School in Melbourne. Here is my take on their top tips for renovating success:

(see this article in Reno Addict and The Block....)

1. Location is paramount, buy the best you can afford.

2. Try to minimise any structural changes: knocking out walls costs a lot of money.

3. Try to maximise all living spaces and make sure they all connect. If you can and have the space, add stools to the kitchen bench. The kitchen is now another living space!

4. Invest in kitchens and bathrooms.

5. Save money on laundries — especially if, like theirs on The Block, it’s hidden out of the way.

6. Don’t forget the outside! Landscaping is a huge factor — their green wall was a pivotal space, it could be seen from all rooms and connected them together.

7. Use quality furniture, where possible custom build pieces to fit spaces. This then gives the illusion of space and really finishes off a room.

8. Josh was really big on calling in professionals to help with the planning; don’t be scared to enlist a professional for help, they are full of knowledge and will probably save you money in the end.

9. When it comes to following trends, they have a strict rule: trends are used only in easy to change pieces like cushions and linen.

10. Their last bit of advice was to give renovating a go yourself; it’s the only way you learn. Don’t be afraid to try it yourself!

What I loved best about the night was that these two were very down to earth, they mixed with the crowd and let us take lots of photos. They wanted to share all their knowledge with us. I will be keen to see what they work on next. It was easy to see that Charlotte was a big fan of Coco Republic, their style seemed to suit her: classic and timeless. She also mentioned she had just graduated from the design school having done the Decorating Essentials 101 course, all of which she hopes to put to use in Josh’s business, J T Design and Construct.

gOLd ChALk's latest makeover

 It took us two big days to pull this beauty together, this house has such a beautiful feel - it the perfect entertainer! It reminded me of an old Queenslander! It has a beautiful elevated deck, lots of huge windows, bifold doors and three huge living spaces - I can't wait for it to hit the market.

 

ChALk's rules for selling!

Chalk's golden rules for Selling!

If you’re thinking of selling your property, you need to follow my golden rules before you even think about listing your home with a Real Estate agent! 

Think and plan ahead– think about who might buy your home – make sure you appeal to the right buyer – your home needs to cater to their needs, if that means packing up the sewing room and turning it into a nursery, then that’s what you do to maximise your sale price – be realistic and most importantly, be honest with yourself. Its hard work getting a house ready for sale – Lets face it anything worthwhile usually takes time and effort.

Start right at the beginning - look at your home with new eyes, clear ALL clutter, box up whatever you do not need, this includes all personal objects, photos and memorabilia, nobody wants to see Collingwood winning their last Grand Final or an enlarged photo of you and your partner above the main bed!!!!! Order that skip you have been talking about for months and start clearing!

Clean windows, inside and out – include fly screens, purchase a new welcoming doormat and don’t forget the humble letterbox, all to often I see neglected letterboxes covered in webs and with no street number, or no letterboxes at all. It’s your first introduction to potential buyers – it sets the tone for what they are about to see– make sure its looks the part!

Clean, clean, clean, and then clean again - don’t forget to look up, behind and under furniture – cobwebs, dust, dirty hand prints – they all have to go. Repaint if you need to, peach walls or suede effects paints and the like need to go – this is business and you need to appeal to as many buyers as possible, personal taste needs to be put aside! White walls or off white works best. New carpet will do amazing things to a house – it doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to look good!

Natural Light is key – pull the blinds back or lift them up as high as they will go – let your windows do the talking, heavy drapes weigh down a room – I often ask clients to remove window dressings all together for sale purposes, especially in living areas – there is nothing better than looking out clean fresh windows, just make sure what you are looking out to is worth looking at!

New Linen – new bedlinen in the main bedroom will speak wonders for your campaign – invest in white linen and a quilted valance (trust me!)Layer your bed with colour and texture and match your towels back. New pillows will give you that magazine look – it’s so important not to sleep on the linen or the pillows during the campaign – use your old set and keep changing it over – believe me it will be worth the short term inconvenience!

Lastly Dress the House – give each room a wow factor – I love to use artwork and key pieces of furniture to create interest. The buyer needs to remember your house – they need to make a connection with your space! Believe me, you do not want to blend, you want to give them something to remember.  Make sure your house stands out for all the right reasons!

Good Luck!!!

Inside Megan's House

You may recall I introduced you all to Megan here, well Megan is my trusty styling companion - we set up a lot of houses together, she really does add a breath of fresh air to my houses and I love working with her. So today, when I got invited into her very special abode - I couldn't help myself, I had to take some pics to show off her amazing home style!!! and to think , she called me into help her!!!! LOL!! I love her colour palette, how disciplined she is when adding new items and also how she has added so much of her own personality to her space. This is perfectly Megan.

Megan has pulled this room together amazingly - long rectangular living spaces are hard to work with - love how she had added circles to this space (one of the golden rules when working with lots of rectangles and squares!), the dark wall contrasts perfectly with the rug, and sofa - her colour choices are to die for. 

The details - that's what I love - it's personality plus!

I also love this little study nook,off the kitchen,  again, dark and light - perfectly functional - I want that chalkboard!!!

Now, Megan did not want me to photograph her space, but as I am sure you will agree, it's amazing!!

Freedom Furniture's new collection - my top 5

always love when Freedom release their new seasons collection - this seasons range is pretty exciting - I love the colour combinations and the simplicity of the designs - guaranteed to work in lots of spaces.  My first love is the Round Mirror (above) perfect mixed back with light wood, could equally work with a black or brown sofa.  The floor lamp is Number two - this has a slight Japanese feel, its been a long time since I've been so excited about a floor lamp!! Love this.

 This Canvas is perfect for adding colour and impact to a room - It is strong but also soothing, I can see this working in lots of spaces - this is high on my hit list!

 Its all about copper this season, and these two pieces, the Rug and Cushion are easy updates to ensure you are on trend without over doing it - two very easy pieces to work with that won't date and can be used with lots of couches - works well with Grey, Charcoal, Brown, Black and Neutral - perfect if you have updating in mind.

I always love to head into store to check out the items for myself - I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and feel of the product - well worth a visit to your nearest Freedom Furniture store.

my favourite place to get Artwork that looks amazing and is totally affordable and Orginal!!!!

You've all heard me bang on about artwork and its power in a room - it's one of my favourite decorating tools to use and it doesn't have to cost you the earth!!! But you do need to get the STYLE and the SIZE right for your space. So often I see misplaced artwork or no artwork in homes, because clients are too scared to bang in a nail or even get started. It is well worth the time and effort - I specialise in getting art right for clients!!! My one stop shop is United Artworks ,for their range and quality. I can't go past them.  If you need help and would like a recommendation on Art selection and placement in your home, please call or email me for a consultation.  I have access to wholesale prices too! In the meantime take a look at their website for some instant inspiration!!

this winner is in the sale section for $99.00 - Absoulute bargain and looks fabulous in real life!!!

inspiration - one board, three ways

signing off for 2013 - loved pulling these mood boards together, not for anything in particular, just for inspiration - looking forward to a fabulous inspiring and creative 2014 with 

gOLd ChaLK. 

what a difference........before and after shots

 It still amazes me when I see these pictures - I went into this home after the owners had no success in selling their biggest asset. Mind you the before photos here are from the real estate agent who had the property before, so these are the pictures the owners had on the Internet showcasing their home - I can understand why it didn't sell!! Then I was asked to have a look at the house and make some suggestions to help them get it ready for sale.  Firstly I got them to remove the old air conditioner and plaster the brick wall, we changed some light fittings but basically that is all we did to the bones of the house!!!!! then we shipped out all of the old furniture and sent in some modern hire furniture and accessories,  and take a look at the difference!!!!! It's hard to believe furniture can transform a space so dramatically, but the right selection makes all the difference - in saying that the proof is always in the end result - can't wait to see if this one sells!! and how quickly - see it here, while it lasts. 

lounge room before (above) and after (below)

main bedroom before (above) after (below)

 

 kitchen before (above) and after (below)

isn't it amazing what a rug and the right table setting can do to a room, the black and 

glass setting was to harsh for this space - it needed some warming up.

 living room before (above) and after (below)

gOLd ChaLK does Adore Home Magazine!!! YAY!!!

What an absolute thrill to be a part of the latest Adore Home Magazine, loved pulling this Blog Loving page together, these are really some of my favorite things at the moment. Fingers and toes crossed this is the first of many more magazines I get to work on - see me and many more fantastic articles in the latest edition of Adore Home which hit the stands today - view it here

see me on pages 10, 18, 19 and 34!

Adore Home front cover

that's me - listed as one of the contributors - how fabulous, especially to be in the same company as some of my most admired colleges.

Love contributing to this page - I especially love that home nearly always takes it cue from Fashion! - I have some of these pieces in my space!

Lastly, this fabulous E-magazine is trying very hard to fund a hard cover book - it will be the "must have" coffee table book, help make Loni's dream a realty and pre-purchase her book - I have!!! you can pledge your support and read more about it here!

it's been a little while between posts lately - lots of good stuff happening that is keeping me very busy, hope to fill you all in on more soon, but hopefully the wait wont be as long!!!