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Adore Home magazine: Loni Parker’s fabulous new front yard

By Amy Collins-Walker โ€ข Leave a Comment

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The final chapter in the home renovation of Adore Home Magazineโ€™s Loni Parker, this front garden project was finished recently and itโ€™s quite the bright and breezy summer-ready gem. For context, Loni and partner Mark have overhauled their modest brick Queensland home into a fresh, white weatherboard delight with this space the final finishing touch.

โ€œThe ‘before’ was pretty woeful. We started with a humble brick abode with patchy grass and have turned it into a white weatherboard home complete with a lush courtyard perfect for entertaining,โ€ says Loni of the garden design that covers 49 square metres and makes excellent use of space.

BEFORE front yard
AFTER front yard. What a difference!


“I designed the front yard myself and the overall vision was to have a little oasis in the middle of suburbia,” Loni explains. “I wanted it to feel coastal and go with the exterior of the house. It also needed to be practical and offer us two zones in which to entertain – a dining area on the deck, and lounging area complete with built-in bench seat.”

A key moment in the redesign, the front garden now features a lovely deck that runs straight off the kitchen. Made from composite decking (Ekodeck Ironwood), the charcoal colour was chosen to match the homeโ€™s roof colour – Colorbond Monument. And given itโ€™s a composite product, the deck wonโ€™t need to be sanded, oiled or stained. โ€œItโ€™s easy to clean too!โ€ says Loni.

Dining area
Outdoor dining area

The outdoor table and bench seats from Early Settler, which they’ve had for years, Loni considers her best bargain. “Itโ€™s just the best. It doesnโ€™t rust or warp in the weather, itโ€™s just hard-wearing and built for the elements!” Her favourite thing is the new outdoor coffee table from P&R Styling and the biggest splurge was the deck.

Sun protection, in the bright north facing backyard, is afforded by a large Basil Bangs umbrella. โ€œBasil Bangsโ€™ umbrellas are always used in commercial venues, because theyโ€™re the highest standard. They may cost a bit more but are made to last and totally worth the investment in my opinion,โ€ says Loni.

Adjacent to the dining zone is the lounge area which features on-trend crazy pavers on the floor. โ€œMy favourite areas of the crazy paving are the larger pieces so if we were to do it again, I would make sure to keep as many larger pieces as possible as opposed to smashing them into smaller sizes. This also means a bit less work when gluing them down,โ€ says Loni who, impressively, did the paving herself.

Lounge area
The lounge area features custom built-in lounges

“To save some money we rendered the bench seat ourselves, but we didnโ€™t know the masonry blockwork needed to be waterproofed prior. Itโ€™s resulted in the render swelling when it rains heaps – whoops! Also budget was a big challenge. I had a price in mind and went slightly over. In the end, I just wanted it done before Christmas so hired trades that maybe were a bit more expensive, but were available straight away.”

The lounge area also features a stylish timber battened privacy screen, built-in bench seat and terrazzo coffee and side tables that all work to create a hugely welcoming conversation hub.

The whole scene is pulled together by a variety of fabulous white pots filled with a gorgeous array of greenery. Loni chose to pot most of the plants to give her the ability to move them around, further increasing her styling opportunities down the line. โ€œIn my eyes, gardens are always evolving, and if something doesnโ€™t work, you change or move things around until they do work.

“I look after the new grass like Iโ€™m an elderly man! I even trim the grass next to the garden edging by hand with scissors because I donโ€™t like the line trimmer flicking grass onto the white pebbles. Yes, Iโ€™m next level!

“We always get asked if we hired a landscaper to do the work and everyone is surprised that we organised and designed it all ourselves. I think thatโ€™s our greatest area of passion when renovating: gardens and the outdoor spaces. Thereโ€™s a real sense of accomplishment watching the plants grow and thrive.”

Dining

Photography: Coast Park Creative

For more

Covet my coffee table: Adore Home magazine’s Loni Parker
Loni Parker is the founder of Adore Home magazine who recently published her very own coffee table book, Adore.ย We asked her to share what’s on her coffee table. Turns out…

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December 22, 2021

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SALE ALERT! Listen up Sydneysiders, one of my fav SALE ALERT!

Listen up Sydneysiders, one of my favourite home stores @shack.furniture.homewares are having their annual warehouse sale this week, from Thursday until Saturday.

HUGE savings on furniture, homewares and decor with 30 to 80% off. Wowsers!

I'm a big fan of SHACK and can never leave one of their stores without a few styling goodies for my place! It's just too tempting!

While you're at the sale, mention Interiors Addict for an extra 10% off!

Unit 16a, 1801 Botany Rd, Banksmeadow NSW 2019

Thursday 1st to Saturday 3rd June 2023, 9am to 4pm. Not online.

#sydneyshopping #sydneysale #sydneysales #sydneyfurniture #shackfurniture #shackfurniturehomewares #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #comeshoppingwithme
A door to door continuous curved stone ledge in th A door to door continuous curved stone ledge in this bathroom is one of the cleverest designs we've seen in a while!

This mega ledge, made of Corian, even incorporates a sink, seamlessly.

Combined with venetian plaster on the walls, it's no wonder this Illawarra bathroom by @birdblackdesign feels like a day spa!

Come check it out via link bio.

Lead designer Stuart Gibson says: "One smooth curve, right around the room, from either side of the door opening. As it moves around, it creates a ledge for the bath: for bath oils, lotions, a book and a champagne glass. The ledge continues around and becomes the vanity, widening out to create a custom seamless basin."

#bathroomhappiness #bathroomdetails #bathroomshelves #bathroomshelf #venetianplastering #coriandesign #coriansolidsurface #spalikebathroom #spabathroom #sustainablebathroom
Catch the season finale of @sellinghousesaus last Catch the season finale of @sellinghousesaus last night?

We have all the before and afters for you on the blog now, via link in bio (and swipe for a taster).

#sellinghouses #sellinghousesaustralia #foxtel #lifestylechannel #beforeandafterkitchen #beforeandafterlivingroom #beforeandafterrenovation #realitytv #housetours #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
๐Ÿ˜ Not sure what's better: the custom mirror abo ๐Ÿ˜ Not sure what's better: the custom mirror above the fireplace in this Art Deco one-bedder or the wallpaper in the kitchen (swipe)?!

It's been a while since we featured an apartment makeover on IA. Would you like to see more apartment interiors? Head to the blog now to see more of this one. Via link in bio.

#artdecoapartment #artdecointerior
#artdecomirror #artdecofireplace #artdecomelbourne #artdecofurniture #artdecobuilding #artdecointeriors #apartmentrenovation #apartmentinterior #smallspaceliving #melbourneapartments #melbourneairbnb #kitchenwallpaper #wallpaperaustralia
Low tox and planet friendly laundry liquid (and sh Low tox and planet friendly laundry liquid (and sheets and soap and powder!). We have a great roundup of the best options on the blog today. 

A whole host of brands are offering eco-friendly, low tox alternatives to the more chemical-laden ones. Not only that, they often smell amazing, look good on your shelf and come in recycled or recyclable (or even better, both) packaging. 

Good for your skin, your clothes and the planet: whatโ€™s not to like?

Do you use any of these?

COMPARE THEM ALL VIA LINK IN BIO NOW.

#lowtoxliving #lowtoxlife #lowtoxlifestyle #lowtoxhome #lowtoxlaundry #lowtoxswaps #naturallaundry #naturallaundrydetergent #naturallaundrysoap #ecolaundry #lowtoxcleaning #ecofriendlyhome #ecofriendlyhouse #laundryliquid #laundrypowder #laundrysoap #naturalcleaning #chemicalfreecleaning #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome
Play room goals!๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป This is just one room fr Play room goals!๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

This is just one room from today's real house tour which I really love because in employing interior designer @issyandhcreative the owners weren't looking for a complete rip out and re-do but rather to work with what they had in their new suburban home (including a dated kitchen) and give it a largely cosmetic glow up with styling and new furniture (some of which was upcycled). 

The brief was to create a family friendly home. "They weren't looking for perfection but rather a warm and relaxing retreat for their busy young family." This playroom though? Pretty close to perfect! And the mum did the colour coded books herself. Love that๐Ÿ˜

Head over to the blog now via link in bio to see the rest of this home.

#playroomideas #playroomgoals #playroomdecor #familyhomes #kidfriendlyhome #kidfriendlyinteriors #familyhomedecor #sustainabledecor #affordablerenovations #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #beanbagchair #beanbags #colourcodedbooks #colourcoded #toyroom #kidsroomdesign 

Pix by @tealily
All the heart eyes for this little setup ๐Ÿ˜ Hea All the heart eyes for this little setup ๐Ÿ˜

Head to the blog to shop this and two other gorgeous styled images from @greenhouseinteriors 

The stunning @mrsniceart artwork has already sold but the good news is, you can still get prints of it!

Styling by Aisha Chaudhry for Greenhouse Interiors, assisted by Nikki McGar, Kylie Harris, Rachael Blake and Max Green. Photography by Stephanie Rooney. 

#poolart #sideboardstyling #buffetstyling #consolestyling #vignettes #greenhouseinteriors #barcartstyling #shopthelook #bluehomedecor #poolumbrella #beachumbrella
Bookworms need a cosy book nook! ๐Ÿ“– ๐Ÿ› Seb an Bookworms need a cosy book nook! ๐Ÿ“– ๐Ÿ›

Seb and Charlie had one of those kid size couches in their playroom but frankly, they'd outgrown it! I picked this Aussie made compact 2-seater Ruby sofa from @fantasticfurniture 

I'd usually go for grey to keep it neutral but as it's in a kid's room I went for this heather blue fabric to make it a little more fun while still classic. There's more than 50 fabric choices for Fantastic's Aussie made range so good luck choosing ๐Ÿ˜‚ 

I left the legs off to keep it below the windowsill. I'm super happy with the quality. It looks a lot more expensive than its $699 pricetag ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

Books, natural light and a cosy couch = happy boys! And let's not pretend they won't be watching the odd movie on there too ๐Ÿฟ because #keepingitreal

#FantasticFurniture #FantasticFamily #booknook #booknookstagram #booknook #bookwormsofinstagram #littlereader #littlebookworm #cosycorner #cosycorner #playroomideas #toyroom #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #aussiemade #aussiemadefurniture #twoseater #kidssofa #kidscouch #bluesofa #loveofreading
Last week we interviewed chalk paint pioneer Annie Last week we interviewed chalk paint pioneer Annie Sloan from her UK base about colour and Aussies' relationship with it. (And how's this for a before & after kitchen?! ๐Ÿ˜)

Annieโ€™s latest green hue, Coolabah Green, is inspired by the Eucalyptus trees of her childhood (did you know she was born in Sydney?). โ€œI made it in tribute to Australia and Iโ€™m thrilled to say thatโ€™s been really popular both here in the UK and in Australia. Itโ€™s a kind of smoky, silvery sage green thatโ€™s very easy to work with and would complement accents of Amsterdam Green deliciously.โ€

Sales stats show Aussies are all about greens while elsewhere in the world greys and blues are more popular from her range. So tell me, are you a green lover?

Head to the blog to read Annie's thoughts on upcycling furniture and more. Via link in bio.

#chalkpaint #chalkpainted #chalkpainting #chalkpaintfurniture #chalkpaintlove #chalkpaintmakeover #anniesloanchalkpaint #anniesloanhome #anniesloanpaint #paintedkitchencabinets #paintedkitchen #paintedkitchens #upcycler #upcyclers #upcyclersofinstagram #upcycledfurniture #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #heartyourhome #anniesloan #greenkitchencabinets #greenkitchens #greenpaint #coolabahgreen #coolabah
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Amy Collins-Walker

About Amy Collins-Walker

Amy is our regular feature writer, an experienced journalist and interior stylist living in Perth, Western Australia. Find out more about her styling work at http://www.amycollinswalker.com/

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