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

December 22, 2021 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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Not many friends in life fall into the unofficial Not many friends in life fall into the unofficial family category and they're a special gift. So ends three weeks with @danisteve81 who left her husband and son in the UK (I'm forever grateful they lent her to me!) to come and cheer me up and help me in the most practical ways after I spent Christmas and New Year in hospital. There were tears and I miss her so much already but how amazing to have had all that time together as adults. Such a rare treat and would never have happened without having been through something so challenging. Silver linings and all that. So many other friends have also been incredibly thoughtful and kind. There aren't many times I'd say this without cringing but I am 100% blessed!

I still cannot believe we have been friends since we were 12! 12! Are you still close with your childhood besties?
The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_ho The renovation of this 80s beach shack @camillo_house is a work of art and while almost every surface was updated, the decision to keep the original slate floor was genius if you ask us. 

Owner @clarehillier__ says: "With its purple, pink, red and brown tones, the slate was the starting point for our interior palette."

Come and check out the before and afters via link in bio now and read the reno story. It's a real beauty.

And you can book it for your next holiday too!

Blair Smith Architecture @kateshanasy

#slatefloor #slatefloors #80shouse #80sbeauty #camillohouse #interiorsblog #interiorsblogger #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop #realreno #holidayhousesofinstagram #morningtonpeninsulahomes #morningtonpeninsula #morningtonpeninsulasmallbusiness #blairgowrie #blairgowriebeach #airbnbstyle
Me and my boys ๐Ÿ’— Me and my boys ๐Ÿ’—
Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for thr Just a couple of dorks who've been friends for three decades going out for a child-free dinner ๐Ÿ’“๐Ÿ˜
Excuse me while I die of a cute attack ๐Ÿฅฐ @damia Excuse me while I die of a cute attack ๐Ÿฅฐ @damianfrancis 

This doesn't happen often these days!
Hello friends! Just thought I'd say hi. Two weeks Hello friends! Just thought I'd say hi. Two weeks since leaving hospital and I'm doing much better than I expected to be at this early stage. A long recovery road ahead but making progress in how much I can move my arm and although I drag myself through some days non-stop yawning, others I can go for a little walk or out for lunch before collapsing on the couch! I can now tie my own hair back and put on a real bra which is very exciting ๐Ÿคฃ Having my bestie here to help us with the boys, drive me places and just be brilliant positive company is the best thing I could have asked for not to mention the many Dinner Ladies vouchers from friends! Thanks for all your kind messages, cards, flowers, gifts and offers of help โค๏ธ
I definitely feel like a statistic now but hoping I definitely feel like a statistic now but hoping to raise some awareness off the back of my misfortune (and also very lucky escape).

@newsouthwaleshealth have just put out this warning about a rise in serious bacterial infections. iGAS (invasive group A streptococcus) is what caused my necrotising fasciitis and sepsis.

Apparently there's similar happening in VIC too.

It's extremely rare but very serious nonetheless so please have a read and be aware of symptoms. I've linked to the article from a button via my link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #jenbishop #necrotisingfasciitis #groupastrep #groupastreptococcus #sepsis
While new technologies continue to shape the inter While new technologies continue to shape the interior design scene, one that has been getting a fair bit of traction of late isย marble-look porcelain. A cheaper alternative to natural stone, the latest printed porcelain tile technology makes it difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

Founded by husband and wife duo Anton and Rita Bourtsev, Sydneyโ€™s @kaolintiles has a unique offering in this space with over 100 different marble-look tile designs in small and large formats.

More via link in bio now.

#porcelain #porcelaintile #porcelaintiles #largeformattiles #largeformattile #marblelooktiles #bathroomtrends2023 #interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #heartyourhome #realrenovations #goldsink #brasssink #jenbishop #kaolin #kaolintiles #interiorsblog #interiorsblogger
Promise this is the last wretched hospital photo I Promise this is the last wretched hospital photo I'll post and I hope to be home and with my lippie back on by Monday. You know it's serious when I'm lipstick free, right?!

This was about a week ago in intensive care. And although my arm is still bloody sore I'm now on a normal ward and no longer attached to any drips, drains or a catheter. I've come a long way.

This has been the most physical and mental challenge of my life but I'm through the worst. I kept my arm. The doctors saved my life.

I cannot say it enough times. If you're worried about your health, don't hang around. Things can change so quickly. 

A huge thanks to my amazing husband @damianfrancis We've had the hardest year yet and our marriage has never been stronger, even if my rings did get cut off my finger in hospital ๐Ÿ˜œ

As great of a job as he is doing at home with the kids, I cannot wait to get home now. Countdown is on to a new year and a fresh start.

And I can't say enough just how overwhelmingly grateful I am to all the medical professionals involved in my care, from the @healthdirectaus nurse who sent me to Emergency to the exceptional surgeons, doctors, nurses and support staff.

Happy New Year, everyone. Remember you never know what's around the corner and this is not a dress rehearsal!

And huge thank you for all your kindness here. Has been amazing while stuck in bed.

Xxx

For those who missed it, I was unlucky enough to get necrotising fasciitis. You'll have to Google it.
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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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