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Before & after: Stylish exterior reno for suburban home

June 11, 2019 3 Comments

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โ€œAt around 14 years old itโ€™s only a relatively young house with good bones and lots of potential. There was certainly nothing offensive about it though there wasnโ€™t anything special either. It just looked like any other slightly dated, somewhat neglected house in the neighbourhood โ€“ particularly the one right next door which happened to have the exact same colour scheme!โ€ says DIY decorator Kristine Franklin (of The Painted Hive) who gave this Melbourne home a facelift for a friend recently.

BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER

The home of her friendโ€™s late father, Kristine offered to help get it ready for sale by working on it over a three-month period โ€“ primarily on weekends. โ€œMainly we just wanted to make the most of what we already had on as small a budget as possible! Given the house has quite a simple classic design, and is located in a semi-rural area, I wanted to bolster the subtle cottage feel in a fresh, contemporaryย way,โ€ says Kristine of her design choices.

The process began with a thorough declutter where Kristine cleared the old decor, removed the dated security screen door and removed the aluminium shade from the sidelight. She then painted the front door a lovely shade of blue (Dulux Duck Egg Blue), installed a new light fitting and added some stylish accessories too. โ€œThe front door was a virtual black hole prior and now it’s bright and welcoming and one of the highlightsย of the facade. It’s probably my favourite little area,โ€ says Kristine.

BEFORE front door
BEFORE front door
AFTER front door
AFTER front door

โ€œAlthough faux plants aren’t usually my thing, I wasn’t keen on forking out a small fortune on a feature tree for beside the front door given the house is unoccupied and nobody would be caring for it regularly. The fiddle leaf is actually artificial though it looks amazing and is guaranteed not to die throughout the entire sales campaign!โ€ says Kristine.

AFTER faux plants and stylish pots now accessorise the front door
AFTER faux plants and stylish pots now accessorise the front door

Another integral part of the renovation, Kristine painted the original mottled stone coloured bricks using Dulux โ€˜Texture Mediumโ€™ in Antique White USA. โ€œI’m sure some people will wonder why I decided to paint the brick. To be honest, it was never awful however it does look muchย better in most of the before pics than it did in reality. It actually presents as almost an earthyย sandstone when it was actually a mottled cream/yellow with dirty brownย mortar. Plus, the house next door has the exact same brick which is never a great thing when you’re looking to sell. I wanted a fresh start,โ€ says Kristine who chose a white paint colour to contrast with the homeโ€™s black trims.

AFTER The wall baskets are from Early Settler
AFTER the wall baskets are from Early Settler

A master at DIY, Kristine also built the gable pediment and decorative shutters herself โ€“ the latter was painted in the aforementioned Dulux Duck Egg Blue. โ€œAll up they cost less than $60 and add the perfect touch of charm and character I was after,โ€ says Kristine.

AFTER
AFTER Kristine built the gable and shutters herself

And while Kristine originally wanted the garage door to be replaced with a black alternative, sheโ€™s happy with the way the timber-look steel Gliderol one from Bunnings turned out. โ€œI love the simple panelled design and warm timber-look finish. It complements the other timber elements and duck egg accents perfectly, as well as helps warm-up all the white,โ€ says Kristine.

BEFORE garage door
BEFORE garage door
AFTER garage door
AFTER garage door

โ€œThis is the first full facade transformation I’ve ever worked on and I learned a lot! It was so lovely to have several neighboursย walk by as I was taking the โ€˜afterโ€™ photos and comment on how good it looks now,โ€ says Kristine.

AFTER
AFTER the little lawn area in front of the house

For more from The Painted Hive | Upcycle your porch with an easy weekend paint DIY

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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.
The unluckiest girl or the luckiest? Day 6 in int The unluckiest girl or the luckiest?

Day 6 in intensive care after suddenly coming down with a very serious necrotising fasciitis in my elbow on Sunday. Four operations later (with more to come) I'm out of the woods, alive and have my arm. But I won't be going home until after Christmas. Also picked up a bonus bit of pneumonia to keep things interesting.

I won't lie. This has been super super hard but I feel extremely lucky nonetheless. Have come across some exceptional surgeons, anaesthetists, doctors and nurses who have been incredibly kind at my most vulnerable as well as great at their jobs. I'm really grateful. Huge thank you to my amazing husband who is holding down the fort with the help and cooking of our wonderful friends. And to friends who check in, send love, flowers, snacks and sushi, I will never forget it.

Of course I will be sad tomorrow but my boys can visit and we will have another Christmas next month.

I'll leave you with this. Never ever ignore those health niggles. @healthdirectaus is always a great starting point.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and will enjoy everyone else's celebrations on here with only a hint of bitterness ๐Ÿ˜‰

PS. Does this win the most unflattering photo of me ever published? I think so! No lippy for a WEEK.
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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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarJenifer Miller says

    April 22, 2020 at 8:52 am

    Hi! Can you share info on the front porch planter pots and plants? Love the look. Thanks!

    Reply
    • AvatarJen Bishop says

      April 22, 2020 at 9:02 am

      If you contact The Painted Hive via the link at the end of the blog post or her Instagram, I’m sure she’ll get back to you! Jen

      Reply
      • AvatarJenifer Miller says

        May 7, 2020 at 2:08 am

        Thank you!

        Reply

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