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Charlie Albone’s backyard makeover tips for summer

December 4, 2018 Leave a Comment

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Summer is finally here which means long, lazy days in the backyard relaxing and entertaining friends. Few people know more about creating beautiful outdoor areas than landscape gardener and star of Selling Houses Australia, Charlie Albone.

Charlie Albone

โ€œNow is the perfect opportunity to do up your outdoors as most people have a bit of extra time off to both enjoy their outdoor space and finish off reno jobs. Just plan ahead to ensure you can get the necessary tradesmen in so youโ€™re not left with a half-finished yard,” says Charlie of the pre-Christmas push.

One of the most essential components for a great outdoor space is paving. Charlie has some great tips about paving, tiling and making the most of your indoor and outdoor spaces.

Charlie Albone

โ€œPaving sets the whole tone for a project, it can dictate the style and quality of the garden space. Itโ€™s often difficult to replace if you do it last and instead choose all your furniture, plants, screens and so on first. So itโ€™s important to get it done right first time around – spending some time on your paving choice will pay off in the end,โ€ says Charlie.

What is your best advice for creating an inviting deck or patio area?
“Make sure you have the proportions you need for the amount of people you have in the garden. Nothing is worse than being cramped or feeling like youโ€™re too small for the space. Spend time planning to ensure you get all the items you want in your garden rather than jumping in without considering the space as a whole,” says Charlie.

What hard surfaces would you recommend for paving?
“Porcelains are huge at the moment. Amber Tiles’ Urban Surface range is super hard-wearing and comes in a variety of colours and sizes. A new trend we are seeing is wrapping the paving or tiling down into the pool for a continuous streamlined look โ€“ this can be done with a porcelain. Limestone is also a great timeless hit if you are after something that wonโ€™t age and will always look top notch,” says Charlie.

What are the best ways to create shade if there is none?
“I love a pergola with a deciduous climber such as wisteria as this lets in winter sun but people also like a fixed structure such as a roof. Just make sure itโ€™s got good ventilation and lighting. Retractable shade sails are also nice as they offer some softness and can be pulled back in winter, and umbrellas are a cheap, flexible alternative,” says Charlie.

How should you light the space?
“Natural light is the best option as itโ€™s the most relaxing. However, for night-time drama, up or down light features are great. Try to think of garden lighting as creating shadows rather than lighting for practicality. Staggered cross lighting down a path also looks much nicer than a flood light. However stronger lighting for certain areas such as a barbecue, can be used. You donโ€™t want to end up burning anything because you canโ€™t see properly!” says Charlie.ย 

How do you work out what amount of outdoor space is best for green planting?
“When it comes to planting, I always say more is more but realistically you should have as much space for planting that you can successfully maintain. A large poorly kept garden is much worse than a small well maintained one,” says Charlie.

What furniture would you recommend for entertaining?
“You get what you pay for in outdoor furniture and flimsy wonโ€™t cut it. Not only does outdoor furniture have to contend with all the rigors of life, it has to put up with UV and all sorts of weather conditions. Consider how you want to use the space and dress it accordingly whilst remembering youโ€™ll need to leave enough space around the furniture to move so it doesnโ€™t feel cramped,” says Charlie.

Are you a fan of outdoor wall artย or garden features?
“It all depends on the garden and the actual feature. If itโ€™s not considered as part of the design then it can often look like a cheap add on which Iโ€™m definitely not a fan of! If the garden is set up to make the most of a feature with considered sight lines and complementary planting then it can look fantastic,” says Charlie.

Charlie his wife, interior stylist Juliet Love, are both brand ambassadors for Amber Tiles.

Early Settler’s stylish new outdoor furniture range

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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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