As an interior stylist and founder of Minted Interiors, Tess Beagley has an eye for spotting potential. Stumbling upon an old weatherboard worker’s cottage in the coastal town of Geraldton, Western Australia, she immediately fell in love with the bones of the property.
“We really wanted to achieve a crisp, contemporary, coastal vibe whilst paying respect to the character and history of the house,” explains Tess. “We chose a light paint colour to promote as much natural light as possible and highlighted the character of the home by keeping or adding features like timber cladding, dado rails, antique French doors and double hung wood frame windows.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”3QNj1nZ0gpk9ijt4s3rZ9HXBCnVyy6Mr”]Keeping the walls and floors neutral, Tess then layered the furniture and decor to create a coastal vibe, without being too literal (there’s no overdose of seaside paraphernalia here!). “I love the fusion of old and new, so using contemporary pieces against a classically neutral character base is my idea of heaven. Think plenty of plants, coral, relaxed and sometimes worn furniture, natural materials like rattan, timber, leather, tin and marble, as well as plenty of soft textiles to soften and bring colour to each space.”
Home to Tess, her husband Yves and their young daughters Lotte and Jemima, since they’ve revamped the property Tess loves nearly every room of the house (though she is keen to renovate the kitchen). Favouring their extended deck and spacious dining room, it is the master bedroom that has cemented itself at the top of her list. “It’s always filled with the most beautiful light, has stunning antique French doors which came from an old local hospital, a view of the ocean and a soft, relaxing vibe which offers a little sanctuary from the world. It’s the perfect spot to relax at the end of a long day, if only I had more time to spend there! “
A lover of antiques, it’s not just her bedroom that is filled with one-of-a-kinds, with Tess’ antique dining room dresser taking pride of place in her home. “It first belonged to Yves’ great-grandmother Alice who passed it down to her daughter, before it was passed down to Yves’ mum who had it restored and then passed it on to us. It has been in the family for four generations and hopefully we can make it a fifth!”
Also a favourite is the chest of drawers in the girl’s bedroom: “It used to be vanished pine with huge ugly pine knobs. Yves and I gave it a revamp — a lick of paint, map inserts and new handles just before Lotte was born and now it’s a very treasured piece in our home.”
Running interior, product and event styling services through her business Minted Interiors, it’s no surprise Tess’ home is gorgeous. It’s also no surprise that she never stops coming up with new design ideas; a stylist’s work is never done! “We’ve done plenty of work since moving in but have more plans in the pipeline. We want to move our kitchen from the centre of the house to the front, to create a more functional, open living plan and provide direct access to the deck/yard to take in the beautiful ocean views. Definitely not looking forward to the chaos of renovating with toddlers but the rewards will be worth it!”
