• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Interiors Addict

Heart Your Home

@interiorsaddict on Instagram   @interiorsaddict on Facebook   @interiorsaddict on Pinterest  
Subscribe
  • Job Board
  • About
  • Before & Afters
  • RENO ADDICT
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Kids Rooms
  • Bedrooms
  • Living Room
  • Shopping
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipes
  • Parenting
  • Travel
Interiors Addict
  • Job Board
  • About
    • Our Story

      Australiaโ€™s largest interior design, styling and renovation blog for the everyday Aussie. By former journalist and magazine editor Jen Bishop, the original interiors addict!
      READ MORE

      Weโ€™re big on Instagram!
      @interiorsaddict

      • About
      • Contact Interiors Addict
      • Work with Interiors Addict
      • Advertise / Find a job in Interiors
      • Press
      • Get Your Free Ebook

        This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    • bookcover-jens-reno
  • By Room
    • Browse by Room

      Where you can search for all our posts about a specific room. Only interested in kitchens and bathrooms? We got you!

      • Kitchens
      • Bathrooms
      • Kids Rooms
      • Bedrooms
      • Living Room
      • Home Office
      • Dining
      • Laundry
      • Outdoor & Exteriors
      • Renting
    • bookcover-jens-reno
  • Before & Afters
    • Before & Afters

      Who doesnโ€™t LOVE a good before & after? If you want to be inspired by the whole reno process, and not just the shiny photos at the end, this is the place for you!

      View Articles

      • Before & Afters
      • Jen’s reno
      • Real Renos
      • RENO ADDICT
    • AFTER front elevationDated Sydney Hills District home given new life
    • AFTER bedroomBefore & after: Luxury Sydney apartments go from drab to fab
  • Reno Addict
    • RENO ADDICT

      Looking for reno inspo? Find it all here, from other peopleโ€™s projects to the latest trends, tools and products, whether youโ€™re DIY-ing or employing trades.

      View articles

      • Reno Products
      • The Block
      • DIY
      • Reno Trends
      • Before & Afters
      • Real Renos
    • image014Catherine Martin’s new carpets are as stunning as her film sets
    • AFTER front elevationDated Sydney Hills District home given new life
  • Shopping
    • Shopping

      Want to know where to buy the latest furniture, homewares, rugs, art and more? Weโ€™re always sharing our latest finds and telling you where you can buy them.

      View Articles

      • Furniture
      • Homewares
      • Art
      • Smart Home
      • Appliances
      • Reno Products
    • image014Catherine Martin’s new carpets are as stunning as her film sets
    • MHP_290817-9What you should snap up in Contents ID’s bi-annual sale! + win!
  • Inspiration
    • Inspiration

      While Jenโ€™s a legitimate interiors addict, sheโ€™s no design professional, so she calls on an army of the countryโ€™s best to share their expertise with you. Be inspired by their stories too!

      View Articles

      • Decorating 101
      • Interviews
      • Expert Tips
      • Before & Afters
      • House Tours
      • Designers
      • Styling
      • Renovating
      • Real Renos
      • Covet my coffee table
    • AFTER front elevationDated Sydney Hills District home given new life
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle

      Weโ€™re mostly about the home but Jen also likes to share other things she thinks youโ€™ll love, like food and travel.

      • Recipes
      • Travel
      • Parenting
    • DSC_8605Foodie Friday: Family-friendly French onion soup
    • Isla-MotelHip new motel renovation on NSW South Coast
  • Jobs
    • Advertise on our job board
    • Job Board FAQs for advertisers

Real reno: pregnancy no barrier to interior designer’s profitable reno!

September 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

FacebookPinEmailTweet

Briony and Cam Jones renovated their 1970s family home in Warawee, on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, in 2012. It’s built over three levels with three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, the kitchen, dining, study, formal and casual living areas on the main middle floor and a fourth bedroom, laundry and bathroom on the bottom floor, connecting to the double garage.

Exterior after
Exterior after
facadebefore copy
Exterior before/in progress

They live here with their three daughters, Paris, Scarlett and Ivy. Briony started studying interior design at the Design Centre Enmore when she was pregnant with Scarlett. โ€œHaving recently left publishing after the birth of my eldest, I was pursuing my dream of working in interiors. Studying full-time with two young children was hard and there were many sleepless nights but most absolutely worth it. Once I had my diploma, I knew starting my own business and working from home would suit our family lifestyle best. I have been lucky and had residential jobs pretty consistently from word of mouth alone. The majority of my client relationships have started in the school playground!โ€

Living room after
Living room after
Living room before
Living room before

The home was bought at the end of 2011 and they hoped to spend less than $500,000 onย renovations, which took around six months, but as with most projects, costs often blow out. They bought the house with the intention to renovate it and sell it at a profit within five years before moving onto the next project.

โ€œAs soon as we saw this house we could see it had great potential,โ€ Briony says. โ€œNot only was it a solid, double brick home, it had the right number of bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces we were after to build a desirable family home in a popular family area in Sydney. We did not have to do any large extensions, which is where big money goes quickly. It was also a walk to the station and good schools, which always attracts families. But built in the 1970s, there was lots of exposed brown brick and lots of wallpaper.โ€

Bathroom after
Bathroom after
Bathroom before
Bathroom before

Briony, Cam and their trades pushed out the entryway to make it feel bigger and more welcoming. They added a study just off the entryway where there had previously been a small feature garden. They opened up the walls that were dividing the kitchen, family and dining rooms, changed most windows to timber and made them bigger.

โ€œWe built window boxes in the top three bedrooms as they were small and this made them feel instantly bigger with practical and stylish storage. We added a gas fireplace to the formal living room as this was a large room that needed some personality and wow factor. A pool was built coming off the entertaining area. You can see it from inside by looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the family room which is really nice.

Master bedroom after
Master bedroom after
Master bedroom before
Master bedroom before

โ€œWe rendered the outside of the house to hide the ugly brick colour and also where we had made small structural changes. And lastly, we updated everything from a cosmetic perspective: kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, lighting, flooring, doors and windows.โ€

In terms of surprises, Briony simply says it always costs much more than you first anticipate! โ€œThe biggest challenge was that when we started the renovation I was eight months pregnant with our third daughter and had our previous home on the market at the same time. We thankfully sold and moved in two weeks before I had our youngest. When we came home from hospital, the renovation was in full swing and we had no kitchen, no laundry, part of the roof off and an infancy concrete slab piled high with dust for a floor. It was full on but I look back and feel proud of how we lived through that as a family!โ€

Kitchen after
Kitchen after
Kitchen before
Kitchen before

Changing the front entry and adding the study at the front of house made the biggest difference in her opinion. โ€œThe faรงade now had a strong presence from the street.โ€ The biggest bargains were the IKEA butler style sinks and taps in the kitchen and laundry. โ€œEveryone that comes to the house comments on how great they look.โ€

The kitchen and outdoor entertaining area are Briony’s favourite features. โ€œWe added a large bi-fold window in the kitchen, which opens with a servery bar extending outside. When entertaining, I can be in the kitchen serving guests drinks as they sit outside on stools at the window. I get lots of champagne and coffee orders from here!โ€

Family room after
Family room after

familyroombefore copy

Her biggest learning was to plan ahead and buy ahead. โ€œThere are a few items I waited on purchasing until just before the builders needed them. In some cases, I feel I would have made better choices had I given myself time to think them through better! That being said, there isnโ€™t one element in our home I donโ€™t love.โ€ Her advice for would-be renovators is to get three quotes on everything. โ€œStart with a strong concept and idea of how you want the finished product to look and function. This helps make purchasing fittings and fixtures a whole lot easier. A moodboard of pieces you love is also a good start.โ€

Another top tip is to establish good relationships with your builders and trades. โ€œI bake them brownies and make them a morning coffee. They are more willing to go that extra mile and finish things well if they feel there is a mutual respect.โ€

This was the family’s second renovation and they are currently onto their third. โ€œOur first home was on a much smaller scale, size wise and budget wise. But we learnt a great deal and were able to use the profit made on that property to finance the next home. My husbandโ€™s father works in property development and is also an engineer. We couldnโ€™t have done any of this without him and are now working together in these projects, flipping houses.โ€

FacebookPinEmailTweet

Primary Sidebar

Popular This Week

  • Australian kitchen dimensions: standard sizes for every last detail
  • Palette Cam 15 apps to help you build your dream home
  • Dining room Canadian home reno is a riot of colour and fun and we love it!
  • AFTER bedroom Before & after: Luxury Sydney apartments go from drab to fab
  • How to elevate your living room by stylist Natalie Walton

Follow us on Instagram

Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps ๐Ÿค•

Oh what a night. Thankfully Hornsby Hospital were as amazing as always and we avoided stitches. All taped and glued  back together and now to keep him calm for the next few days (๐Ÿคช) and watch for signs of concussion. 

Bravest little patient ever. Yes I've had a ๐Ÿท

Funny how we go into super organised mama mode in times like these. Grabbed dinosaurs, textas and scrapbook on the way out in case we had a long wait!
Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressi Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressive!

The new @studio.xox ONLY sells Australian brands. Like @nood_co coloured basins, lead-free eco brass from @faucetstrommen and @lindseywherrett's  ceramic basins made by hand in Tassie.

And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop
#creatingbeautifulspaces #homestylingdesign
#designbywomen #homestylingtips #sydneycreatives
#homestylingsydney #interiorstyling #interiordesignsydney
#everydaydesign #interiortrends #renovationinspiration
#homedesigninspo #lovemyhome #stylingdetails
#loveinteriors #homeimprovements #interiordesignaustralia
#dreamhomeinspiration #homemakeover #personaldesign
#interiordesignaus #creatingbeautifulspaces
#creativehomes #housestyling #sydneyhomes
#interiorinspiration #myhomedesign
I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new @madeinaustshow in Sydney this August.

๐Ÿฆ˜๐ŸจForget every tacky association you ever had about touristy Australian made and prepare to see a showcase of the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and beauty made right here. If the pandemic has made you appreciate buying local even more, this is for you.

It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers๐Ÿ™

Apply to exhibit or find out more at their website, via their bio, now!

Are YOU buying more Australian made post covid?

#madeinaustralia #australianmade #aussiemade #aussiedesign
Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! ๐Ÿ’ง 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!๐Ÿค—

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap ๐Ÿฅด) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon ๐Ÿ˜†

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too ๐Ÿ˜‰

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

โœ”๏ธ I'm English ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008๐Ÿ˜† 

โœ”๏ธ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. ๐Ÿ› 

โœ”๏ธ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) ๐Ÿ““ 

โœ”๏ธ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London ๐Ÿš” 

โœ”๏ธI had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK โค๏ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 

โœ”๏ธ At school, my favourite subject was French ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท and I was head girl ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿค“

โœ”๏ธ I'm addicted to โ˜•๏ธ , long hot baths and๐Ÿ’„ (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

โœ”๏ธ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My favourite cuisine is Japanese ๐Ÿฃ ๐Ÿœ and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

โœ”๏ธ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

โœ”๏ธ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or๐Ÿท 

โœ”๏ธ Cheesy as it sounds, ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธbeing a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘ฆ

โœ”๏ธ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view ๐Ÿ“– 

โœ”๏ธ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

โœ”๏ธ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker ๐Ÿ˜ฏ ๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better ๐Ÿ˜˜

๐Ÿ“ธ @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

โ€œWe are very honoured to have been a part ofย The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,โ€ he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

๐Ÿ™Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! ๐ŸŽจ 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find ๐Ÿค—

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see the rest including one of the best playrooms we've seen in ages!

Project by @in.house.design
๐Ÿ“ธ @philcrozier
Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis o Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis on light and nature.

That was the brief for the conversion of a corner shop and a warehouse bakery into a luxury family home in Sydney's Newtown. And how about the library?!

Take the tour of this very special @annacarindesign project on the blog now, via link in bio.

Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
Follow on Instagram
Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

Get Your Free Ebook

Ebook cover

Never miss the latest renovating and interiors products, news and inspo again! Sign up for our newsletter and we'll send you the best bits from the blog, direct to your inbox. Plus you'll get our latest eBook: What Made The Biggest Impact in Jen's Own Reno.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Avatar

About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. Interiors Addict has been her full-time job for more than 8 years. She is married to Damian and mum to Sebastian and Charlie.

More from Before & Afters

AFTER front elevation

Dated Sydney Hills District home given new life

AFTER bedroom

Before & after: Luxury Sydney apartments go from drab to fab

When cost of living increases put your reno in jeopardy, be smart

Bathroom renovation: Is the wall niche dead?

Upcycling project: buffet gets a glow up with paint and handles

Serial renovators embark on 15th house and this one’s for keeps!

Outhouse makeover: from dated and purple to stylish studio

AFTER lounge

Before & after: Dated brick wall becomes star of 1980’s reno

AFTER living room

Sentimental Melbourne holiday home given new lease of life

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarEllie says

    September 1, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    Very lovely! But my tiny brain can’t process the ‘after’ shots coming before the ‘before’ shots!

    Reply
    • AvatarJen Bishop says

      September 1, 2015 at 5:22 pm

      Haha, sorry Ellie, we mixed it up for a change but I know what you mean! Jen

      Reply
  2. AvatarTash says

    November 22, 2015 at 10:56 pm

    Looks gorgeous! I know how Briony felt doing this whilst being heavily pregnant.. we did a full bathroom/laundry renovation when I was 8 months, toddler in tow, portable ensuite on the front lawn and dealing with trades whilst in hospital. Came home the day before the new toilet was installed. It’s amazing what you can do when you have to ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Footer

Interiors Addict

Interiors Addict

  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Jen
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy

Browse

  • RENO ADDICT
  • Jen’s Reno
  • House Tours
  • Real Renos
  • Interviews
  • Styling
  • Designers
  • Bedrooms
  • Covet My Coffee Table
  • Expert Tips
  • The Block
  • Art
  • Furniture
  • Recipes

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RENO ADDICT

Copyright © 2011–2022 Addicted Media Pty Ltd
Website care by ClickWP ยท Log in

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!