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      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!
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SPOTLIGHT ON: Natalee Bowen of Indah Island

May 15, 2018 1 Comment

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Natalee Bowen at home
Natalee Bowen at home

Where you studied and what: Interior design at TAFEย as that was all we had back then.

When you started your business and how: Myย dad was a builder so I grew up in the industry. I was always on sites for as long as I can remember, collecting bits and pieces and creating rooms as young as 13! After studying 20 years ago, I started off as a visual merchandiser but interior design became my true passion. Ultimately we got our building licence to renovate and build so now we have a turn key business that creates the look and design from start to finish including styling and furniture – the complete vision for clients.

The best business advice you ever received:ย Donโ€™t compare your business to any one else. Be an individual, go with your gut and have a grand plan! You need to be able to foresee your end goal and put the steps in place to create your dream business.

Size of team:ย Weย have three people including myself on the frontย line, plus a tribe of trades.

Your proudest achievement so far:ย Having my children say that they want to be just like me when they grow up! They see how hard I work and then see the magazines, TV shows and the opportunities it creates. It’s very cute when they want to be around when we are filming. They see that hard work pays off.

Natalee Bowen sitting area

When did you realise youโ€™d made it? I think you always strive to become better at your craft. I donโ€™t think you every really ‘make it’ as such, however it is lovely to be recognised with new clients saying that they saw our work in a magazine or a home they loved on a TV show. Also, the feeling when a client walks into their new home and they burst into tears of joy, you know you have made it!

Best investment youโ€™ve ever made in your business: Myย husband. He takes care of all the paperwork, accounting and is a fantastic sounding board for me. He is way more logical and analytical than me so with my creativity and his business knowledge, it works well.

What do you outsource? We have fantastic trades that we call on to do some of our build works. We have an upholstery team for soft furnishings and craftsmen to customise pieces if we cant find them.

Biggest challenge in running a business: Time! I’m a hands-on control freak so this takes time and energy. Clients rely on me and when they are spending their hard earned money on creating their dream home I won’t allow anyone else to make decisions.ย I have a studio but also work from home so it’s not a normal 9-to-5 job!

Favourite project of all time: My own home as I had free rein to do what I do with all the bells and whistles, including furniture and styling. Having access to so much, it allowed me to really go to town and show my style.

Natalee Bowen bedroom

Whose work inspires you? I love a lot of American designers as our style is the Hamptons style. People like India Hicks, Victoria Hagan, Suzan Kesler, Mark Dsikes and Bunny Williams are all fabulous!

Describe your own home:ย I live in a classic Hamptons style home. We did a huge renovation using Scyon Walls cladding to create the weatherboard look. It has a very indoor/outdoor feel and is comfortable and very layered. People donโ€™t know where to look when they come to our home as there are so many beautiful pieces, vignettes and pieces to see. I find them forever looking around to try to take it all in!

Natalee at home
Natalee at home

Your advice for would-be designers/stylists: I think you need to get experience in the craft by learning the basics – colour, design, fabrics and products. Social skills are important too because you find that a lot of the time you become a psychologist, counsellor and friend. A strong work ethic is important too.

What youโ€™re working on at the moment:ย Weย are filming our second series of Ready Set Reno for Channel 9. We have two homes and our farmhouse project which is massive! I am also helping Deborah Hutton with her new home in Sydney and am the interior designer on the new Open Homes Australia – the first series was a huge success so we are now filming our second.

We also have a lot of clients across Australia doing builds and renovations. Plus, I’m an ambassador for Scyon Walls where I share my experiences as to how to create the Hamptons look.

Natalee Bowen kitchen

Do you love your job now as much as ever? I really donโ€™t feel like this is a job! To be totally honest I get to do what I love with the people I love and create beautiful homes for clients. I get to design and create, be amongst other creatives, go on buying trips around the world to source amazing products and indulge in fine fabrics. What more could I ask for? It is an incredible thing to wake up every day and jump out of bed excited to do what you love.

FAVOURITES

  • Colour: Blue
  • Piece of furniture in your home: Chairs
  • International designer/stylist: Andre Tchelistcheff
  • White paint colour: ย White on white
  • Accessory for a wow factor: Boston fern or orchid. Blue and white ginger jars and great fabric for cushions.

EITHER OR

  • Open plan or separate rooms? Open plan
  • Luxe or casual? Both mixed together
  • Neutral or colourful? Both mixed
  • Linen or cotton bedding? Linen. Once you try it you will never go back.
  • Wallpaper or paint? Wallpaper
  • Bath or shower? Both
  • Tea or coffee? Herbal tea and great coffee.

For more on Indah Islandย | SPOTLIGHT ON Miriam Fanning

Weโ€™d love to know who youโ€™d like us to shine a spotlight on next!ย 

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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
The things that excite me as a 40 year old ๐Ÿคญ N The things that excite me as a 40 year old ๐Ÿคญ

None of us enjoy laundry (OK, there are a few of you out there who do. Weird!) but we have to do it. And often. So if your laundry bin can be as good looking, functional and space saving as this, then why wouldn't you?!

I've lost track of how many baskets I've thrown out because they've gone soggy or mouldy. They look pretty, sure, but they're not fit for purpose and they're often messy and overflowing.

Here's what I love about his @brabantia_australia one:

โœ”๏ธ ventilation holes
โœ”๏ธ no need to remove the lid for small items plus it hides your dirty laundry from view
โœ”๏ธ easily removable and washable inner laundry bag that velcros back on 
โœ”๏ธ corrosion resistant so fine in bathroom or laundry 
โœ”๏ธ Brabantia make things as sustainably as possible
โœ”๏ธ compact, sleek, European design
โœ”๏ธ 10 year warranty
โœ”๏ธ tall and skinny so takes up less floor in my tiny laundry

The Rolls Royce of laundry bins? I think so ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

TOLD you this was going to be exciting!

Now I need to know, do you have your laundry basket in the bathroom, the laundry, every bedroom? We used to have one in each bedroom but moved to the laundry-only situation which I much prefer (one for colours and one for whites). My boys know to put their used clothes in the bin in the laundry each night and they're 7 and 3!  #raisingfuturehusbands

#gifted
"Living rooms are important spaces where our publi "Living rooms are important spaces where our public and private lives intersect."

So says stylist @nataliewalton in her gorgeous new book Style, the Art of Creating a Beautiful Home.

"They are where we gather to welcome guests and entertain. But they are also where we decompress and relax at the end of the day. Increasingly, they are open-plan spaces and need to work within a greater scheme. Bringing all the elements together cohesively requires care and consideration. And, if you want a space that lives up to its true potential, make it personal and create with conviction."

Read an extract, the chapter on elevating your living room, on the blog today via link in bio.

Published by @thamesandhudsonau Pix by @chriswarnes 

#livingroomdesigns #nataliewalton #coffeetablebooks #designbooks #interiorsbooks #livingroominteriors #elevateyourspace
Kids and husband messing with my vignettes again๐Ÿคจ

PS. The coaster was RIGHT THERE ๐Ÿคช
#weatherforit ๐Ÿฅถ Need a new blanket? Look no fu #weatherforit ๐Ÿฅถ

Need a new blanket? Look no further than these gorgeous South African blankets from @baobabcollective, sustainably sourced, ethically crafted and imported by a Southern Highlands couple.

On the blog now via link in bio.
Follow on Instagram
Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

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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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Comments

  1. AvatarStephen Robert says

    May 15, 2018 at 4:12 pm

    Waw! beautiful interior, It’s looking very attractive.

    Reply

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