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Timeless home design: how to nail a look that lasts

September 16, 2019 Leave a Comment

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Sponsored by Metricon

Timeless style has to be one of the holy grails of home design and it’s an important one to get right if you want to make sure your investment lasts for many years without becoming the dreaded D word: dated!

In my own experience and from what I’ve learned from some of the country’s best designers over the years, it pays to take your time and plan, plan, plan to avoid making mistakes. And some mistakes are more costly than others when they date prematurely; think kitchens and bathrooms, for example. My own bathroom reno is in progress as I type, and having recently made my selections, I can tell you that one of the biggest questions I asked myself with every selection is ‘will this still look fresh in five (even 10) years time?’

(Read to the end for your chance to win a $500 Pottery Barn giftcard!)

There are however so many options out there, so many styles that are considered timeless (Hamptons perhaps being the most obvious, but it’s certainly not the only one) and so many facets of a home’s design to make a choice on, the process can seem overwhelming to many. So we asked Jacinta Evans, senior interior designer for Metricon, how she helps people get it right when they’re starting from the very beginning, with a brand new build.

Plan, plan and plan some more

It all starts with a mood board! “Mood board, mood board, mood board! You will only work out what you like (and don’t like) by collecting images,” she says. “Create a page and drop in images that you like from Pinterest and Instagram etc. This will help you really decide what your overall style is and will also help with choosing other items such as handles on cupboards, styles of kitchen cupboards and then — further down the track –lighting and fabrics for cushions. Create different pages for products and then you will always have your mood boards to refer back to when you are stuck.”

Whether you like Hamptons or contemporary, some elements will always be timeless and unlikely to date. The key here is to select key tones and quality materials, not just what has always been done. “For instance, chrome has been the go-to finish for kitchen and bathroom tapware, but now, after a long reign at the top, chrome is being challenged by sleek and sophisticated black. While chrome will never go out of style, regardless of your design preferences or the era of your home, matte black tapware is both glamorous and stylish in just about any space and creates a contemporary look while still maintaining a timeless sensibility.”

Wool carpet is another timeless selection. “Just like your favourite jumper, wool carpet is warm, luxurious, timeless and durable.” Wherever possible, opt for simple designs and the highest quality you can afford, and it will stand the test of time.

Jacinta agrees that kitchens and bathrooms will be the most expensive investments in your home. “Get good advice and think about how you will live in the space. Make sure that you have adequate storage for all your appliances and for how you use things. Think about pull out drawers in lieu of standard cupboards for better accessibility. You can never have enough storage space!”

Why Aussies love Hamptons

Australians have truly embraced the Hamptons style of house which originates in the States. “Hamptons homes have a beautiful femininity to them with classic lines,” Jacinta adds. “You can dress them up to be more formal or go for a more relaxed coastal take on the traditional Hamptons.

“The light airy feel that is created with blues and whites throughout helps to bring the outdoors in, and  Australians really love that, especially with our climate.”

Jacinta’s top top tips for choosing:

Paint colours
Dulux have an amazing range of colours to choose from.  For a classic feel we like colours that have a warmer base as we know that the coverage will work well and create a sense of comfort in our homes.

Kitchen cabinetry style
We like to use timber-look laminates as timber creates a classic style and a sense of warmth and works back well with most other laminate colours. We also like to add in square or detailed profile doors to our kitchen cabinetry. Doors that have a profile add a sense of luxury.

Furniture
Scale your furniture into the size of your room correctly so that it’s not overcrowded. For timeless appeal, select pieces you love and feel comfortable living with, don’t just select furniture items because they are on trend, as they will never make it feel like truly your home.

Window furnishings
Sheer curtains add a sense of luxury to any style home. Combine them with a blockout blind for privacy and where the budget can afford it, consider using motorised roller blinds for ease of use on larger windows and sliding doors.

Flooring
Timber floors create a sense of warmth underfoot, however tiles can also help achieve a classic style and may be better for how you live in a home. Opt for large tiles to make the space feel bigger. Sizes such as 600x1200mm are becoming more popular and wide floorboards such as 190mm up to 230mm wide give a great feel to your home. Use large rugs on floors to create a sense of warmth and comfort. Rugs help to divide up a room into conversation areas and create decorative interest in a room.

Stylist secrets

Many of our readers find that those finishing touches, so often thought to be the fun part of decorating (or styling) can be the hardest to keep timeless and classic. We asked Jacinta to share her best tips on getting this right and creating a home that looks timeless yet really lived in and reflective of its inhabitants.

Getting art right is a big deal. “Add artworks to your walls and go large. Artwork that is too small will not look right on a large wall. Add vignette styling to your consoles, buffet and bookcase. Cluster different sizes, shapes and heights of accessories to create little stories on these areas. The best way to add height between your accessories is to add layers of books into the mix.”

You can even do this in utilitarian rooms like the kitchen by using items like a wooden chopping board, a special cookbook and a mortar and pestle to create little stylish corners against your splashback for a finished, styled look.”

Remember when grouping items together, to stick to odd numbers. And choose one piece in the room as a hero that shows your personality. “It could be a feature chair in a bold pattern you love, a piece of art, or a handmade object that has personal meaning to you. Mix it in with all your contemporary and timeless pieces to keep your home feeling unique and personal.”

We couldn’t agree more that greenery is a must! “A home cannot feel finished without greenery. Either opt for living hardy plants in decorative planters, or go for artificial cascading style plants if you don’t have a green thumb,” Jacinta advises.

What’s on trend this year in interiors?

Although being timeless means not being a slave to trends, it’s still nice to keep an eye on what’s in or out, adding elements of it to your rooms here and there. Jacinta says natural raw materials, such as timber, concrete and terrazzo will be seen in great amounts of over the next 12 months.” Cane and rattan furniture is being introduced as one-off feature pieces, and terrazzo stone is being introduced as the new marble. White Carrara marble will make way for deep vein marbles in browns, green and purples (although there’ll always be a place for the white stuff!).

“We will see earth tones such as terracotta, clay-based beiges and greys, forest greens, navy blues and dusty pinks coming through in styling, such as textiles, linen, accessories and artwork,” Jacinta says. We love the sound of that! And in kitchens, she says we will see a move to more grey or green-based colours rather than the typical white kitchen. “Laminate timber tones will become even more lifelike in their natural colourings and texture, emanating that of a real timber veneer. You will see a move to much darker kitchens too.”

Look out for the seventies influence sticking around too this year. “You’ll see this through the use of terrazzo, vintage-look florals, macramé wall hangings, handmade-looking tiles celebrating imperfections in their glazes, dried flowers being used in styling and a big nod to the environment, with people being more conscious of eco-friendly products and opting for products that are ethically made.”

–All photos of Metricon display home interiors.

For more inspiration, check out Metricon’s online lookbook.

 

WIN a $500 Pottery Barn Voucher

If you’re a fan of timeless decor, we don’t think you can go past Pottery Barn! For your chance to win a $500 voucher, complete the form below by 5pm AEST on Monday 30 September 2019.  The winner will be announced here within 7 days of the competition closing.

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The patient has very much bounced back! Letterbox The patient has very much bounced back!

Letterbox kinder egg deliveries from a friend, dressing changes without a flinch and refusing to nap despite all the bribes (check the face on him in pic 3!).

Thanks for all your care and messages/comments for this tired and shaken up mama! Now very relieved and grateful 🙏
Before & after It's not just the award winning de Before & after

It's not just the award winning designer houses that get us excited here. It's also the beloved family homes which are renovated and extended to make them fit for purpose so people can continue to live where they love 🤗

@inspiredspacesaus helped her clients with teenage kids transform this house in Sydney's Hills District inside and out, making it their forever home. 

Due to the nature of the block they could only extend sideways and then gave it street appeal with render, new windows and doors.

See inside on the blog now, via link in bio. It was completely overhauled!
Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps 🤕

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 (🤪) and watch for signs of concussion. 

Bravest little patient ever. Yes I've had a 🍷

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!

UPDATE: thanks for all the love! Charlie is so well this morning after a big sleep!
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
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#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.

🦘🐨Forget 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 makers🙏

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! 💧 

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!🤗

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 🥴) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon 😆

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!💪🏻) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too 😉

#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!

✔️ I'm English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008😆 

✔️ 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. 🛁 

✔️ 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!) 📓 

✔️ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London 🚔 

✔️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 😁

✔️ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK ❤️ 🇬🇧 

✔️ At school, my favourite subject was French 🇫🇷 and I was head girl 🤓🤓

✔️ I'm addicted to ☕️ , long hot baths and💄 (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

✔️ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message 😁

✔️ My favourite cuisine is Japanese 🍣 🍜 and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

✔️ 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...

✔️ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or🍷 

✔️ Cheesy as it sounds, 💁‍♀️being a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life 🧒👦

✔️ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view 📖 

✔️ 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!

✔️ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker 😯 🅿️

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better 😘

📸 @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 

@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.

“We are very honoured to have been a part of The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,” he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

🙏Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

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

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
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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.

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