Decorating on a Dime, Part 2

If you watched the fantastic Renovators show last year you may remember that they banged on (if you'll forgive the building pun) about the 20-Per-Cent Renovating Budget Rule. For example: If you buy a property for $1M, then you shouldn't be spending any more than $200,000 renovating it.

With all due respect to the judges, I can't imagine how any renovator could make a profit margin using this rule. We bought our house for $400,000 a little over a year ago. (An incredibly cheap price for Melbourne property.) If we'd spent $80,000 on renovations, we wouldn't be looking at much profit at sale time!

I suggest you try to stick to a 2-Per-Cent Renovating Budget. It's a painful prospect, I know, but it's the ONLY way to renovate. In the past 12 months, we've spent no more than $10,000 on renovations, and that includes: paint, tradesmen, new carpet, a new deck, a new ducted heating system, new curtains/drapes for 10 rooms, new exterior window awnings, updated fittings and even all landscaping. (Excludes furniture and mortgage repayments.) We've updated a five-bedroom, two-story, 16-room house on half an acre of gardens on a meagre 2-per-cent budget, rather than a 20-per-cent one.

It takes a LOT of DIY, but you can do it too. I promise!

BEFORE: THE ORIGINAL BACK DOOR

The deck was so rotten it was a wonder we didn't all fall through on Inspection Day. The furniture belonged to the former owners. Lovely. I think this paint colour is called "Baby Vomit Pink". I may be wrong. But it looks suspiciously like it.

As you can see, our real estate agent Michael is high-tailing it outta there!

AFTER: THE NEW BACK DOOR 

With a slap of French grey and cream paint, some greenery (hydrangeas, wisteria and jasmine), a vintage wicker chaise and some leftover charcoal fabric whipped up into drapes (which need to be ironed, sorry!), this is now a cute entertaining courtyard.

BEFORE: THE ORIGINAL FORMAL ENTRANCE HALL (DOWNSTAIRS)

There were 9 rooms of this pine panelling. I kid you not. NINE! I hadn't seen this much pine since I lived on the edge of a Scandinavian forest.

AFTER: THE NEW FORMAL ENTRANCE HALL (DOWNSTAIRS)

Some Kate Spade-inspired colour, some hand-made ottomans covered in black-and-white Ralph Lauren houndstooth, two vintage Belgium posters featuring leaves (from one of my favourite Melbourne stores Izzi & Popo) and a cheap Ikea striped mat...

So easy!

BEFORE: THE ORIGINAL BACK ENTRANCE HALL

The layout is confusing, I know, but this is the entrance from the deck and the carport, and we use it all the time as it's easier.

Look at that – more pine! I think I have a pine headache coming on...

AFTER: THE NEW BACK ENTRANCE HALL

More Kelly-green colour (inspired by our garden), a colonial style table and chair, another cheap Ikea mat, and a few metres of black-and-white lino at $44/m thrown down on some masonite base.  (If we'd followed the 20-Per-Cent rule, we could have afforded black-and-white checkerboard tiles. But lino it was... )
Note: Some people think checkerboard lino should be laid on the diagonal. But you don't have to. In this case, it would have clashed with the diagonals on the walls.)

BEFORE: THE GARDEN LIBRARY (DOWNSTAIRS)

Oh my, look at that. More pine. 

The old owners had teenage boys and they used this room as a gym/car-repair workshop. 

It STUNK of car grease, sweat and teenage boys.

AFTER: THE GARDEN LIBRARY (DOWNSTAIRS)

After four coats of paint and a LOT of air freshener, this is now the garden library and my office.

(Sorry about the blurry pix; had puppies jumping around my feet. This was not a very professional shoot!)

BEFORE: THE OLD TOP BEDROOM

The furniture belongs to the former owners. (I think they'd already moved a lot of stuff out when we bought it, and these were camping lilos.) Those at those vertical blinds. Mm-mmm.

AFTER: THE OLD TOP BEDROOM

– New paint (Barrister White – a softer white than Antique White USA, and less cold on the eye).

– A newly painted set of drawers (semi-gloss black, which is a better finish than full gloss).

– Some vintage bits (a black folding screen made from old shutters bought from an old French chateau).

– And some favourite photographs, including some from one of my most-loved fashion photographers, Bruno Benini.

{Will post photos of the front of the house, the living areas, the kitchen/dining and the garden later this month. Promise I won't post any more photos of pine! Or, indeed, of these spaces.}

The (Difficult) Art of Being Utterly Hip

Okay. To kick-start this glorious, shimmering, shining new year we're going to talk about something we all struggle with. How to be stylish.

Okay, so perhaps not all of us struggle with this, as some of seem to be born with an innate knowledge of glamour and gorgeousness. But a great many of us do worry that our homes are not quite up to the standard of, say, the pages of Elle Decor. We worry that they're not even up to the standard of the homes in The Block – before the renovations.

Nervous that our house was sitting on the wrong side of hip (although I think that even this word is passé now), I started to investigate what's stylish and what's, well, undesirable in the design world.

This is what I discovered.

Rule Number One: Arrange Collections in a Creative Manner

If, like me, you're unsure of how to decorate your hall or side table, try this: 

Collect bits of wood and then nail them together in an artful way. Once you've hammered them into some kind of creative form, arrange them in an artistically messy manner alongside a vintage timber table. (If you can't find a vintage one, an old one will do. Nobody will know the difference.) Don't worry if the objects fall down. It will look intentional. Then just toss a paper globe on the heap and call it a day!

 Congratulations. You've just created a splendid vignette of form, texture, natural elements and organised chaos. A metaphor for modernity. Magazine editors will love it.

Rule Number Two: Create Architecture with Interior Objects

Don't put your cushions on your sofa. This is a no-no now, it seems. Instead, layer them in an architectural fashion by piling them high on an industrial-style chair. 

If you feel the vignette is incomplete, simply pop a handbag on top. 

A roll of paper towels also looks very chic. 

Finish the arrangement by scattering some books on the floor.

Beautiful.

Rule Number Three: Remember That White is Always Right

If you're nervous of colour and want to look stylish, try this trick:

Paint your entire house white. This is a very Scandinavian thing to do. It 'lightens' the space in the long, dark winters. 

Start with your floorboards, then continue the brushstrokes on your supporting beams, your ceiling, your armoire, your ottoman, your chaise, your unusual sculpture in the corner and even your picture frames and cushions. When you reach your books, stop. Now that everything is completely white, you've succeeded in creating a Stylish Space.

Then – just to be TRULY edgy – hang some bird cages from the ceiling and dismember a lamp to place atop the book pile. 

Lean the lampshade artfully against a chair. 

That's it. Now you're learning. 

Rule Number Four: Remember That Chairs Are Not Made For Derrieres but Design Still Lifes

Chairs are one of the best statement pieces you can use to spruce up a room. (If you don't know what a statement piece is, don't worry. Just sprinkle the phrase liberally in your vocabulary.) Some of the most fashionable chairs around at the moment are those done in a kind of sanded-back, slightly dirty Gustavian grey shade and then upholstered in hessian or burlap. Yes, burlap is scratchy and yes it will leave nasty sisal threads all over your new Martin Margiela, but that's the pain you have to endure to be stylish, I'm afraid. 

In any case, you won't be sitting on your Statement Piece Chair. You'll be using it in an elegant arrangement. 

Like this one, where a plant and a straw basket have been used to create an arty still life. (Note: The slightly off-centre, leaning-to-one-side look is intentional.)

Sublime, n'est-ce pas?

Rule Number Five. Buy Chic Soap. Preferably in Adorable Little Paper Packaging Tied Up With String

Use these soaps as design displays. 

Encourage the family not to wash so you can pile them up on a rustic timber shelf. 

Like this.

Well done!

Now you're ready to take some photos and pitch your new interior to Vogue Living.

{All images via Tine K Home – which is actually a beautiful and incredibly sophisticated collection of homewares. Visit the Tine K blog for images – and descriptions – that are FAR more evocative and elegant than those above! 

tinekhome.blogspot.com.

Seriously. It really is very stylish.}

Thank You Desire to Inspire!

Just dropping in to say a big heartfelt thank you to the lovely Jo and Kim at Desire to Inspire for listing The Library of Design as one of their "100 Blogs of 2011", alongside great blogs such as Vogue Living and one of my favourites, Field Notes – Your Guide to the Great Indoors.

Many of you may be familiar with Desire to Inspire, which is one of the world's top design blogs. I've loved it for years. Its design insights, ideas, profiles and stories are some of the best in the online world. I don't for one second think that this little blog is up there with DtoI or even Vogue Living, but it is nice to be recognised for the effort that goes into posting, even if it's only a tiny mention in a list of 100 blogs.

While we're on the topic of new blogs, and even great old ones, I'd like to list some of my favs, both here and in my "Kindred Spirits" Reading List to the left. I think it's nice to support other bloggers, especially newbies, and these are all full of great inspiration and conversations.

I'm looking forward to returning to The Library in a few days, and hope you'll like the line-up of posts for early January, including:

• Traditional Shelter Magazines vs Online Blogs (a different take on the topic, being that I'm a former magazine editor!)
• An Architecture Tour of Miami and the Keys
• Secrets of London
• Extraordinary Homes of 2011
• Linen Rooms, Luggage Rooms, Serveries and Other Curious Spaces
• City v Country Life, Part 3

Until then, have a lovely New Year's Eve!
Janelle


A FEW GREAT BLOGS (AND GREAT BLOG NAMES!)

Bourbon and Pearls – bourbonandpearls.blogspot.com
Sweet Paul – sweetpaul.typepad.com
Spoon Fork Bacon – spoonforkbacon.com
Zucchini and Chocolate – chocolateandzucchini.com
The New Victorian Ruralist – finderskeepersmarketinc.blogspot.com
Busy Being Fabulous – www.busybeingfabulous.typepad.com or www.busybeingfabulous.com

And this hysterical blog – unhappyhipsters.com 

"Trapped by the tawny palette, he struggled through yet another brown knit scarf..."

"Everyone always leaves..."

Inspirational Moments of 2011, Part 2

MORE OF THIS YEAR'S MOST INSPIRATIONAL MOMENTS

{Top: The Return of Glamour – refer to December entry below}

SEPTEMBER – ADELE AND WOODY MAKE US FALL IN LOVE WITH PARIS ALL OVER AGAIN

It was the simplest of music videos; a singer wandering the deserted streets of Paris on a winter's afternoon. But Adele's Someone Like You was so poignant, and showed Paris in such a beautiful light, that the world couldn't help but fall in love with the song, the city and Adele herself. Part of the melancholy charm of the video was its black-and-white tones, which seemed to perfectly suit the soulful lyrics and also Adele's mood, as she wandered slowly across the Pont Alexandre III and looked wistfully down the Seine. Not surprisingly, the video was a huge worldwide hit, and Paris authorities reported that visits to the city increased dramatically in October and November.

Someone else who contributed to Paris's tourism was Woody Allen, whose film Midnight in Paris showed the city in Woody's special way – with whimsy, humour, wit, nostalgia, and enthralling glamour. One of the best moments in the film was the gorgeous bicycle carousel, which is part of the Musée des Arts Forains (The Museum of Fairground Art). This magical place is located near Les Pavillons de Bercy at 53 Avenue des Terroirs de France (12th arrondissement), and is one of the  glorious secrets in Paris. It reminded us that just when we think we've seen everything there is to see in Paris, there is always more to explore.

OCTOBER – THE REVIVAL OF LIBRARIES
Certain members of the media had predicted that books and libraries would go the way of videos in the digital reading age, but thankfully they seem to be wrong. In fact, the popularity of libraries is only increasing as book lovers remember the thrill of being lost among the shelves. The New York Times forecast that libraries will become the social lubricant of the future, meaning that we'll see them as not only places of inspiration and contemplation but also conversation. Even celebrity hotelier Ian Schrager decided to install a library in his new hotel, Public Chicago. Who said books were dead? {Images via greigedesign.blogspot.com, pinterest and the Viceroy Santa Monica}

NOVEMBER – THE RETURN OF COLOUR
Vogue Australia gave us a glimpse of the future when it dedicated its February 2011 issue to colour and featured a spectacular fashion shoot from Mexico. Then colour blocking became one of the major style  trends of the year, with Crayola shades showing up on everything from catwalks to red carpet events and even interiors. Now everything bright is in the spotlight, including countries such as Mexico and Curaçao – reportedly the hot new Caribbean destination. How could we not be inspired by colours that reminded us of fun? {Images via Vogue Australia and Curaçao tourism}

DECEMBER – THE RETURN OF GLAMOUR

Let's face it. Glamour's been a bit short on the ground these past few years. We've had clothes inspired by all sorts of things, from Lady Gaga to gardening, and while they've all had their charms, the va-va-voom element has been lacking a little. Well, now Glamour with a capital G is back, and what a dramatic return it's making. Hollywood-style hair, La Dolce Vita-style dresses and heels that are so shockingly sexy they need their own rating system... Oh glamour, we missed you. Let's hope you stay around a while this time. {Images via Australian Vogue January 2012)

Inspirational Moments of 2011, Part 1

A quick little post of inspiration to tide you over until the New Year. This year may have been a challenging year for many, but there was still a lot of inspiration and creativity around, it seems. Which just goes to show that inspiration and creativity can be found anywhere, even in a tough landscape. Part 2 posted tomorrow. (Above image from La Maison Champs-Elysées hotel; see below for details.)

DECEMBER/JANUARY – ETCHED PERFECTION 

Who better to start the year than the extraordinarily and imaginative artist and etcher François Houtin? A trained landscpape architect who worked on the restoration of the Tuileries gardens in Paris, Houtin now creates beautiful and often fantastical garden prints and etchings inspired by the idea of Utopia.  Hermés was so impressed the company asked him to design a range of dishware. The results were like something from an enchanted forest in a Gothic fairytale; a whimsical, haunting landscape of architectural follies and foliage and hidden imps and pixies. But it was his Paris atelier that was really inspiring. One of the most romantic studios I've ever seen, it's a dream of a space that makes you wish for an artist's attic studio of your own. Look at his alphabet; it's a narrative in itself. {Images via Hermés and Vogue Living}

FEBRUARY – MONDRIAN MAGIC IN MANHATTAN

When I heard that its bar was inspired by a potting bench, that was enough to intrigue me. The new Mondrian SoHo hotel in New York received columns of media publicity, thanks to both the timing of its opening (which cleverly coincided with New York Fashion Week), and the creativity of its interiors. Inspired by John Cocteau's La Belle et Le Bête, the hotel features – in typical Mondrian style – elaborate rooms and spectacular spaces, but perhaps the most beautiful is the garden room. Truly ravishing. mondriansoho.com {Images via Mondrian SoHo}

MARCH – DISCOVERING ELLEN

I first noticed Ellen O'Neill's work in House Beautiful's Pink issue. The magazine was full of great content but perhaps the best story was on O'Neill's Hamptons hideaway, a charming cottage decorated in faded reds and circus-inspired stripes. (I particularly loved her quote: "When I worked at Ralph Lauren, we attended Stripe Class–awning stripes, regimental stripes, ticking stripes. I love them all!" I think I'd like to go to Stripe Class. Where do I sign up?) If that wasn't enough gorgeousness, she then allowed us to see her sublime Manhattan studio; a perfect little space carved out of a 1920's Emery Roth-designed building. All the property ad said was: "One room with a balcony overlooking Gramercy Park, fireplace, outstanding views, key to park". She took it. And then she created her Ellenesque magic on that, too. {Images via House Beautiful}

APRIL – ADVANCED GLAMOUR

One of the best things about the blogosphere is discovering new blogs, and Advanced Style is one of the most inspirational I've ever seen. Curated by fashion lover and street photographer Ari Seth Cohen, it chronicles the lives and wardrobes of people of a certain (grand) age, and shows you don't need to be young (or wealthy) to be stylish and head-turning. Cohen has been given a book deal and he deserves it. His blog is divine.  (Images via advancedstyle.blogspot.com}

MAY – MARTIN MARGIELA'S MASTERPIECE

When the La Maison Champs-Elysées hotel re-opened in Paris in May, many in the design world rushed to peek inside the rooms. It had promised to redefine the concept of a hotel and it did, thanks to Martin Margiela, who created some of the most theatrical spaces this side of the Miami Mondrian. The suites were distinguished by two concepts – day and night. Some suites disguised themselves in all black palette, creating a veiled, enigmatic atmosphere, while others were bright, calm and white but still startling in their interior design. There was trompe l'oeil, black-and-white panelling and even whimsical cabinets of curiosities. All in all, a Margiela marvel. {Images at very top and above via La Maison}

JUNE – GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY WITH DOWNTON ABBEY

It had everything we wanted in a period drama: gorgeous Edwardian costumes; a grand old house full of spectacular rooms and even more thrilling secrets; a touch of sex; a mysterious death; endearing characters (Mr Bates, for one), and a whole lot of entertaining quotes. Such as this: “No one wants to kiss a girl in black." Oh, Downton, we adored you. {Image via Downton Abbey}

JULY – GARDEN ART

After spending several months photographing a book on the world's most beautiful kitchen gardens last year (The Modern Kitchen Garden), I am now in love with the elegance, simplicity and charm of garden plans. My favourites so far are the plans of the gardens of Prieuré Notre-Dame d'Orsan and Versailles, but I'm now discovering historic illustrations of walled Edwardian gardens. There is something fascinating about finding your way through a garden plan, following the paths and diagrams all the way to the corners. Some of the plans I've seen are more beautiful than the gardens! (I will do another post on these in 2012.)

AUGUST – ROOFTOP ROMANCE

When Hermés announced that its new fragrance was inspired by its roof, some people wondered if the French fashion house had gone a little Lady Gaga... But then it revealed images of its roof and suddenly the inspiration was apparent. Hermés was hiding one of the most enchanting gardens in Paris atop its Faubourg Saint-Honoré store. Filled with apple trees, pears, lavender, magnolias, roses and even an exquisite lawn, the rooftop paradise was designed by Jean-Louis Dumas, great-grandson of the atelier's founder Thierry Hermés. Dumas wanted to recreate the rural landscape of Normandy, and planted mostly white flowers against a cool green foliage. The result was so wonderful, it inspired Hermés' new fragrance, Un Jardin Sur Le Toit. We all love a secret garden, and this has to be one of the best. (I love how even the fragrance packaging features a whimsical illustration of the garden.)