Noah is 14!

 Happy Birthday Noah!

We had a great day celebrating Noah turning 14.

A day full of his favourite things and ending with an afternoon surf at Urbn Surf. A perfect day x

Kitchen Renovation - 2026

 We started this year off with our kitchen renovation. As soon as the school holidays were over the kitchen was ripped out and the renovation started!

We built this house 24 years ago and in that time we have given the kitchen a mini makeover about 15 years ago when we changed the bench top, replaced appliances as needed and refreshed the cabinet colour. The structure and internals of the cupboards never changed nor did the layout.

The footprint of the kitchen had to be kept as it worked best for the flow and space of our home but it definitely needed improvement and updating.

We knew we wanted something neutral and classic in colour and style. 

We wanted all appliances integrated and we wanted a white oven. 

We chose a Billi tap with boiling, filtered, chilled and sparkling water and the main item to bring it all together was the bench top and backsplash.

We knew that would be the main feature and interest and we spent a couple of months looking at marble, sintered stone, engineered stone, porcelain etc. In the end we chose Calacatta Royal Ultrasoft from Neolith.

We liked the colour, pattern and hardy nature over marble as we didn't want to be precious with stains etc when cooking. 

We went with a slim shaker door profile and white handles to blend in and create a seamless look.

The whole kitchen took about 4 weeks from beginning to completion which was quite good really although it was hard going at times without a kitchen! Uber eats & the bbq worked overtime for a while ;)

Although we had a temporary kitchen set up in the living room!

We are so happy with the finished result! 

Everything looks so fresh and blends in well with the rest of the house.

 We are thrilled with the extra storage, bigger pantry and fridge and seamless look of the cabinetry.

 Everything flows easily when cooking and having a few people in the kitchen at the one time.

I'm so glad we kept the kitchen shelves to style and add interest and break up the colour palette.

We also added lighting under the cabinets which looks lovely and warm at night.

Our suppliers -

Kitchen company - Kitchen Connection - Belrose

Stone supplier - Marble Hub

Appliances - Harvey Norman

Tap - Billi

Handles - Momo - Keeler Hardware

Let me know if you have any other questions! x

A wander around The Palms

We went to The Palms the other day for lunch and had a lovely wander around afterwards. 

It is such a great space and always something new to see. Here a are a few pics from my visit...

2026

 Happy New Year!

Design changes at home - 2025

 As another year comes to a close it's fun to look back at everything we achieved this year.

 As we have been renovating and updating our home for the last 5 years, this year was more of the same. Ticking off jobs that have been on our list. I also added a few new furniture pieces for a fresher feel.

Some of our tasks this year included...

Redoing our backyard with fresh artificial turf, resurfacing the pool and retiling the surrounds. We removed the cabana and put new fencing and greenery up. Everything feels fresh and new, all very low maintenance and it has inspired us to spend more time outside.

Next on our list was choosing a tile for the floors. We have had the white floors for the last 10 years and it was time for a change. We chose a beige tile that has added some warmth to the rooms.

Some of my new furniture pieces...

New dining chairs, the colour and leather add some warmth and texture.

Loving the chunky travertine plinth coffee table, it's size is perfect for grounding the living room

Our gorgeous marble console table

A darker walnut buffet/storage and travertine coffee table for the sitting room.

Simon and I love sitting in her on the weekends with a drink listening to records and having a chat.

I redid my gallery wall. It's so lovely to have the family photos out again. A mix of old and new.

A new neutral artwork over the bed

My favourite fuzzy chair and marble side table

So it has been a mix of big and small changes but they have all been considered choices that reflect our taste and stage of life we are at now. Who knows when they will evolve again but it has been fun to switch things up a bit this year!

Next year we have one more job booked in with the kitchen being renovated. It's the same floorplan but more integrated appliances and a modern streamlined look.

I will keep you updated! x

Books I read in 2025

 One of my goals in 2025 was to read more books. I definitely achieved that!

I ended up reading 81 books! I tried a few new genres and discovered I like thriller/crime fiction and mystery novels along with historical fiction and of course rom-coms/women's fiction.

I've included the books I read this year below...