Around here lately...

 How are you? 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

I've popped up some photos I took through out the week....

This beautiful wall of jasmine is in one of my neighbouring streets. I drive past and admire it every day so finally had to stop and take a photo!

Noah had Book Week and went as Where's Wally? A last minute costume grab from Big W!

Lunch at The Collaroy and a quick dip in the sea. It's still a bit chilly!

I've just added a few new bits n pieces around at home.... 

I'm trying out some faux flowers that I use for my property styling on the table and a new rug under the table. Just a couple of new touches can give everything a fresh look.

We're also revamping the outside area for summer. Painting old pots with a fresh coat of white paint and a couple of new plants. Just basically giving everything a scrub down after winter and the rain.

I also added a couple of new gorgeous prints into the mix. I'm definitely going for a Euro summer vibe!

Noah's room has stayed the same but just had a bit of a clean out. It just makes the house feel so much lighter when the unwanted clutter is cleared out.

And the most momentous occasion this week was Finn finishing up his HSC exams. He is finally finished!

I can't believe this day has come as I can still remember walking him into his first day at kindy. It doesn't seem that long ago! We are excited for him and all of the new adventures ahead.

And that's a wrap! Back into routine tomorrow and a new week.

Autumn changes at home......

At the start of each season I usually get the urge to do a big clean out and change things up around the house. It might mean moving furniture, changing cushion covers, mixing up the artwork etc

It's just something that comes over me! So the house is usually a huge mess for about a week before I pull everything together with a fresh look. 

This season I wanted to remove all the clutter and anything I didn't love. I was attracted to warm tones, natural fibres and of course plants everywhere! I didn't want to go out and buy a whole lot of stuff to achieve a new look so I looked at what I had and how I could work it a new way. 

You can see the looks I came up with below......

I started with our entry way. Now this is only a small space and I had tried various benches and drawer situations but nothing really worked. So I decided to make it a simple as possible and started with a white bench and white coat rack.

Simon cut down one of our old long benches to create the perfect size. 

We bought the coat rack from Ikea. It was a blank canvas. I wanted this space to always look neat + tidy so it's for my stuff only ;)The boys are still encouraged to put away their things in their own rooms. Only pretty things allowed!

I grabbed the jacket, scarf and hat out of my wardrobe, popped a couple of my bags up and put the cactus that was in one of the boy's rooms on the bench. 

I love the fresh, clean look when you walk in the front door!

Next up was our sitting room, now this space is usually only used by me as we all watch tv and hang out together in our main living room. This is a thorough fare and this wall is one of the first you see as you walk in the house. I wanted it to be interesting, have some muted colour and for it to feel light and airy. I also wanted to add some extra texture to all the white with the rattan chairs.

I'm the ideas girl and Simon is my helper ;)

One thing I haven't learnt to do is hang a gallery wall. Working out measurements and spaces is not for me. I like to go off my eye and how it looks. I can only do this by having Simon hold up the artworks in different positions while I stand back and decide. He loves this! ;)

I knew I wanted a gallery wall but nothing too busy so I had the main, large piece take centre stage and a few others around it. I had my eye on this large framed print from Freedom for ages and watched it get reduced in all the sales and then I snapped it up! The prints surrounding it were some I had in other rooms and I downloaded a few more from Etsy to finish the wall off. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I know it can easily be changed by switching up the prints for a fresh look.

The chairs were an impulse Ikea purchase but they were such a great price I had to have them. They really add a bit of warmth and interest to the white room. The cushions were a mix from other areas of the house and the coffee table, homewares and rug we've had for ages. 

We also added doors to our bookcase to give it a cleaner look. Plants and books add a little colour to that white wall of cupboards.

To give the kitchen a new look I moved the lightbox to another room and restyled the shelves. I added a long fruit bowl and the colours of the fruit give the kitchen an autumn feel.Trailing plants on these shelves are a favourite! Nothing major done here but the change is nice.

I love these cushion cover colours from H&M, the mustard colour gives the living space a really warm feel plus they're velvety and so soft. The morrocan cushion from Adairs is a new addition.

The major  change to this room though is the mirror. I have always loved that gold ornate look mixed with modern furniture. When I saw this mirror on Ebay I knew it would be perfect! The gold and wood texture of the mirror brings warmth and colour to the space. Everything else is as before.

So they're my recent little changes to our home. I'm really on a decluttering/rearranging kick at the moment! I'm loving how everything is looking at the moment. I've still got a few other corners of the house I want to refresh but will probably get to those after the holidays.

Have you made any changes at home lately?

Products can be found here......

Entry way

Bench - Simon made it

Coat rack - Ikea

 Bags - Boho Leather Co

Scarf - H&M

Sitting Room

Large Artwork - Freedom

Frida print - Etsy

Cactus print - Oh Eight Oh Nine

Byron print - Olive Et Oriel

Peony print - Jasmine Dowling

La Luna print - Etsy

Prada Marfa print - Etsy

Rattan chairs - Ikea

Tasselled cushions - Jumbled online

Kitchen

Fruit bowl - Freedom

Living Room

Mirror - Ebay

Cushion Covers - H&M

Morrocan cushion - Adairs

Our Outdoor Space - Plants, Festoon Lighting + Outdoor Furniture

As summer comes to an end I thought I would show you the space where we spent most of our days and entertained when family and friends came over.

Just before summer started we decided to put a bit of effort into our indoor space and give it a bit of a spruce up for the warmer months ahead.  We were influenced by restaurants The Grounds and Coogee Pavilion with their cool and inviting outdoor spaces. To get the same feel we knew we needed plants (lots of them) and festoon lighting.

We have had our outdoor furniture for about 5 years now (maybe more!) and although it was an investment at the time it has really paid for itself with it's comfort and durability. It is the Bubble Club range from Kartell and is made from a molded plastic and is easily cleaned and can handle being out in all the elements. The only thing missing from the range was a large coffee table so Simon made our one himself. We love the size of the table as there is plenty of room for platters and drinks when entertaining.

We've loved the look of festoon lighting for years but had never found the right set at the right price. We decided to create our own festoon lighting and bought the bulbs, festoon lamp holders and black heavy duty garden lighting cable from Bunnings. This was great as we could space it out to our own specifications and get the correct length needed for the space.  It was attached to the roof by stainless steel hooks at either end, which allowed the cable to drape as we zig zagged it across the under side of the roof. We terminated it to a switch inside the house which was a little technical so best to get an electrician in to do this. The number of bulbs makes the light output very bright so we installed a commercial grade dimmer to control the lighting depending on the time of night and occasion.

Next step was to fill the space with plants but still keep it practical. We wanted to still be able to move around the area easily and there still be free space for the boys to play and the dog to roam.

For the roof we decided on a mixture of hanging plants which we purchased from a local nursery. We knew we wanted different greens, a variety of textures and plants that would spill over their pots and create a lush feel. We made sure we spoke to someone at the nursery and described their position and how much sun each plant would get as we wanted to make sure we got the right ones. All hanging pots and chains were from Bunnings. We made sure they had an enclosed drainage system so they wouldn't spill over once they were watered. The pots were hung from the roof using stainless steel eyelets, making sure they went directly into the timber batons in the roof to ensure they could hold the weight of the pots. They can get quite heavy once the soil and the plants are in. We also wanted them sturdy so they wouldn't get blown down in heavy wind. 6 months on and we haven't had any problems with them.

On the ground we grouped different pots of palms and succulents and placed a pot of ivy on the bench as we wanted it to drape down to the ground. We rotated the ivy weekly to get an even growth.

All the black pots were a Bunnings find. So great to be able to get everything in one place!

The outdoor mat is marine carpet also from Bunnings. We chose this material as it is hardy, can handle the rain or a quick hose down and we also could choose the size we needed.

We water the plants every second day in summer and will stretch it out to once a week once it cools down. All of the plants are flourishing and looking so healthy. It is our own tropical oasis!

I purchased the outdoor cushions from Target. The material is great and handles the weather well.

The whole outdoor area is hosed down weekly and everything is built to handle the water and be wiped down. It's very low maintenance which is what we were after. Also as our grass is artificial we really have no other garden that has to be taken care of!

We have really loved having this space as an extra room and it was great to give it a refresh and make it an inviting place to relax and hang out with family and friends.

Do you have an outdoor space at home you love? Or are you ready to do a bit of a refresh?

I'd love to hear your plans!