I’m pretty excited to take you inside our recent home makeover on the blog today, for some amazing clients in Belmont; a hop, skimp and a jump from the Geelong Beachfront here in Victoria.
In case you missed it, we we do indeed carry out interior design in Geelong. We pretty much go anywhere the good people and dreamy transformation opportunities take us. And considering these were return clients, how could we say no?
Having completed an apartment revamp for them a few years back, the clients called on us again to breathe new life into their recently purchased weekender. Below you’ll see the fruits of our labour. It was a pretty dreamy reveal.
The Design Brief: Modern Coastal Meets Cute Cottage
Long-time followers of TLC Interiors know that we love to blend aesthetics. It’s not great to walk into a home that feels like one distinct theme. Instead, we prefer to give a nod to a few different styles. In this project, it was no different.
We wanted the home to feel calm and soothing, which is where the coastal vibe came into play. But the stunning foundation was already there; a gorgeous green and brass kitchen, bathroom and laundry that gave a nod to the traditional.
So, that’s the direction we took for the furnishing, lighting and window treatments. We wanted rooms to be welcoming, easy-on-the-eye, with a medley of textures. But we had to ensure the existing green and brass worked with the design elements we introduced.
We’ve struck a good balance here. We’ve let the green and brass shine alongside a subdued furniture and decor palette. We’ve used colour in smaller accents though, in considered tones so as to not overwhelm the eye.
A Living Room For Relaxing and Gathering
The living room needed to act as a space to chill and watch TV for the couple, but also as a zone to gather in when friends are over. It formed part of an open-plan living, dining and kitchen zone. And the spaces had to feel connected.
We opted to have the sofa with it’s back to the dining room. With some rooms this approach doesn’t work, but here we did it because the sofa back is low, and the profile quite minimal. So it doesn’t cut off the space or dominate too much.
We also wanted to achieve that perfect sense of symmetry; an armchair sitting in front of a pillar of sheer curtain either side of the mounted TV and entertainment unit beneath it. The space still feels very open because we didn’t over-stuff it.
For those of you playing at home: Zephyr Sofa | Ripples Coffee Table | Aurora Armchair
Size and Scale Was Key in the Dining Room
You see the dining room above the moment you walk in the front door. The open plan space sits at the end of a hallway from the entry zone. So, we wanted a gorgeous first impression, but there were spatial issues to consider.
As the dining table sits between the sofa and kitchen island, we chose wisely to ensure there was still plenty of room to walk around it and pull chairs out.
An oval table eliminated knocking into sharp corners and worked to make the space feel larger. As airiness was important, we chose an uncomplicated dining table profile and paired it with chairs featuring thin legs and curved, open backs.
Style Steal For Your Place: Seneng Arc Dining Table | Cluster Dining Chair
Connecting the Rooms Through Shape, Colour, Texture
As mentioned earlier, the kitchen was already there in all its glory. We just dressed it with a new pendant light, bar stools and decorative elements on countertops to complete the look.
We had to take style cues from it though, and roll those out across the living and dining so the rooms felt cohesive. A full wall of sheers running along the back of the home connected the three zones, and added so much softness.
From there, it was about small brass details on the dining chair legs, stool legs and living room lamp.
We included some green tones in the living room, as well as featuring leather in cushions and stools. Slatted profiles on the coffee table and entertainment unit speak nicely to the panelling under the kitchen island.
Continuing the Vibe into the Main Bedroom
As you can see in the photos above, the main bedroom is just off the kitchen, so naturally the feel from the open plan zone flowed through into this dreamy space. The colours are all quite similar, and the feel is equally charming.
We were once again blessed by a stunning foundation. The carpet was already there, which worked, and the green paneling behind the bed had been installed during the build. Whoever made these design decisions, we salute you!
We layered up the king bed in tones that reflected the ones in the living room, and introduced timber bedsides and a gorgeous armchair and side table that all felt cohesive as well. And those sheers, sitting just off the floor, complete the look.
Bedroom Must-Haves: Olivia Armchair | Vienna Bedside | Hakon Side Table
The Entry & Office Were Kept Minimal
The entry and office in our Geelong interior design makeover were minimally dressed. They sit side-by-side as you come in the front door, and just like with the kitchen the foundational elements were already there.
And what dreamy elements they were. A curved, scalloped entry table fixed to the wall gives the entry a stylish landing zone as you come in. We sourced the curved mirror you see above and the decorative elements on top of the table.
At the end of every design job we carry out what we call the style shop. Once furniture is in we hit the stores and buy all of the smaller decor items for tabletops, shelves, bedsides etc. No home is complete without these touches!
For this job the majority of the style shop was carried out at Bed Bath N Table.
Dreamy Design in the Laundry and Bathroom
While we didn’t do anything design-wise in the bathroom and laundry outside of styling a vignette, I wanted to show them to you to illustrate that we examine every room in a home when designing and furnishing it.
Even if we’re not working on that room, we still look to it to inform some of our design choices in other spaces. It’s about connection and cohesion. You don’t want to walk from one room to the next and feel like you’ve entered a home with a different style.
They’re pretty stunning spaces, don’t you think? Truth be told, I would move into this home in a heartbeat if I had the chance. It just feels wonderful to be in. We’re very grateful the clients trusted us to work our magic on it.
If you’d like to book a design consult with our lead designer Chris, you can do that here.
Photography of this home by Stephanie Rooney.
