Home: Vintage meets Modern
Josh and Sharron and their three children live in a semi-rural part of Queensland on a 1/2 acre block of land. The modern home is furnished effortlessly with a mixture of modern, and vintage items, creating the perfect balance between functionality, personality and warmth. The white and neutral tones are subtlety enhanced using bursts of colour through interesting ornaments and books. The house has a modern edge yet Sharron has cleverly brought warmth and history to the home through vintage/shabby-chic furniture and accessories. What Josh and Sharron have created is truly the definition of transforming a house into a home.
What is your favourite room?
I like every room for different reasons.
What is your favourite piece of furniture?
Probably the Ikea Billy Bookcase Cupboard System in our TV room. It’s got a place for everything, is compact, highly customisable and affordable.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Magazines and shop displays. Better Homes and Gardens is my favourite home magazine.
You’ve brought a lot of history into a modern house. How have you managed that?
I started with large furniture pieces and kept them neutral and simple, and then brought colour and age through pictures, smaller furniture and nic-nacks.
Where do you find your vintage pieces?
Second hand shops, ebay and garages sales. It’s amazing what you can find and what people throw out.
How do you get a feel for what is good value?
I find ebay is a helpful research tool because it’s a great price and popularity guide. And then I go to the op shops and find similar pieces.
What are some of your great finds?
1. What: Original acrylic canvas picture Price: $450 reduced $65 Where: Closing down shop
2. What: Vintage prints Price: $3 each Where: Salvation Army
3. What: Bathroom ladder Price: $200 reduced to $50 Where: Loot
4. What: Vintage meat safe Price: $75 Where: Konnexion Shop on ebay
How have you effectively mixed the old with the new?
I’ve mixed a vintage hall table with a new mirror in the hallway entrance.
Old: Vintage hall table New: Mirror Price: Wall stand ($80) mirror ($25) Where: Hall table (Konnexion Shop on ebay) Mirror (Target).
A second-hand fireplace brings warmth to a stark room.
What: Fireplace with original lead-light cabinets Price: $180 Where: ebay
How have you created different living/sitting spaces?
By sectioning rooms off with furniture and crating many places to just sit, inside and out.
What advice would give someone home decorating?
Don’t be afraid to try something different and be prepared to shop in second hand shops to find the treasures within. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a house, a home.
“You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a house, a home.”
Have a “you” space
You will often find me here. This is my place. I love looking out at my garden and the spinning wheel. I often sit here, look out and enjoy what is around me.
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
Home: Fruit as Decor
I look for ways to bring an aesthetic appearance to every house I live in; to make it a home. Right now, I’m at house number 9 in a 10-year period, and none of them have been my own. It’s been hard, moving so much, but it’s taught me that a wall, roof, and material things don’t matter — people do.
I love the look of the fruit in these vases. I also appreciate seeing how much fruit is left. We churn through fruit in loads in our household. They also make for a great props in photos (see cake photo below).
If you are looking for a fun and pretty way to keep your fruit, purchase some large vases. I bought these ones (pictured) from Homeart for $19.95.
Other Fruit Inspired Products:
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Home: Country Retro
As I walk into Josh and Bonnie’s kitchen, there’s an overwhelming sense this kitchen was meant to be shared. Josh and Bonnie have been living in, and renovating, their riverfront 1930 Queensland workers cottage for the past 6 years.
Josh is passionate about design and incorporates this passion into many projects around the home. As well as working full-time as a process technician for BP, he is running as a Federal candidate for Family First in the next election in the district of Blair.
Bonnie is German LOTE (Language Other Than English) teacher. She recently won an all-inclusive scholarship trip to Germany as part of a Endeavour Language Teaching Fellowship initiative.
Together, they seek to raise their three children with the best of both worlds. A country living, complete with horse, dogs and cattle on a 12 acre property and yet only 40 minutes from Brisbane city.
Over a cup of Nespresso coffee, I chatted to Josh and Bonnie about renovations, design and kitchens.
Josh
What was your thinking behind the kitchen: We live in a 1930′s worker’s cottage so I wanted the design to fit. It’s Country with a modern edge. There’s an eclectic element too. If I find something related to the era or matching in colour, like the tins on the window sill, I collect them to feature in the kitchen.
What advice would you give someone designing a kitchen:
* Make sure you can put the stuff you need in the place you need them; that is, create a little spot for everything. I have little box drawers next to the stove for foil, plastic bags tea towels and other odds and sods, a few odd shelves make for useful storage or display items too.
* Make cupboards easy to get into; that is, try to eliminate difficult corner cupboards with clever design or purpose built accessories to make it work better.
Where do you get your inspiration from: This is really hard to put into words; I’ve never had to before! You see, I love observing design; everywhere I go, I analyse design and store it in my head so I have a feel for putting things together. For example, I knew from experience that red bench tops and black kicks were not unusual in older houses and I’ve brought that into this kitchen.
How do you find the colour balance: A good system to work from is 60/30/10 — it’s a common formula that decorator centres will recommend. That is 60% dominant colour (often but not necessarily neutral), 30% intermediate colour and 10% highlight colour. It’s a good idea to start with a colour you like an,d work from there. Again a decorator centre will help you with combinations or you can look online. Plascon is one of numerous websites with helpful advice. Don’t be afraid of colour. Be bold! Then add flavour to your design through accessories.
Don’t be afraid of colour. Be bold! Then add flavour to your design through accessories.
What does a kitchen mean to you: Food, it’s all about food. Food is the centerpiece of hospitality in any culture around the world; therefore, I wanted the kitchen to be inviting, bright and user friendly so people would feel comfortable.
What do you like most about the kitchen: It works. We took our time planning while living in the house and so there is nothing that we regret about the kitchen.
Simple tips for families wanting to improve their kitchen without a total renovation:
* An empty wall or corner can be useful shelf space
* It’s easy to turn cupboards to draws. If you can’t get matching materials, pick a contrasting colour that you like (be bold!) and tie it in with accessories to blend. You can use paint, curtains or even colorful appliances to set it off.
* Some things can’t be done by half measures. Sometimes it worth going to whole way; and you’ll never look back. It depends on the situation but some kitchens get beyond a quick fix.
* Be careful of major hardware chains for accessories like handles or hinges and the like. If you have the time, go to a kitchen hardware specialist. The only negative is it can be hard to browse so it’s a good idea to have an idea of what you want. Take a sample or find a picture online. You can get really funky handles now and this can be one way to brighten an older kitchen.
* If your kitchen is a thoroughfare, close off one end and put in a bench or a tall cupboard to create extra space. I’ve suggested this for some friends’ kitchens and they are really happy with the outcome
Bonnie
How would you define your kitchen: Retro Country
You’ve been living in a half renovated home for some time now. How have you survived? I think it takes a particular sort of person to live in a renovated house. The real answer is that I’m still surviving, rather than survived {breaks into song “I will survive”}. I make a choice not to stress, although sometimes I struggle with the lack of storage and space. To compensate for this, I have a room, I call a junk room, where I put everything. The other thing is I only clean the rooms that are organised and complete. The others I choose to leave alone.
What is your advice about designing a kitchen: Draws and more draws, and more draws.
Did you or Josh pick the colour of the kitchen: I often joke about this: you see, Josh independently designed the kitchen and then he calls it MY kitchen {laughing}. But I do really appreciate his design skills and ability; I trust him. Also, Josh can see things before they are done; I don’t have that same vision. Originally, when Josh told me he wanted to do a red and green kitchen, I sarcastically said, “Great, a Christmas tree.” But I trusted Josh, and I’m glad I did. Josh has taught me to take risks with colour. Personally, I designed the colours behind the stove and I always wanted a tea cup shelf.
What’s your favourite part of kitchen: My pantry (or ‘pansion’ as Bonnie’s friend Karen calls it due to sheer size). My mum said it was the best pantry in the world. She passed away four years ago, so I guess that is part of the reason I love it too. It’s large, so I go in there to talk on phone. The children never seem to find me there. It’s good for smooching too {winks}.
How often to you entertain guests: At least 5 or 6 times a month.
What does the kitchen mean to you: It means the same to me as it means to Josh. Our front door opens into the kitchen and I like that because we love sharing what we have. It’s hard to put into words, all that is in my heart about my kitchen.
It’s hard to put into words, all that is in my heart about my kitchen.
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Josh is available to answer any questions you have. Simply leave a comment below and return back in a day to find your answer.
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