STEP BY STEP: Demo Day
Step by Step documents the projects that I’m juggling alongside setting up my interior design business, Kate Kerin Interiors. My clients Joanna and Pam have kindly agreed to being the subject of this blog, and I thank them for sharing their projects with readers.
Petersham Project – bathroom reno
The construction phase of Joanna’s bathroom has begun, and Joanna has moved out of her apartment for the next few weeks. Luckily there are plenty of options for her, based in Sydney’s Inner West. Stephen Hughes, our wonderful builder from Modern Edge Renovations, has brought his trusted team in each day to work their magic. Day one involves a lot of noise and mess, which stresses Joanna a bit as she is concerned for the inconvenience caused to her neighbours. This day is made more complex by the apartment block’s elevator jamming between floors with an unfortunate tradie – not one of ours – stuck inside. After a couple of hours he is fortunately released in good spirits, but the elevator remains out of order for the next few days, making our job more challenging from the second floor.
Nonetheless, the team soldiers on and by the end of Day 1 the bathroom is a neat shell. Plumbing and electrical rough-ins follow, the screed is laid to level the floor, and the start of Week 2 sees the plasterers framing and sheeting up the new walls. All sorts of design decisions are made during this time, including placement of the shower niche, waste holes and tapware. The original shower is closed up with gyprock on the bathroom side, and opened out to the adjoining second bedroom where it is destined to be a lovely big wardrobe. It is all very exciting!
After viewing the nearly-finished (and extremely gorgeous) custom vanity from Three of a Kind Furniture, we decide Joanna’s preferred basin may be a little large. She also isn’t keen on the matte finish, so we have purchased a smaller gloss white basin from our supplier and will try both options on top of the vanity when it is delivered later this week. I flex my shopping muscles by researching and purchasing some lovely towel sets for Joanna to consider; due to lucky timing they are all on sale and excellent value. By the end of the week we will be pretty much half way through the project!
Greenwich project – Seniors’ Resort refresh
Pam has invited me to style her large living room display unit. This is a built-in unit from Poliform, which she and her husband had custom-built when they first downsized into their retirement resort. As with many such units, the shelves have become repositories for all sorts of knick-knacks, books, photos, flowers and collected items. Some of it is valuable and much of it is beautiful, but none of it is curated. By this I mean the shelving has evolved naturally, with gifts and purchased items simply added to a section of available shelf over time. Pam has asked Kate Kerin Interiors to make the unit more cohesive and to reflect the sophistication of the lovely furniture we are gradually adding to the room. We also want to use her chosen hero colours of olive and rust. This will add consistency through the open-plan living/dining/kitchen/foyer area of the apartment.
The first step is always one of contemplation and creativity. I begin by asking Pam which existing items must be kept, and which she has no sentimental attachment to. She identifies a few important pieces and tells me their story. I love hearing the history of these precious objects, and I confirm that Pam is happy for them to be moved to other locations in the apartment. This spacious home has built-in bookshelves and storage options in virtually every room; Pam may have downsized, but she certainly hasn’t compromised on either storage or style.
Over the next few weeks I procure styling elements from a variety of trusted wholesale and retail homewares and accessories stores. After measuring the display unit and drawing it in SketchUp, I have a good idea of the size, scale and number of items I will require. I can use a few of the existing pieces Pam has on display, but mostly I’ll be starting from scratch. Many of the new accessories will feature a deep olive green, picking up the leather of her bar stools and ottomans, but we’ll also include some black, white and natural elements to add interest. I want to showcase some books as Pam is an avid reader, and the unit is – after all – essentially a bookshelf! A selection of plants will finish off the display – high-quality faux plants for those areas that are high and hard to reach and real ones lower down where Pam can easily care for them (and where even the highest quality faux might be noticed).
On a day when Pam is planning to be out for several hours, I set up box after box on her dining table. I remove everything from the display unit and make sure it’s squeaky clean. Initially I select the larger, anchoring pieces and place them in the positions I have chosen using my SketchUp plan. Books come next, each with an item sitting on top to create interest and balance. Some of the shelves have glass doors, so particular accessories have been chosen to maintain impact through glass. Balance is the key to styling, and the shelves are laid out like a grid. I find that odd numbers of items work better than even, accessories on some shelves need to be offset while others are centred, and key colours should be dotted thoughtfully throughout the grid rather than grouped together. I mix and match, add and subtract and generally move things around using trial and error. Every now and then I step back and take stock of how it’s all coming together, and where the gaps are.
After a couple of hours it becomes clear that I will need a few more pieces. I’m starting to run out of time and I want to replace all of the items removed from the shelving unit in other parts of the home. I also want to clear up all of the packaging and boxes before Pam returns home for the big reveal. I race up the road to a nearby Homemaker Centre and quickly purchase another few pieces. Once these are added to the shelves all that is left to do is to arrange the plants in focal positions. The unit is complete!
With minutes to spare I boil the kettle and wait for Pam to return. When she sees the display unit, she is overwhelmed and delighted with the result. I tell her a bit about each item, then leave her to digest the many treasures in peace. The next morning she texts me to say that she spent the evening finding ever more interesting and beautiful accessories. She has decided to keep everything and is thrilled with the end result. So am I!
Kate Kerin Interiors specialises in working with residential clients in Sydney, particularly older people who are downsizing or live independently in lifestyle resorts. Contact Kate for an initial consultation to talk about your project.
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