Being an interior designer is an amazing, creative space where I get to express myself through designing homes. I'm sharing what it's like working as an interior designer with all it's highs and lows, with what excites me, what scares me and why I persevere. 

Flat pack kitchens are an excellent option to consider for your renovation, particularly if you're looking for a more budget conscious choice. If you're handy with the tools this is a great way to save on budget and take care of a big chunk of the work yourself. Here are some ways I've been able to get a designer look when using a flat pack solution. 

Designing for kids and pets, and creating a family friendly home doesn't have to be difficult and it doesn't mean you have to put off renovating until the little ones are older. If you have kids or pets then you know it takes a little more care and attention plus a good routine to keep your home neat and tidy. If you’re renovating or building a new home, designing with kids and pets in mind can be tackled using two broad strategies to make sure that your dream home remains your dream home. Planning for your storage needs and choosing the right finishes are the two areas I concentrate on when it comes to designing with kids and pets in mind.

Working on small spaces is always interesting because it challenges the designer to become creative, to think outside the box and to adapt ideas from grand proportions, all with the aim of appearing effortless. The key to a good design in a small space is to remove visual clutter and incorporate considered items with a minimal palette of materials and colours. This doesn’t mean your bathroom will be boring, it just means restraining the palette to achieve a better sense of space.

That glamorous end result you see in magazines or on social media takes weeks and months of planning and hard work. Hours in front of a computer, hours of research, telephone calls, procurement and the list goes on. So, I thought I’d share with you a couple of behind the scenes, from projects that are either on the go right now, or presentations have happened and the project is underway. 

Homeowners use flat pack solutions to save on costs but worry that the end result is going to look obviously like a flat pack solution. With a little bit of creativity, the humble flat pack hack can quietly take on a designer look. They’re versatile, and it’s one of the reasons why so many homeowners love them!

I’ve struggled with this very question for as long as I’ve been an interior designer and the story I told myself was really shaped by others experiences. When I was in design school in 2011, it was only a couple of years after the GFC and the ramifications were still being felt. My teachers were of the opinion that designers were the first to be ditched when times got tough. Maybe they were. What I'm seeing is that homeowners are opening their eyes to the value a professional interior designer brings to a project.

If you’re renovating your bathroom and want to keep it within the style of the rest of your home you may want to think about using neutral materials or draw inspiration from existing materials or colours and bring those into the bathroom. However you do it, just keep in mind what’s already in the home and what element you’ll want to bring into the space.

If you want your home to be fresh and relevant today, and for years to come, then timeless design could be the style you’ve been looking for. Timeless design is lasting rather than temporary and at its core functionality enables the design to embrace both its space and environment.

Working with an interior designer should be fun and exciting! A good interior designer will be able to interpret all of your wants and needs into a space that is both functional and aesthetically beautiful; then they’ll take it that one step further creating spaces that allow you to relax and unwind in a way that you never quite imagined.