Houzz Tours
At Home With ... Eva Burgess From Build House Home Blog
Step inside the modern Sydney home that inspired a DIY blog. Tell us what you think for your chance to win a gift voucher from Adairs
When South-African born Eva Burgess and her husband decided to build a modular home in Sydney’s Lower North Shore, it was not only the prospect of an exciting renovation project that piqued her interest, but the chance to share her learnings in her very first decorating blog. Creative switch firmly flicked, Eva began Build House Home to document the DIY tricks, entertaining ideas and renovation expertise she was acquiring along the way. The blog ethos soon evolved as she grew determined to answer – and help others answer – this tricky question: how do you transform a house into a home?
The home you see below is the result of a commitment to answering this question. When faced with the shell of a new build, Eva wanted to bring her own family’s style and lifestyle to the table in a comfortable and relaxing space. Infused with natural light and crossing the boundaries between inside and out, her home is the stage on which meaningful treasures and useful additions perform – from family artwork to her self-sustaining vegie patch. Read more about her blog, home and lifestyle in our interview below.
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Eva’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Adairs (adairs.com.au) – has now been announced. Well done Polla Ellis Posavec from WA.
The home you see below is the result of a commitment to answering this question. When faced with the shell of a new build, Eva wanted to bring her own family’s style and lifestyle to the table in a comfortable and relaxing space. Infused with natural light and crossing the boundaries between inside and out, her home is the stage on which meaningful treasures and useful additions perform – from family artwork to her self-sustaining vegie patch. Read more about her blog, home and lifestyle in our interview below.
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Eva’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Adairs (adairs.com.au) – has now been announced. Well done Polla Ellis Posavec from WA.
Let’s talk about Build House Home. What do we need to know about your blog?
Build House Home is about the journey that it takes to make a house into a home. Sometimes that covers large projects like building a new house, but mostly it involves the shared experiences of the family who lives in it. I love to share all the ways we are making our house a home, from DIY projects to our favourite recipes. It’s about living as stylishly as possible, each day at a time.
The cat picture above the dining table is by South African artist Nina Romm. The pendant light above the dining room is from West Elm.
Build House Home is about the journey that it takes to make a house into a home. Sometimes that covers large projects like building a new house, but mostly it involves the shared experiences of the family who lives in it. I love to share all the ways we are making our house a home, from DIY projects to our favourite recipes. It’s about living as stylishly as possible, each day at a time.
The cat picture above the dining table is by South African artist Nina Romm. The pendant light above the dining room is from West Elm.
What made you start blogging and when?
I started the blog during our build process, thinking that it would be great to share the suppliers and contacts that I had discovered during the build process. Over time I started blogging about finishing touches, DIY projects, food and party ideas and design and designers that inspired me. During the process, I have realised that a home is never really finished, I will always be making adjustments and adding layers of texture. We recently bought another property in country Victoria that came with an old fibro cottage. We have started renovating it ourselves on a tight budget, so expect more of that project on the blog, too.
Tractor seat bar stools: Restoration Hardware
I started the blog during our build process, thinking that it would be great to share the suppliers and contacts that I had discovered during the build process. Over time I started blogging about finishing touches, DIY projects, food and party ideas and design and designers that inspired me. During the process, I have realised that a home is never really finished, I will always be making adjustments and adding layers of texture. We recently bought another property in country Victoria that came with an old fibro cottage. We have started renovating it ourselves on a tight budget, so expect more of that project on the blog, too.
Tractor seat bar stools: Restoration Hardware
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
Coffee always starts the day well!
Coffee always starts the day well!
Describe your home in 5 words.
Contemporary, textured, Sydney Scandi, comfortable
How would you describe your decorating style?
Very eclectic! I love so many styles and try to only buy things I really like. I hope the end result is classic without being boring; luxe without being precious.
Most of the art around the house was painted by Eva’s mother.
Contemporary, textured, Sydney Scandi, comfortable
How would you describe your decorating style?
Very eclectic! I love so many styles and try to only buy things I really like. I hope the end result is classic without being boring; luxe without being precious.
Most of the art around the house was painted by Eva’s mother.
What’s your signature dish?
It changes from season to season, but I often get asked to make my homemade chocolate ice-cream. It’s a variation of an old coffee ice-cream recipe that my Granny used to make me as a child; long before home ice-cream machines. It’s a real crowd pleaser!
It changes from season to season, but I often get asked to make my homemade chocolate ice-cream. It’s a variation of an old coffee ice-cream recipe that my Granny used to make me as a child; long before home ice-cream machines. It’s a real crowd pleaser!
Can you share your biggest decorating fail with us?
As an adult I think my taste is a little more discerning, but as a teen I had an ill-advised love affair with patchwork cushions and English country style. At the time I thought it was super chic – I even made most of the accessories and cushions myself – but in hindsight it was waaaay too much.
As an adult I think my taste is a little more discerning, but as a teen I had an ill-advised love affair with patchwork cushions and English country style. At the time I thought it was super chic – I even made most of the accessories and cushions myself – but in hindsight it was waaaay too much.
You will not see [blank] in any house of mine.
Ceramic ducks on the walls or faux grass in the garden.
Roxie 3-seater sofa: Bay Leather Republic; Buco baskets: Freedom Furniture
Ceramic ducks on the walls or faux grass in the garden.
Roxie 3-seater sofa: Bay Leather Republic; Buco baskets: Freedom Furniture
The next big decorating trend is…
I see a real trend towards texture and natural materials; less glossiness. Finishes will still be gorgeously crafted and styled and feel less mass produced and more unique. I also predict a move towards a classic, clean, less-is-more style. Australia and New Zealand are really forging this aesthetic in their own way. We have fabulous designers and artists using natural materials to tell modern stories in modern homes.
I see a real trend towards texture and natural materials; less glossiness. Finishes will still be gorgeously crafted and styled and feel less mass produced and more unique. I also predict a move towards a classic, clean, less-is-more style. Australia and New Zealand are really forging this aesthetic in their own way. We have fabulous designers and artists using natural materials to tell modern stories in modern homes.
The whole lower floor opens onto an internal courtyard, one of Eva’s favourite spaces.
“The courtyard lets in so much natural light and yet still creates a perfect, private outdoor space which is gorgeously cool on hot summer afternoons.”
“The courtyard lets in so much natural light and yet still creates a perfect, private outdoor space which is gorgeously cool on hot summer afternoons.”
Your home is filled with house plants, can you tell us why you love them?
I love having plants around the house – fresh flowers are my favourite, and if I could afford it the house would be permanently full of peonies. I love using succulents, too, they don’t need much water and they last for months and months. I asked a neighbour if I could pick the aloes from their front yard; a swap for fresh salad greens and basil from my garden.
I love having plants around the house – fresh flowers are my favourite, and if I could afford it the house would be permanently full of peonies. I love using succulents, too, they don’t need much water and they last for months and months. I asked a neighbour if I could pick the aloes from their front yard; a swap for fresh salad greens and basil from my garden.
What’s your proudest DIY achievement?
I’m proud of our master bedroom update. I turned a cowhide rug into a headboard and made the cushions myself (as always!) with a remnant of Chiang Mai dragon fabric bought on eBay.
I’m proud of our master bedroom update. I turned a cowhide rug into a headboard and made the cushions myself (as always!) with a remnant of Chiang Mai dragon fabric bought on eBay.
What are your favourite rooms in the house and why?
I love my master bathroom and walk-in robe. I wanted it to be glamorous so that I would feel like a movie star every day – and I do. It also needed to be masculine enough for my husband to enjoy. The black-stained oak joinery and the grey marble in the bathroom are a perfect mix of masculine and luxury for us both. And who hasn’t wanted a bath with a chandelier hanging over it?
I love my master bathroom and walk-in robe. I wanted it to be glamorous so that I would feel like a movie star every day – and I do. It also needed to be masculine enough for my husband to enjoy. The black-stained oak joinery and the grey marble in the bathroom are a perfect mix of masculine and luxury for us both. And who hasn’t wanted a bath with a chandelier hanging over it?
In the bathroom, Eva used Pietra Grey marble and painted the walls black. All the fittings are white to add definition, and the solid surface basins are from Cibo Designs, set on a bench slab of white Corian. The mirror was found in a local mirror shop and the old chandelier is originally from India.
Malawi Chair in Black: Zohi Interiors
Malawi Chair in Black: Zohi Interiors
Where do you love to write and what could you not write without?
I write at my desk in the playroom. I don’t need anything specific to write, but a cup of coffee or a glass of wine is always welcome!
I write at my desk in the playroom. I don’t need anything specific to write, but a cup of coffee or a glass of wine is always welcome!
Eva loves to find clutter-busting solutions. Take the toy storage in the playroom, for example. All the toys disappear behind the doors of her biggest Ikea ‘hack’ to date. Plain Besta cupboards topped with a deep plywood shelf – the plywood detail also surrounds the TV stand area.
Another nod to Eva’s heritage, a King protea (Protea cynaroides) plant – the national plant of South Africa – sits alongside red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia) and Eucalyptus.
What makes you happiest at home?
The light in our home and the views into the garden. I love that we see nature out of every window, even though we live in a large city.
The light in our home and the views into the garden. I love that we see nature out of every window, even though we live in a large city.
What’s your next big project?
We are planning to build a gazebo on our pool deck to create a little shaded spot where we can enjoy sitting while we watch the kids swim. The structure will be quite simple but I am planning to furnish it with a huge coco bead chandelier and perhaps a firepit.
What do you love to do on Sunday afternoons?
I love to garden while the kids are swimming and have people over for a barbecue.
We are planning to build a gazebo on our pool deck to create a little shaded spot where we can enjoy sitting while we watch the kids swim. The structure will be quite simple but I am planning to furnish it with a huge coco bead chandelier and perhaps a firepit.
What do you love to do on Sunday afternoons?
I love to garden while the kids are swimming and have people over for a barbecue.
I found the Gollum Jade succulents at a local market; they are a really lush green and are forever moving around my home. This one’s my most successful house plant; it needs little direct sunlight and doesn’t mind if you forget to water it. I love succulents, they have been very ‘on-trend’ the past few years and I think it’s a look that is here to stay a while.
To me, great design is…
Great design is effortless – it doesn’t try too hard. It is easy to live in while still being beautiful to be in. I love so many styles but I am very influenced by South African rustic colonial style, as well as a pared-back Scandinavian aesthetic.
Visit Eva’s blog at buildhousehome.blogspot.com.au and don’t forget to check out her Houzz profile and say hi.
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Eva’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Adairs (adairs.com.au) – has now been announced. Well done Polla Ellis Posavec from WA.
If you’d like to submit your blog for this series, follow the instructions found here.
Great design is effortless – it doesn’t try too hard. It is easy to live in while still being beautiful to be in. I love so many styles but I am very influenced by South African rustic colonial style, as well as a pared-back Scandinavian aesthetic.
Visit Eva’s blog at buildhousehome.blogspot.com.au and don’t forget to check out her Houzz profile and say hi.
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Eva’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Adairs (adairs.com.au) – has now been announced. Well done Polla Ellis Posavec from WA.
If you’d like to submit your blog for this series, follow the instructions found here.
My husband, two daughters and I live in a modern home that we built on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. We built a modular home because of the money we knew we’d save in build time. It took four months to build in the factory – in fact, both my husband and I walked around it for the first time on the factory floor. It took a single day to be delivered with kitchen and all bathrooms already complete, not one tile even cracked!
This house is a concept of our imagination. We built it three years ago and it involved a year of obsession around the design process.