Before & After
Interior Design
Renovating
Before & After: A Gentle Makeover for a Queensland Apartment
Rearranging furniture, adding select items and changing focus worked wonders in this budget-friendly waterfront makeover
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation or makeover each week. Here, Lynda MacDonald, owner and principal interior designer at The Design Chaperone, reveals how she updated a waterfront apartment for a pair of retirees by repositioning some of their favourite, existing pieces and adding new furniture and art.
The living room before works.
What was your brief for the apartment?
To restyle the home and give it an update that would suit the clients for the next 10 to 20 years.
What wasn’t working for the owners about their home?
They had a designer furnish the house when they moved in 15 years earlier and the laminate furniture was simply dated and needed modernising.
Which rooms did you work on?
What was your brief for the apartment?
To restyle the home and give it an update that would suit the clients for the next 10 to 20 years.
What wasn’t working for the owners about their home?
They had a designer furnish the house when they moved in 15 years earlier and the laminate furniture was simply dated and needed modernising.
Which rooms did you work on?
- The main living room.
- Balcony.
- Hallway.
- Entry.
- Office.
- Main bedroom.
- We also did a small update to the kitchen by replacing the splashback, repainting and updating the handles.
The living room before works.
What was your brief for the living room?
The couple had a lot of existing antique pieces that we needed to work with and some gorgeous art, so the colour scheme evolved from these.
What look and feel did the owners want?
They wanted a more contemporary look and feel for the entire apartment and loved shades of blue. A place to entertain on the balcony was a must as this functioned as their dining area.
Does your home need a refresh? Find an interior decorator near you on Houzz
What was your brief for the living room?
The couple had a lot of existing antique pieces that we needed to work with and some gorgeous art, so the colour scheme evolved from these.
What look and feel did the owners want?
They wanted a more contemporary look and feel for the entire apartment and loved shades of blue. A place to entertain on the balcony was a must as this functioned as their dining area.
Does your home need a refresh? Find an interior decorator near you on Houzz
The living room after works.Sofa: Domayne; coffee table: GlobeWest; rug: Miss Amara.
What did you identify as the main issues with this room?
The furniture was very dated, so we had to update that first and foremost, and then address the flow for indoor-outside living.
The previous layout blocked off the living room from the kitchen area and once we opened this up with new furniture, it made a huge difference.
What did you identify as the main issues with this room?
The furniture was very dated, so we had to update that first and foremost, and then address the flow for indoor-outside living.
The previous layout blocked off the living room from the kitchen area and once we opened this up with new furniture, it made a huge difference.
X leg stools: Temple & Webster.
What are the main elements of the new colour palette?
A neutral palette with pops of colour through the owners’ art and homewares. The owner is a ceramicist, so we wanted those pieces to shine within the styling.
What are the main elements of the new colour palette?
A neutral palette with pops of colour through the owners’ art and homewares. The owner is a ceramicist, so we wanted those pieces to shine within the styling.
Where did you splurge in this home makeover?
On wallpapering and adding floating shelving to the office in order to update it. As we couldn’t update the existing desk, this made the area feel so much better and now you barely notice the old desk.
On wallpapering and adding floating shelving to the office in order to update it. As we couldn’t update the existing desk, this made the area feel so much better and now you barely notice the old desk.
Where did you save?
Utilising some of the client’s existing pieces helped us stretch the budget.
Utilising some of the client’s existing pieces helped us stretch the budget.
Sideboard under the TV: Coco Republic.
The bedroom before works.
What was your brief for the main bedroom?
To update the room while utilising existing pieces where possible. The client wanted it to feel contemporary and cosy.
What was your brief for the main bedroom?
To update the room while utilising existing pieces where possible. The client wanted it to feel contemporary and cosy.
The bedroom before works.
What did you identify as the main issues here?
The room had no character, so we moved in some of the owners’ original antique furniture added a cosy sofa to create a spot for reading.
What are the main elements of the new palette?
Dusty blues and plenty of texture.
What did you identify as the main issues here?
The room had no character, so we moved in some of the owners’ original antique furniture added a cosy sofa to create a spot for reading.
What are the main elements of the new palette?
Dusty blues and plenty of texture.
The bedroom after works.
Wallpaper: Shinok by Casamance; bed linen: Sheridan; lamp: Canvas + Sasson; armchair and ottoman: Lavender Hill Interiors.
Wallpaper: Shinok by Casamance; bed linen: Sheridan; lamp: Canvas + Sasson; armchair and ottoman: Lavender Hill Interiors.
What did you do?
- We kept the existing bedhead and updated everything around it to save on budget.
- Added a new sofa and ottoman to created a reading spot.
- Repainted the existing bedside tables and updated the lamps.
- Added new art and bedding.
- Relocated a rug from the living room into the bedroom.
- Added a soft-blue wallpaper to the back wall [now shown].
Where did you spend?
The new armchair and the wallpaper.
Where did you save?
We repainted and reused the existing bedside tables, and retained the original bedhead.
The new armchair and the wallpaper.
Where did you save?
We repainted and reused the existing bedside tables, and retained the original bedhead.
The home office before works.
How is the home office used?
It doubles as a home office and a spare room, with a built-in desk and sofa bed.
What was your brief for the office?
To update this room without buying a new desk as the budget wouldn’t stretch that far.
How is the home office used?
It doubles as a home office and a spare room, with a built-in desk and sofa bed.
What was your brief for the office?
To update this room without buying a new desk as the budget wouldn’t stretch that far.
The home office after works.
Wallpaper: Carioca in Bleu Riviere by Casamance.
What look and feel did the owners want?
They wanted to create a sense of flow from the living room so one person could sit down and read in here if the other person was using the computer.
Also, the coffee table had to be light enough to move around when they wanted to use the sofa bed.
Wallpaper: Carioca in Bleu Riviere by Casamance.
What look and feel did the owners want?
They wanted to create a sense of flow from the living room so one person could sit down and read in here if the other person was using the computer.
Also, the coffee table had to be light enough to move around when they wanted to use the sofa bed.
What did you do?
Blue wallpaper in a stronger tone than we used in the bedroom to create a sense of elegance. We had to stick with the original carpet so a new feature rug was placed over the top to tone down the carpet.
- Kept the existing built-in desk.
- Added new floating shelves above it.
- Added a new sofa, coffee table, feature rug and wallpaper.
Blue wallpaper in a stronger tone than we used in the bedroom to create a sense of elegance. We had to stick with the original carpet so a new feature rug was placed over the top to tone down the carpet.
The balcony after works.
Table and chairs: Coco Republic.
What was the original balcony set-up?
The client had a square dining table that felt cumbersome in the space.
What did you do?
We added a simple dining table and chairs that don’t detract from that amazing water view, plus a new daybed and artwork. We also relocated some vases.
Table and chairs: Coco Republic.
What was the original balcony set-up?
The client had a square dining table that felt cumbersome in the space.
What did you do?
We added a simple dining table and chairs that don’t detract from that amazing water view, plus a new daybed and artwork. We also relocated some vases.
Your turn
Which room of this apartment do you like best? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see another home where blue stars? Check out this Before & After: Moody Blues & Luxe Touches Transform a Drab Home
Which room of this apartment do you like best? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see another home where blue stars? Check out this Before & After: Moody Blues & Luxe Touches Transform a Drab Home
Answers by Lynda MacDonald, owner and principal interior designer at The Design Chaperone.
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: Labrador, Queensland
Year of renovation: 2021
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Three bedrooms (one that doubles as a study) and two bathrooms
Budget: Around AU$35,000
Where did most of it go: The furniture
Interior designer: Lynda MacDonald at The Design Chaperone