Decorating
Before & After: A Sweet Revamp for an Entertaining Zone
Transforming the living area and courtyard of a converted lolly warehouse gave this home just the warm welcome it needed
In this episode of Deadline Design with Shaynna Blaze, the interior designer had her work cut out. The homeowners of a converted lolly warehouse in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Collingwood love minimalist design, but getting this style right is harder than it looks – their empty-looking two-bedroom home lacked personality and felt cold and uninviting. “Where’s your stuff? It looks like there’s been a burglary!” Blaze said, when she first walked in. Joe and John have been living here for 11 years, but were unsure how to make the open-plan space work. “It’s a bit of a blank canvas,” said John. Blaze’s task was to create a warm, cohesive space the couple would enjoy entertaining in, with a budget of $110,000.
While Joe and John ended up spending a little more than they had planned to tick everything they wanted off their wish list, the renovation added just the character they were looking for – and just in time to throw John’s parents a surprise 70th birthday party. Let’s take a look at the living area and courtyard in detail to see just how it was done.
This Houzz series highlights the makeovers on renovating show, Deadline Design with Shaynna Blaze, airing Wednesdays at 9.30pm on Foxtel’s Lifestyle channel.
While Joe and John ended up spending a little more than they had planned to tick everything they wanted off their wish list, the renovation added just the character they were looking for – and just in time to throw John’s parents a surprise 70th birthday party. Let’s take a look at the living area and courtyard in detail to see just how it was done.
This Houzz series highlights the makeovers on renovating show, Deadline Design with Shaynna Blaze, airing Wednesdays at 9.30pm on Foxtel’s Lifestyle channel.
Joe and John bought the converted warehouse almost on a whim – they happened to drive past while the auction was underway. They ran in, took a quick look around, then put in a bid. “We knew this had to be our place,” says John.
But more than a decade on, the home looked bare and lacked the warmth and personality it needed to feel like home. “I could tell by what was missing that the boys had struggled to know how to use their open floor plan,” says Blaze.
But more than a decade on, the home looked bare and lacked the warmth and personality it needed to feel like home. “I could tell by what was missing that the boys had struggled to know how to use their open floor plan,” says Blaze.
“It could feel very exposed at times,” agrees John. “We were looking to create something a bit more homey.”
The good news was that the bones of the converted warehouse were sound; pulling together the warehouse-sized spaces just needed a different approach.
The good news was that the bones of the converted warehouse were sound; pulling together the warehouse-sized spaces just needed a different approach.
“The key to making the house feel minimalist but more like a home was using materials and pieces that connected the whole floor instead of feeling like it was broken into small, allocated rooms within a large room,” says Blaze. “The exposed brick was the perfect starting point to build warmth and texture in the home.”
The reoriented, completely renovated kitchen now overlooks both the new courtyard and the revamped living and dining areas. “This home has a very quiet and humble sensibility about it, and has a beautiful fluid effect in materials while creating little pockets of intimate spaces,” Blaze says.
During the renovation, she made sure that each introduced piece added an extra layer of texture rather than colour, or made a structural statement to give substance without overwhelming the look. “All the textures were placed on the galley side of the room, and flipping the position of the kitchen so it faced the lounge and courtyard was the final link in bringing together the downstairs space,” she adds.
The reoriented, completely renovated kitchen now overlooks both the new courtyard and the revamped living and dining areas. “This home has a very quiet and humble sensibility about it, and has a beautiful fluid effect in materials while creating little pockets of intimate spaces,” Blaze says.
During the renovation, she made sure that each introduced piece added an extra layer of texture rather than colour, or made a structural statement to give substance without overwhelming the look. “All the textures were placed on the galley side of the room, and flipping the position of the kitchen so it faced the lounge and courtyard was the final link in bringing together the downstairs space,” she adds.
Before the renovation the doors – leading from the courtyard to the living room on one side, and the kitchen on the other – closed off the outdoor space from the rest of the home.
Far from being the entertaining zone the homeowners hoped it would be when they moved in, the couple rarely used the courtyard and Blaze says it looks like a “plant graveyard”.
Spending an extra $25,000 over their hoped-for budget got Joe and John the bi-fold doors they wanted, and the indoor-outdoor spaces now connect beautifully.
Interior designer Yasmine Ghoniem took charge of the courtyard for this project, opting for hexagonal tiles on a new half-wall (with drinks ledge) and rounded seat to link the space with the polished concrete floor and light charcoal soft furnishings Blaze had planned for the inside. A timber bench seat further unites the outside with inside – it matches the timber entertainment unit, dining table, and kitchen island surround inside.
Interior designer Yasmine Ghoniem took charge of the courtyard for this project, opting for hexagonal tiles on a new half-wall (with drinks ledge) and rounded seat to link the space with the polished concrete floor and light charcoal soft furnishings Blaze had planned for the inside. A timber bench seat further unites the outside with inside – it matches the timber entertainment unit, dining table, and kitchen island surround inside.
The courtyard is now a worthy focal point and inviting entertaining zone that feels like a natural extension of the living area. “Changing the doors in the courtyard area to large bi-folds brings the courtyard into the living area and kitchen and is an extension of the space, rather than feeling like a box at the end of the room,” Blaze says. “The green of the tree and the mural artwork creates an inner-city landscape right in their lounge room.”
John says the new kitchen layout opens up the living area to focus all eyes onto the new courtyard space, now the centre of their home. “This house is now built for entertaining,” he says. The couple hosted about 40 people comfortably for John’s parents’ 70th birthday party. “With the warmer weather, the new bi-fold courtyard doors have given us an additional entertaining zone and extend the whole kitchen/living area into a new open-plan space.”
Visitors to the renovated home often comment on how much larger the space feels, John says; “Rotating the kitchen and opening up the courtyard has meant we have created a vast open-plan living space that also feels homey.”
Terracotta hexagonal tiles: Academy Tiles; bi-fold doors with doggy door: Accent Aluminium; side table, carafe and glasses, outdoor cushion: Cult Design
John says the new kitchen layout opens up the living area to focus all eyes onto the new courtyard space, now the centre of their home. “This house is now built for entertaining,” he says. The couple hosted about 40 people comfortably for John’s parents’ 70th birthday party. “With the warmer weather, the new bi-fold courtyard doors have given us an additional entertaining zone and extend the whole kitchen/living area into a new open-plan space.”
Visitors to the renovated home often comment on how much larger the space feels, John says; “Rotating the kitchen and opening up the courtyard has meant we have created a vast open-plan living space that also feels homey.”
Terracotta hexagonal tiles: Academy Tiles; bi-fold doors with doggy door: Accent Aluminium; side table, carafe and glasses, outdoor cushion: Cult Design
It had been the homeowners’ suggestion to create a mural of some kind on the back wall. Although they envisaged street art to tie their home in with its urban surrounds, a stroll through Melbourne’s graffiti-adorned Hosier Lane made it clear their tastes were actually more conservative. Instead of bold colour, a sophisticated but striking black-and-white design was in order.
Ghoniem commissioned illustrator Tessa McDonnell to come up with a mural inspired by the new Japanese maple planted in the corner.
Ghoniem commissioned illustrator Tessa McDonnell to come up with a mural inspired by the new Japanese maple planted in the corner.
The painted branches extend across the outdoor wall (refreshed with white paint) and into the home, and the illustrated birds add life and a sense of movement.
Armchair and side table: Meizai
Armchair and side table: Meizai
“It’s stylistically urban but thematically organic,” says McDonnell, explaining the juxtaposition she was aiming to achieve with the design.
John (left) and Joe pose with Blaze after seeing the makeover complete. “It’s just fantastic,” Joe says. They both say the bespoke entertainment unit is now one of their favourite features. “It adds so much warmth and character to the house,” Joe says.
Sofa: Molmic; lamp: About Space; entertainment unit: Christopher Blank; Tunnock’s cushions: Etsy
Sofa: Molmic; lamp: About Space; entertainment unit: Christopher Blank; Tunnock’s cushions: Etsy
Rizzo the dog is pretty happy with his new home too.
To see more of this home makeover, visit Deadline Design or watch the episode anytime on Foxtel Go.
To see more of this home makeover, visit Deadline Design or watch the episode anytime on Foxtel Go.
Who lives here: Couple John and Joe who work in marketing and finance, and their dog Rizzo
Location: Collingwood, Victoria
Budget breakdown: $135,000 (courtyard and lounge room: $65,000; kitchen $60,000; upstairs bedroom: $10,000)
The converted warehouse, once a lolly factory, has a typical open-plan layout downstairs that accommodates the kitchen/living/dining zones. Upstairs, two loft-style bedrooms flank a central bathroom. As well as achieving the stylish but homey look these lovers of minimalism were seeking, the finished living room now features a long entertainment unit that draws the eye from the courtyard, through the updated living area, to the new fireplace.
“The custom floating TV cabinet has a beautiful feature timber grain to it; the elegant grain becomes the standout rather than the expansive size of the piece,” says principle designer Shaynna Blaze. “The simple addition of a wood-burning fireplace not only adds warmth and comfort but adds a focal point to the long, brick spine wall, instantly saying ‘home’.”
The homeowners now love coming home to their ‘new home’. “The fireplace was a surprise but we have loved using it over the winter months,” Joe says, admitting it took them a while to get the hang of it. “Keeping a fire going is trickier than it seems!”
Osburn Matrix Fireplace: Glen Dimplex Australia; sofa tables and console: Meizai