Before & After: Eclectic Facelift Transforms a Retro Relic
A family's humble first home got the overhaul it sorely needed to make them house proud
To save up for the renovation of their first home, young couple Loretta and Jamie lived with Loretta’s parents and rented out their house until they were ready to move in. They dreamed of moving into their new home in time for their baby’s first birthday, just nine weeks away. The thought of renovating the house themselves and making all the decisions that go with that was just too overwhelming with a young baby to look after, Loretta says, so they put up their hands to go on renovating show Deadline Design with Shaynna Blaze. The only problem was, the homeowners liked so many interior styles that they didn’t know where to start. “It was the case of the confused couple,” Blaze says.
As this photo shows, the home was well and truly ready for an overhaul. Although the home retained touches of its original Art Deco style, it also sported elements from the ’70s and ’80s. But narrowing down which decorating direction their interior designer should go in was no easy task. “I was getting some mixed messages from Loretta,” Blaze says. “She liked the Victorian kitchen, her library was American Hamptons, and her colour palette was extremely modern.”
“We like a mish-mash of different styles,” says Jamie. Blaze says it’s not unusual to find clients with a wide range of tastes. “They don’t know how to start focusing their design ideas,” she says.
“We like a mish-mash of different styles,” says Jamie. Blaze says it’s not unusual to find clients with a wide range of tastes. “They don’t know how to start focusing their design ideas,” she says.
Getting rid of the raised breakfast bar better connected the kitchen and adjoining family room. Period-style taps, a ceramic sink and an old-style stove gave the kitchen the classic look the couple wanted, but Blaze also wove in features from the other styles they loved – industrial, vintage, and modern.
“There are many design styles around and so much choice that people get very overwhelmed with what they love as they can’t narrow down what they love the most,” Blaze tells Houzz. “You tend to have two to three styles that end up being the main looks that you love, and then there will be a common thread in some way, and with Loretta and Jamie it was colour and pattern.”
Once you figure out what the common thread is, Blaze advises then selecting what the main focus is going to be. “Is it the colour or the pattern as the starting point? You can mix a lot of styles if you stick to a basic colour palette so I always steer people in that direction to be able to get the process started.”
Byzantium wallpaper: Grant Dorman; French doors and timber windows: Stegbar
“There are many design styles around and so much choice that people get very overwhelmed with what they love as they can’t narrow down what they love the most,” Blaze tells Houzz. “You tend to have two to three styles that end up being the main looks that you love, and then there will be a common thread in some way, and with Loretta and Jamie it was colour and pattern.”
Once you figure out what the common thread is, Blaze advises then selecting what the main focus is going to be. “Is it the colour or the pattern as the starting point? You can mix a lot of styles if you stick to a basic colour palette so I always steer people in that direction to be able to get the process started.”
Byzantium wallpaper: Grant Dorman; French doors and timber windows: Stegbar
Jamie and Loretta were happy with the existing layout of the home, but Loretta wanted to turn the front living room into a library/sanctuary for grown-ups and Jamie wanted to add a toilet to the main bathroom, as before the renovation the toilet was next to the laundry off the family room.
Apart from the wall of patterned wallpaper inspired by the couple’s trip to Cuba earlier in the year, the kitchen is classic and neutral – with the standout blue oven adding character and colour.
“Travel and holidays are some of the great inspirations for decor and style, as they take us to different colour palettes and cultures that we don’t necessarily come into contact with at home,” Blaze says.
Caesarstone benchtop and joinery: Freedom Kitchens; Villeroy & Boch double bowl butler’s sink: Bentons
“Travel and holidays are some of the great inspirations for decor and style, as they take us to different colour palettes and cultures that we don’t necessarily come into contact with at home,” Blaze says.
Caesarstone benchtop and joinery: Freedom Kitchens; Villeroy & Boch double bowl butler’s sink: Bentons
“Shaynna did a great job in nailing the mix of styles we like and incorporating colour, and having some fun with it too,” Loretta says. “She really made it feel like our home.”
And the renovation was completed just in time for Angelica’s big day. “Angelica’s birthday was beautiful,” Loretta says. “We had our close family and surprisingly they all fit!”
Loretta says the space worked well during the party, with people lounging on the sofa, eating at the dining table and preparing food in the kitchen, but still all being a part of the party. “It’s not a huge space, but the intimacy allows you to still be a part of the party no matter where you are,” she says.
And the renovation was completed just in time for Angelica’s big day. “Angelica’s birthday was beautiful,” Loretta says. “We had our close family and surprisingly they all fit!”
Loretta says the space worked well during the party, with people lounging on the sofa, eating at the dining table and preparing food in the kitchen, but still all being a part of the party. “It’s not a huge space, but the intimacy allows you to still be a part of the party no matter where you are,” she says.
Before the renovation, the dated wall panels made the family room look and feel dark and uninviting.
Painting the kitchen and adjoining living area white transformed both spaces and created a fresh but neutral backdrop for an eclectic mix of furniture and accessories. “Eclectic style is a mixture of shapes, scale, pattern, texture and age (being modern or vintage or classic),” says Blaze. “It’s important to pick one or two styles that are the basic foundation of the look so it doesn’t start looking like a trash-and-treasure market. Eclectic style can start to look very messy very quickly, so it’s good to have a base structure that you can pull back to if it starts to get a bit fussy.”
Sofa: Sofa & Soul; wall, ceiling and trim paint in ‘Milk Cloud’: Taubmans
Sofa: Sofa & Soul; wall, ceiling and trim paint in ‘Milk Cloud’: Taubmans
The original bathroom was big enough to have a separate shower and bath, but did not have a toilet. “Let’s be honest, Loretta and Jamie’s bathroom had no redeeming features whatsoever; it was a ’70s shocker,” Blaze says. “It was definitely a rip-it-up-and-start-again job.”
To squeeze a toilet into the modest space, a compromise was in order. So the couple agreed to having a shower and bath in one.
The use of pattern in the same vein as the wallpaper in the kitchen united the two spaces and added personality to the otherwise all-white bathroom.
The tiles, a mix of black, white and sepia, make the pattern the hero, allowing Blaze to use plenty of it. “I love how these tiles give the bathroom that Cuban flavour Jamie and Loretta love so much,” Blaze says.
Modello Freddo tiles: Perini Tiles
The tiles, a mix of black, white and sepia, make the pattern the hero, allowing Blaze to use plenty of it. “I love how these tiles give the bathroom that Cuban flavour Jamie and Loretta love so much,” Blaze says.
Modello Freddo tiles: Perini Tiles
A niche set into the wall over the bath keeps bathroom products tucked neatly away.
Tapware and bath: Caroma
Tapware and bath: Caroma
The formal living area had seen better days, but Loretta wanted to keep some of the period details – the pelmets, heater surround, and ceiling detail, for example. The carpet and curtains had to go, however.
A wall of modern bookshelves with a painted wall behind added just the spark the room needed to bring it back to life. Getting rid of that old carpet also worked wonders, and this room was painted the same fresh white as the kitchen, family room and bathroom.
The colours, textures and patterns of Cuba came into play in the library too. “Pattern and colour were how I gave this home an eclectic feel that wasn’t overwhelming,” Blaze says. “A lot of people think eclectic just means jumbling together a bunch of stuff you like but to do it well you need balance, subtle theming, and grouping.”
Coffee table: West Elm; rug: Treasures of Istanbul; cushions: Cultiver; mirror: Scout House; pendant light: Fat Shack Vintage
Coffee table: West Elm; rug: Treasures of Istanbul; cushions: Cultiver; mirror: Scout House; pendant light: Fat Shack Vintage
With the help of fellow designer Yasmine Ghoniem, the formal lounge room became the relaxing sanctuary the couple wanted, and there’s still plenty of scope for them to add their own touch. The bookshelves will be filled with their favourite things over time, and Loretta plans to cover the vintage armchair with fabric she loves.
Vintage calico armchair: Fat Shack Vintage; ladder: Provincial Home Living; joinery: CNC Pro; feature wall painted in ‘Halls Gap’: Taubmans
Vintage calico armchair: Fat Shack Vintage; ladder: Provincial Home Living; joinery: CNC Pro; feature wall painted in ‘Halls Gap’: Taubmans
Painting a frame of blue around the existing heater surround enhanced the grey tones in the stone and modernised its design. “I can’t believe this is our house!” says Loretta.
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: Loretta and Jamie Carraro, and their one-year-old daughter Angelica
Location: Pascoe Vale, Victoria
Budget breakdown: $105,000 (kitchen: $54,000; library: $10,000; bathroom: $8,000; family room: $6,000; extras (flooring, bi-fold doors, fixing gas leak): $27,000)
As well as a new kitchen, Loretta and Jamie hoped to freshen up the living/dining area off the kitchen, redo the bathroom, and create a library in the formal front living room. They had hoped to spend $80,000 on renovating the house before they moved in, but decided to spend an extra $25,000 to achieve the look and functionality they wanted. And there were some urgent repairs that needed doing – fixing a gas leak and replacing the bathroom skylight, for example. “This often happens as homeowners decide to get more things done; it’s often more cost effective to get them done while builders are on site,” Blaze says.
“I love the boldness of the colour in this home,” she says. “It wasn’t an expensive renovation so the colour was important to get a major impact and it’s not every day you get a blue oven in your kitchen!” In fact, Jamie and Loretta initially hesitated when they first saw the blue retro oven, but Loretta now loves it … and as she’s the one who does all the cooking, it was largely her decision. “I hope you’ll spend lots of time in here!” joked Jamie, when he saw the finished kitchen.
90cm Duel Fuel Range Cooker in ‘Midnight Gaze’: Belling; Lantern splashback tiles: Perini Tiles