My Houzz: A Family Home Filled With Light, Life and Style
An interior designer tested out her skills on her new home, creating a stylish, open and welcoming space
With an interior design degree under her belt, Lauren Modi couldn’t have been more excited to use her newly acquired skills on her own home. Modi and her husband, Sunny, have made what was originally a flea-infested, outdated house into the perfect family nest to welcome their adorable six-month-old son, Ariton, into the world. Lauren is the co-owner of plant shop and hire service The Borrowed Nursery and combines her love of nature with her design aesthetic, which can be seen throughout the home through the array of indoor plants.
This was no small renovation. They moved walls around to make better use of the existing space and extended the front section of the house.
One of the biggest jobs during the renovation was creating more space in the living room by knocking down the wall separating the living room from an existing bedroom. Lauren recalls a few people questioning why she decided to open up this space when she could have made it a five-bedroom house, but she knew the extra living space would become an ideal play area for their six-month-old son, Ariton, and any future children. ‘I can see exactly what he’s up to when I’m working or cooking. I can also keep the mess of scattered toys and play equipment confined to one area of the house,’ Lauren laughs.
One of the biggest jobs during the renovation was creating more space in the living room by knocking down the wall separating the living room from an existing bedroom. Lauren recalls a few people questioning why she decided to open up this space when she could have made it a five-bedroom house, but she knew the extra living space would become an ideal play area for their six-month-old son, Ariton, and any future children. ‘I can see exactly what he’s up to when I’m working or cooking. I can also keep the mess of scattered toys and play equipment confined to one area of the house,’ Lauren laughs.
Initially, the budget to complete the extension was around £15,000. They planned to complete the rest of the renovation in stages. On commencing work, however, additional changes were made and other incidentals cropped up that added to the costs. From additional window fittings to pool work, the budget soon blew out to £40,000. ‘We weren’t too worried about this because the property market was on the rise again and we felt confident the money was going into a strong investment,’ says Lauren.
Lauren particularly loves the open kitchen and living area and says this is where her little family now spends most of its time. Included in this is their three-year-old groodle (a cross between a poodle and a golden retriever), Marshall.
Sofa, King Furniture.
Sofa, King Furniture.
The bifold doors open out to a small decked area. On a dry day, the couple enjoy relaxing on the deck with a beer overlooking the pool and enjoying the view of the neighbouring park. They have plans to extend the deck to allow for more outdoor dining and lounging.
The home is also quite the party house. Between them, Lauren and Sunny have a very large group of friends; they cater regularly for upwards of 80 people for various celebrations.
The home is also quite the party house. Between them, Lauren and Sunny have a very large group of friends; they cater regularly for upwards of 80 people for various celebrations.
The kitchen and dining room were the third stage of renovations, costing the couple £7,000, including appliances. Lauren says they were very mindful of the design features for both of these areas and stuck to a strict budget. She had originally planned to use tiles on the splashback that would have cost £50 per sq m, but reduced the cost by switching to Italian tiles that were only £6 per sq m. ‘I’m so happy I did this, because I love it and we get so many compliments about it,’ she says.
They decided to splurge on the stone worktop, which is simple and white, but also adds a sense of luxury to the space. The kitchen cabinetry is by Masters. Allan has been working with Masters for some time and installs a lot of their kitchens through his own business, Kitchen Miracle.
Ornaments on display around the home have been collected over the years from travelling, local charity shops and car-boot sales. Some were also gifts, such as these beautiful timber and copper spoons in the kitchen from Lauren’s business partner, Lauren Lance. Having started the new business, The Borrowed Nursery, just over a year ago, she now has many plants throughout the home.
See 10 ways to boost your home with spring blooms
See 10 ways to boost your home with spring blooms
Lauren has designed many cafés and commercial kitchens on the Gold Coast and wanted her kitchen to work in a similar way. The tiled kitchen island is inspired by a café-style bar. This was a bit of a challenge to build and involved a lot of discussion between Allan and their tiler, Chris Mason, who is a family friend.
The kitchen was also designed around Lauren’s tea addiction. She has a tea station with a milk fridge below, where she makes a lot of tea and coffee for her husband and guests. ‘I wanted everything to be within arm’s reach, so all my supplies are stored above this and my favourite mugs are ready to go on the hardwood timber shelving,’ she says.
Lauren designed this section of the kitchen cabinetry to house the major appliances. It brings yet another unique design feature to this very functional kitchen.
Next to the dining table sits this sideboard, made from a plank of timber the couple used to serve food on at their wedding. It rests on some Ikea trestle legs. It’s here that Lauren decided to display a big mosaic artwork that she bought some years ago from the Lismore markets for just £15. ‘It’s one of my favourite things and brings the right amount of colour to my neutral palette,’ she says.
The main bathroom is located along the hallway and Lauren refers to it as her ‘sanctuary’. This doorway originally led to a separate toilet next to the bathroom, but Lauren redesigned the area to merge both spaces together.
‘When I was pregnant with Ariton, I would have a bath with candles and oils every night and listen to birth affirmations,’ says Lauren. It is a peaceful and neutral space, with the right amount of natural timber textures and, yes, more plants, of course!
The bathroom renovation cost the couple almost £5,500. To keep costs low, Lauren chose economical tiles, but had them laid in interesting patterns. ‘The one thing we’ve learnt from this is not to skimp on the tiler,’ says Lauren.
The bathroom renovation cost the couple almost £5,500. To keep costs low, Lauren chose economical tiles, but had them laid in interesting patterns. ‘The one thing we’ve learnt from this is not to skimp on the tiler,’ says Lauren.
The handmade copper taps add warmth to the space and were made by a friend from WCS Plumbing.
Located further along the hallway on the other side of the bathroom is Ariton’s nursery. Lauren has always loved this room. When she was pregnant she recalls spending time in here imagining what her baby would be like.
The couple chose to keep the sex of their baby a surprise, so they decorated the room with a very neutral palette, adding a mint-green wall, mint-green cushions and a macramé hanging made by a friend over the cot.
The couple chose to keep the sex of their baby a surprise, so they decorated the room with a very neutral palette, adding a mint-green wall, mint-green cushions and a macramé hanging made by a friend over the cot.
A few weeks after bringing Ariton home, Lauren realised it didn’t suit him one bit. ‘It was way too soft and feminine. I have slowly been trying to change it, adding more boyish things,’ she says. She gave this Ikea bookshelf a quirky edge by adding a tree branch from which to hang his clothes.
‘I don’t have a theme for his room. I’m going to let it evolve as he does. As a child, I loved decorating my room, so I’m looking forward to doing this with Ariton,’ she says. For now this wall above the change table has a treasured family photo alongside a Charlie Brown poster Lauren found in New York and a framed owl print by local artist My Friend Can Paint.
At the northern end of the home is the oversized master bedroom, which was originally the garage.
Lauren is a big fan of Sibella Court. ‘Her concepts are based around collecting things that you love and displaying them in interesting ways,’ she says.
One of these collected pieces includes this vintage dressing table, which was a gift from Sunny to Lauren on her 25th birthday.
Sunny and Lauren spent three months in New York as an extension of their honeymoon, before returning to the Gold Coast to purchase this home. The warmth of the brick adds an urban edge and is reminiscent of their time in the Big Apple.
Sunny and Lauren spent three months in New York as an extension of their honeymoon, before returning to the Gold Coast to purchase this home. The warmth of the brick adds an urban edge and is reminiscent of their time in the Big Apple.
Due to a fascination since childhood, Lauren has a small collection of birds’ nests, which have been nailed to the wall in the bedroom next to some family photos. Not only do they complement the hard-edged frames with soft, organic shapes, they also carry connotations of a nurturing space – ideal for this family nest.
The couple ended up with leftover hardwood from the construction and used this to build a raised garden bed at the front of the new extension. The rich hardwood timber perfectly complements the charcoal weatherboard that is reminiscent of an original Queenslander – Lauren’s dream home.
‘This garden bed is filled with rejects from The Borrowed Nursery,’ says Lauren. ‘Plants that were not good enough to sell ended up being planted quite randomly and now most of them are flourishing. The Alocasia started out as nothing more than a bulb and one sad leaf less than six months ago, and is now huge!’
While most of the home has been transformed, the pair still have plans for the next few stages, which include a total revamp of the outdoor deck and pool area and a fresh update for the en suite. Lauren and Sunny always envisioned a home they could enjoy with friends and family. ‘I’m not precious about keeping it perfect or things getting worn or broken, because that’s what a home is for,’ Lauren says.
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‘This garden bed is filled with rejects from The Borrowed Nursery,’ says Lauren. ‘Plants that were not good enough to sell ended up being planted quite randomly and now most of them are flourishing. The Alocasia started out as nothing more than a bulb and one sad leaf less than six months ago, and is now huge!’
While most of the home has been transformed, the pair still have plans for the next few stages, which include a total revamp of the outdoor deck and pool area and a fresh update for the en suite. Lauren and Sunny always envisioned a home they could enjoy with friends and family. ‘I’m not precious about keeping it perfect or things getting worn or broken, because that’s what a home is for,’ Lauren says.
Get ideas for adding wow to your garden
TELL US…
What do you think of this family home? Let us know in the Comments below.
Who lives here Lauren Modi and her husband, Sunny, their six-month-old son Ariton, dog Marshall and cat Roscoe
Location Queensland, Australia
Size 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
The day Lauren first got the keys to her new house, she opened the door with a sense of excitement. But that excitement quickly turned into dismay. ‘We knew it was a doer-upper, but it really was filthy. When I started wandering through the bedrooms, I realised something was crawling on my feet. Fleas! The house was riddled with them,’ Lauren recalls.
After ridding the home of the pesky ankle biters, she set about renovating the home to meet their needs. With the help of her dad, Allan, and husband, Sunny, Lauren designed and project managed the entire renovation. ‘I have designed many projects from concept through to construction drawings and specifications, but being on site and much more hands on was a completely different experience,’ she says.