Hallway • Design

There’s obviously not much to show here, I mean a hallway is just a thoroughfare to get to other rooms of the house.

But, with the removal of other walls in our home, there isn’t much hanging space elsewhere for family photos so I installed a family photo gallery here.

This was a blank wall for many years but once we had our daughter, undertook a pretty big renovation when she was 6 months old and repainted throughout, I wanted to hang pictures of our little family and our extended family.

Initially, I hung frames directly on to the wall but the spacing was never quite right and I thought, looked a little messy.

I purchased some RIBBA picture shelves from IKEA and placed the frames on these instead. IKEA don’t seem to stock these anymore, but have this option and this option available. Much easier to move frames around as I please, and not a million holes in the wall!

For my birthday in 2014, I asked both sides of my family to spare me some time to do a professional photo session. When I looked for some inspiration on Pinterest and Google images, the thing that stood out for me was that the images looked better, to me at least, when everyone wore the same/similar colours. I think some of my family thought I was crazy, but I asked them all to don some blues/whites and come along at the crack of dawn for a photo session with Sharon’s Photography.  If you’d like some inspiration for your own family photo shoot,  see my Pinterest board here.

I was so happy with the images I got back and quickly set out to get them printed, framed and on the wall. I reused the RIBBA frames I already had and placed them on the wall.

I love that they are directly across from our bathroom. Many a time after bath time we would stop with our kids wrapped in their towels on the way to their bedrooms and they would learn how to say their Nanna/Poppy/Granny/Aunty/Uncle/Cousins names and we could talk about them.

So, that is our hallway!

Next week, I’ll be sharing our Master Bedroom!

High Distinction

As I’ve said in my blog, I am studying Certificate IV in Interior Decoration online. I have loved taking a passion of mine to the next level and learning the more technical side rather than my personal opinion on whether something looks good or not.
The first two modules were completed with ease and then module 3 came my way. The focus of module three is architectural style and movements and I get to design five different booths for a client opening an Antique Bazar. This is going to be a lot of fun, but first came the research! Between the relief of completing module 2 and my daughter being on school holidays, I found it really hard to get into this assessment task. It involved a lot of time googling, verifying resources for their accuracy and it dragged on due to family commitments and, if I’m honest, avoidance. Come Monday night I was over it! I spent an hour or so tidying up some sections and then getting my husband to check some WH&S information and then I just had enough. I was truly over it. 

In my frustrated state, I said to my husband something along the lines of “F*CK IT! I’m just going to submit it and be glad to get a pass”.

This was big for me. I have been disappointed with my high credit and distinctions I have received to date and wanted a high distinction for work which I though was better than this. I felt beaten. I felt dumb as to why I was finding this so hard.

My college has a policy of providing feedback within three days. When I submit an assessment I am constantly hitting F5 (refresh) on my computer or phone until my mark comes through. I completely forgot about submitting this assessment task until yesterday morning when I was planning out what I would do today, my usual day of study. And there it was:

I spent yesterday smiling like a Cheshire cat. I was in utter disbelief! To celebrate, I am going to purchase a drafting board for all the technical drawing I have coming up.

So, how is your Thursday looking? Are you studying anything at the moment? Is it a work day? A SAHM day? Let me know!

Entry • Organisation

I hope you all enjoyed my post last week where I discussed the design of our entry. This week, I am discussing how I organise this space to help us get out the door quicker each day.

Firstly, I have this coat hook and key hook.

Coat Hook – Kmart – $10

Key Hook – Laura Ashley

As you can see, this is where I hang my handbag, an umbrella, keys and our daughter’s epipen.

As mentioned last week, our buffet provides a tonne of storage and this is what we store in there:

In the little drawer we store sunglasses for grabbing on our way out the door and some insect repellant.

In the cupboard to the left, we store items for donation to charity and my kids swim bags.

*Organisational tip – as soon as you’ve washed and dried your kids swimming items, pop them straight back in the bag, in an easy to locate place so that when you’re yelling at the kids to get moving, you can just grab the bag and go!

In the cupboard on the right we store our kids daycare/school bags and in the cube box below, our picnic rugs so that we can grab them on the way out the door.

By keeping the bags here, I know that the kids haven’t removed any items, therefore there won’t be any last minute searches for items required at daycare/school that day.

In the centre of the unit my husband normally places his work bag, I have a vase from Bed Bath n Table and down the bottom we store our kids gumboots for easy access when muddy puddles present themself!  My son’s daycare shoes usually end up here too from Monday to Wednesday for two reasons. Easy access on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and to prevent an avalanche of sand escaping all over the house!

Now I don’t want to portray a false image that we live perfectly tidy lives.  We all dump stuff on top of the buffet or on the dining table opposite, but it is usually the stuff that belongs in or near this area. I try and spend the time that I’m cooking dinner (M, T and W) or 3 minutes after I get home from the school pick up, to empty bags, hang coats and keys and put bags away, ready for the next day.

All lined up, ready to go in the morning.

A reader posed this question last week:

“Do you agree with storage of family shoes at the entry way? Why? How?”

I don’t really have an opinion on this. If it makes your life easier then do what you please. It’s your home and you can obviously place whatever you like, wherever you like.

A part of the reason I don’t mind having the kids gumboots there is because it kind of looks cute. I’d prefer them in a navy blue colour to compliment the decor of the house, but my husband would probably be calling the local hospital for a forced admission to their psych ward!

Now I personally prefer that we all keep our shoes in our bedrooms, in the wardrobe. If though, I lived in a carpeted home or a two storey home, I may consider storing the most commonly worn shoes by the front door or garage (last point of contact before leaving the house).

There are a variety of storage options for this with many ideas located on Pinterest. See my board here.

If this was something I felt I needed to do in our home, I would probably look to the Brusali or Hemnes storage cabinet from IKEA. I would then place a mirror above and some dishes along the top for keys etc.

Here are some inspiration pictures from Pinterest:

If I was in my dream home with large garage or mudroom I would build something like this:

I like the idea of having somewhere to sit to put your shoes on and a storage pod for each member of the family.

I received some lovely feedback last week of people tinkering with their own entry ways and how much they enjoyed the post. Did you make any changes?  Care to share them?  If so, please tag #simplyorganisedsimplybeautiful on Instagram and I’ll check them out!

Inspiration images • Entry

I hope you all enjoyed the pictures from our entry. As I said, next week I’ll share with you how I organise the space to help us get out the door quicker each morning.

Today though, I thought I would share some design ideas to help inspire you to change up your entry.

This is a more industrial look and I love the look of metal and timber together. I like that it is a practical piece with plenty of storage for coats and hats, bags and shoes and  somewhere to sit to put your shoes on or assist your little ones to get ready.

This is a Scandinavian inspired look and I like the minimal look, use of light colours and dark accents. Whilst there is not enough storage here for my family of 4, it does look pretty!
Image credit – oohoftheday.blogspot.com

This is quite a formal entry typically see in Georgian houses. I love the grand feeling and symmetry with the columns and the balance of the dresser on one wall and seat opposite. I also love the pop of colour on the front door.

Hello, Art Deco!  I love the use of pattern in Art Deco design. Here the floor has presumably been inset into the floorboards giving a ‘runner’ like effect. Certainly helps to define the space and draw you into the room.

Definitely all my husband and I would need if it was just the two of us. Basic but looks good!

Lots of storage here so a winner in my eyes. I’d probably place baskets in the spaces to the right to conceal all the stuff and have an open console table on the left.

And finally, my favourite image:

I love the white walls, the pop of colours in the rug and the use of the turquoise on the front door. So much natural light!

Any questions about your entry you’d like answered?  Did you play around with your own entry?

Until Monday,

Tracey.

Entry – Design

I am so happy that I get to introduce you to our home!

I share my home with my hubby, our two children and our fur baby, Gemma.

In my previous post, I asked you to consider what your intention is with your home.  When I ask this question, I’m asking what is it you want from your home and how do you want it to look.

My answers:

What do I want from my home?

I want a home that is easy to clean.  I want a home that is decluttered.  I want a home that is welcoming to our visitors.  I want a home that gives you a hug.

What do I want it to look like:

I want our home to be a calm place to recharge ourselves in.  I want our home to have a consistent look throughout (assists with the feeling of calm).

To me, I have achieved the sense of calm I was after by sticking to a neutral colour palette of cream paint – Dulux – Hog Bristle quarter strength.  Our floor is also a light-medium hardwood – blackbutt .

Firstly, let’s talk about my front door. We installed the door seven or nine years ago and have only recently stained it. I know, terrible! It only took three coats of stain over two days and it took us seven or nine years to do.  A new addition to the front door is the wreaths with the ‘O’ in the middle that is the first initial for a surname.  When I shared a photo of this with select family and friends, they all suggested that it looks like a Christmas decoration.  I understand this, but to me it is my way of bringing in a Hampton’s inspired, year-round door decoration.  I might just dress it up with fairy lights for Christmas!

Wreaths – Spotlight post Christmas sales – $9.99 each

“O” – Typo – $5.00

Ribbon – Spotlight – $10.00 approx

Total – $35.00

Our entryway is obviously a space where we can welcome our guests, but on a daily basis it’s the place where we dump all the stuff as we come through the door. For this reason, I have placed a buffet by the front door.  I will go into further detail next week as to how I have organised this space.  A very practical but beautiful piece of furniture that houses a tonne of storage.

Buffet – IKEA – Liatorp $399 but we purchased off Gumtree for $150 approx. 

Cube boxes – Bunnings – $10 ea approx

Displayed on top is a vase that my husband and I picked up on a summer vacation in Western Australia at the Fremantle markets, my favourite flowers – tulips, candle, diffuser, paper weight and lamp. 

I asked my husband to place a power point along this wall over summer so that I could place a lamp here for use mainly in the winter months when we come home from work in the dark.  It gets very cold and dark here early during winter and knowing you are coming home to a warm (pre-programmed air-conditioning) home that’s not in darkness makes it that bit easier for me. My husband doesn’t seem to mind either way but goes along with my insane requests most of the time. 

See, nice and cosy!

Above the buffet are some black-and-white prints that my husband and I took on our honeymoon in 2007. These have been in position for quite some time with various hall tables/cube storage underneath. I am looking to redo the art above the buffet at some point.  Stay posted!

On the wall directly in front of the front door are three frames that until recently had white flowers with a lot of greenery around them from IKEA. They no longer fit with the style of our home but I didn’t have the funds to purchase new artwork at the moment. I took things into my own hands recently and got out my daughters acrylic paints one Friday night and spent half an hour creating these three “artworks”. I don’t claim to be an artist, but they’ll do for now = free!  I’m planning on heading to the local framers to purchase some new blue matte board to place inside the frames. 

Frames – IKEA – RIBBA – $15 ea approx

So that’s our entryway!

Next week I am going to address the organisational methods I have utilised in this space and also answer questions that have been submitted through my Facebook page.

Any questions please feel free to contact me through the contact page, by leaving a comment here, or through Facebook!

So, did you consider your intentions? Are you going to play along and consider revamping your entryway?  Have you created a Pinterest board with ideas?

Intentions

Hi everyone. 

I’ll be sharing my entryway with you on Monday but what I thought might be a good idea was to see if anyone wants to play along. By this I mean for you to start your own Pinterest account or boards or compile a visual diary of ideas for updating your own home. If you’ve been thinking about updating the decor in your home I’d like you to think about your intentions. 

When I say intention I mean what is it you want from your home and how do you want it to look?

So have a think on this over the weekend as you clean/tidy your home and then you’ll have a clearer idea of what you need to do and what you need to search for, for your own home. 

Have a great weekend!

Happy Mothers Day 2016!

I’ve been blessed with two children, Miss 5 and Master almost 3 and thankfully get to spend the day with them and my husband. 

I’m mindful that not everyone has a mum in their lives and not everyone has children, even though it is something they have held great hopes for. I know there are mums who have lost children. It can be a really emotional time for so many people and my thoughts are with you. 

If you’re a mum, step-mum, grand-mum, mother-in-law, mothering aunty or a mothering figure in someone’s life, Happy Mothers Day to you too. 

So, what are you up to today?  A lot? A little? I’ve enjoyed a sleep-in, about to enjoy my favourite breakfast of pancakes and then we are heading to a local community event where there’ll be markets, food stalls and family activities. I’ll then take some time alone to go see my Mum for a cuppa (we did a big lunch yesterday) and then some study!

Enjoy, and Happy Mothers Day!