Joanne Hawkins

realestate.com.au • 16th July 2020

Dot’s House, Fitzroy: House designed with the cat in mind

After 30 years of owning a Victorian terrace in Fitzroy as an investment property, Jenny Vizard was faced with a dilemma. Needing a new home, she could either renovate the tired inner-city cottage and move in herself, or sell it and buy elsewhere. “I was apprehensive about renovating, but I had a sentimental attachment to the little house. So I felt it was a possibility that was worth investigating,” she said.

realestate.com.au • 2nd July 2020

Olinda house by Bent Architecture an eco wonder one with nature

When vet Matt decided to make a tree change and move to the Dandenong Ranges, he knew choosing the right location was crucial. “It’s one of those areas where you really want someone with local knowledge to help you with where you buy, because there are good blocks and bad blocks,” he explained. When he came across a 1.4ha site within walking distance of Olinda and Sassafras, he jumped at the chance to buy it, despite the fact the property was looking pretty unloved.

realestate.com.au • 1st September 2018

Top trends to consider if you’re in the market for a new kitchen

MAYBE you think of it as the heart of the home. Or maybe as the room that’s most likely to sell it (which is what real estate agents might tell you). But there’s no doubt we love our kitchens. However, just like other interiors trends, kitchen fashions change.

Home Beautiful Dream Homes • 1st July 2020

Luxe Living

When a house features a 'Great Room', there is extra pressure to make it into something spectacular, and there's no doubt that designers Curtis Elmy and Trevor Ciona from Atmosphere Interior Design created just that. With its two-metre-high wainscoting, exquisite Thibaut wallpaper and a detailed ceiling adorned with charcoal grey beams, it's not a great room, it's amazing...

Inside Out magazine • 1st September 2020

Bold Ambition

After “spending far too much money” buying their first home at the height of the market in 2007, Julia Cauchi and her husband Dane were determined not to make the same mistake twice.

Inside out • 3rd February 2020

A mid-century modern inspired beach house in Portsea

When architect Sarah Cooper married her husband William, she also gained an extended family. "As well as his parents, Chris and Liz, he has three sisters," Sarah says. "So I married not only William, but his large and loving family, too. They're all amazing."

realestate.com.au • 19th April 2020

A wheely fabulous makeover

When Daniel Watts bought his Abbotsford worker’s cottage in 2007, it was mostly for the location, with the city, shops and restaurants on his doorstep. The two-bedroom Victorian property, however, was less appealing...

Home Beautiful • 1st January 2020

12 tips for tidy living

As the place where you snuggle or sprawl, celebrate, catch up and cosy up, the living room is one of the most welcoming spaces in your home. But to preserve the calming and comforting effect, a sense of store and order is essential...

realestate.com.au • 28th July 2019

How to decorate your space with subway tiles

Go to any open-for-inspection or display home and chances are you’ll see white subway tiles in the kitchen or bathroom. And what’s not to love about them? They’re a timeless classic that look good in different styles and eras of homes and, perhaps, best of all, can be budget friendly.

Inside Out magazine • 1st October 2019

East Coasting

Buying a house sight unseen isn’t usually the best strategy, but it’s worked out remarkably well for Sydney couple Melissa and Jeremy Koch. Back in 2008, the couple were three years into a 10 year stint living in New York, where Jeremy had been transferred for work. But, with plans to eventually return to Sydney, they started scouring Australian real estate websites for a house.

realestate.com.au • 26th August 2018

Colour crush: choose hues for an easy but transformative makeover

WATCH an episode of The Block and there’s one thing the competitors are guaranteed to moan about (apart from each other) and that’s painting. But paint is actually one of the most effective and economical ways of transforming your home. “It is the maximum amount of impact you can get for the minimum amount of expense or effort,” said Haymes Paint colour and concept manager Wendy Rennie.

realestate.com.au • 29th December 2019

Laid-back lifestyle by the beach

When Josh Crosbie and wife Anna initially saw their 1960s beach house on the Great Ocean Rd, it was love at first sight. “It’s was a beautiful house in original condition with a big slate fireplace and really nice views over the water. It was the first and only house we looked at after we decided to move here,” Mr Crosbie said.

Home Beautiful • 1st December 2019

Force of Nature

Trudy Rice always wanted to make art her career. At high school, she adored her art lessons and dreamt of opening a gallery. But then disaster struck. “At the end of year nine, I broke my arm horse riding and had to take weeks off school,” remembers Geelong-born Trudy. “Unfortunately, that meant I missed the designated day to pick up my coursework for the year and my teacher threw it out. I was completely floored it had ended up in the bin so decided to pursue other creative pursuits.”

realestate.com.au • 5th January 2020

This property with a former bookshop is now a smartly renovated home -

When Eve Gunson and husband Matt Benetti first saw the charmless bookshop at the front of an Albert Park house that was to become their latest home-renovation project, they didn’t even bother getting out of the car. “The shopfront really put us off, initially. But then we did another couple of drive-bys and started to see the potential of what it could become,” Ms Gunson, an interior designer from Dot + Pop said.

Inside out • 1st August 2019

On the level

Sometimes life throws a curve ball which forces even the best-laid plans to change. Such was the case with Jenny and John Geeves who, in the mid 1990s, built a stunning hillside home in Newport, on Sydney's northern beaches...

realestate.com.au • 14th June 2020

How to design a bathroom that’s easy to clean

One of the most essential but unappealing chores would have to be cleaning the bathroom. Daniela Santilli, of bathroom-products retailer Reece, said that unlike a bedroom or lounge room, wet rooms required more effort to get a perfect clean, especially if they were old or poorly designed. “People definitely want to minimise the time in cleaning their bathroom,” she said.

realestate.com.au • 11th April 2020

How a Victorian weatherboard home has been renovated

They say good things come to those who wait and that’s certainly true for Felicity Debenham and husband Michael (Mick) Rehfisch. After buying their four-bedroom double-fronted Victorian weatherboard home in Williamstown in 2009, the couple knew they would have to renovate at some point...

realestate.com.au • 29th September 2018

Why you should go down the flatpack route for your new kitchen

TALK to any real estate agent and they’ll tell you that kitchens sell homes. Perhaps that’s why, alongside the bathroom, the kitchen is the most popular room to renovate. But with new kitchens proving costly, many people are looking for budget-friendly options. With a flatpack kitchen costing as little as $4000, depending on material, appliance choice and installation method, it’s easy to see why they are an increasingly savvy choice.

Home Beautiful • 1st November 2019

Into the future

Technology is moving at rapid pace in 2019, and our homes are at the forefront of these advancements. For the bathroom, new features and smart devices are being designed to make our lives easier, cleaner and more efficient.

Insideout.com.au • 1st May 2018

Darren Palmer helps inspire one family to create their dream home

Thanks to Allianz’s ‘Be Inspired To Win’ competition, Josephine and Franky have $200,000 to spend on their new house. As well as the cash to get them started, we sent interior designer Darren Palmer, Inside Out editor Claire Bradley and landscape architect Nathan Burkett to their home to provide inspiration and advice to help transform this house into a welcoming family home.