Home made infinity wall!

Besides our kitchen renovation, our garage conversion would have to be one of the biggest transformations we have seen at our place. It took a couple of months, working on weekends with a few late nights thrown in here and there, and now I am happy to say Denis's new photo studio is fully functional!

I am so amazed with Denis's stamina, fitting this in and around his photography work, as well as general life stuff. But this is his reward, an amazing new space to share with his customers.

The white wall you can see in the corner of the photo above is a special seamless wall. Denis cleverly constructed this area - the perfect backdrop for portrait and product photography.

All decked out with his fave collection of retro camera gear!

In the end we decided to line the garage for a clean fresh look, but also incorporated a lovely marine plywood feature wall. This adds a bit of warmth to the room, and I love love love the sweeping wood grain. Yes, I had Denis going through the whole stack of ply at Bunnings to pick out the best sheets!

I am happy with the results... The design and layout for this space has worked out well, and it has me thinking about my own studio and what I am going to do to it!

We already owned the furniture, apart from the white industrial 'Tolix' stools. A great solution for a space that must be flexible - we can stack the stools and also fold down the trestle table if we need a bigger area to work in.

Some retro delights around the studio...

The original Instagram?

Wooden shelving, an amazing score off Gumtree for $40!

Every guy needs a colour coordinated fan! The original windows are super cute! Shelves made from recycled floorboards. Vintage camera cases - could double as a stylie man bag! A giant slide rule for very complex calculations. I covered our chairs in this vintage inspired Mini Moderns fabric. Are there any more photos of this reno? Sure are, you can suss them out here > Ok, now a quick run down of the nuts and bolts... Wall painted in Dulux Pale Tendril (Half) Plywood from Bunnings White stackable (Replica) Tolix stools - eBay Wooden shelving unit - Gumtree Vintage green trestle table - eBay Retro cameras from various op shops, garage sales and vintage shops. Airest Teak armchairs - TradeMe (New Zealand) Linen fabric on chairs - Mini Moderns UK Sisal floor rugs, brushed silver light pendants, lamps, white cabinet & file drawers - Ikea Toodle-pip!

These would have to be my favourite chairs! I bought them about 6 years ago in Auckland for $12 a piece. The brand is AIREST - 'The Furniture with a Future'.

They are definitely keepers, not only because they are sooooo comfy, they are also the easiest design to recover for a completely different look. So when we moved back to Australia they had to come for the ride!

The first time I recovered the chairs I used IKEA fabric, and it was my first ever attempt at recovering anything and I was pretty impressed with the transformation. This time my friend Moyra offered to help me recover them with my new Mini Moderns fabric from the UK. I totally welcomed the offer with open arms, as I found the whole cutting the fabric thing quite stressful... I didn't want to make any errors as it wasn't a case of just popping back to IKEA for more.

Moyra carefully measuring and cutting our 3 meters of Mini Moderns 'Whitby' Linen.

So on Saturday we set to work, and I let Moyra work out the best use of the fabric making sure the pattern was up the right way! I was very happy to not think too hard about this part and leave it in Moyra's capable hands!

We each sewed a back cushion cover, and then while I was busy doing the staple closure, Moyra set forth and finished the seat cushion covers for me.

Tools - flat head screwdriver, pliers, and a staple gun.

The seat back... all old staples removed.

I used the staple gun to close the cover at the base of the back cushion where it is not seen.

The best way to approach a job like this is to firstly remove the old covers and cut a new template from this. It also helps to remove all old staples etc from the frame to prevent future hooks in the new fabric.

Sewing compete, now time to focus on the frames.

With the sewing complete, my next focus was to spruce up the frames. Since owning these chairs I realised I had never shown the frames any love, so now was the perfect time while the chairs were sitting in pieces.

Wax and grime build up.

Warm soapy water does the trick.

A light buff with a scourer along the grain for stubborn spots.

Looking a bit closer, I noticed there were patches of grime / wax build up on the teak frames. The simplest solution for this is to use some warm soapy water (I used dish-washing detergent) and a bit of elbow grease. And for the stubborn spots, a light buff along the grain using a scourer did the trick.

A drink of Danish oil.

The result - the beautiful rich teak now revealed!

And finally, I gave the teak a nice coating of Danish oil with a rag, let it soak in, repeated this step and then gave the frame a quick buff with a clean rag revealing the beautiful richness of the teak.

Alternatively, if the frame is really dry and rough, then I would lightly sand the frame with a fine sand paper before applying the oil.

Scotch Gard from the supermarket to protect the fabric.

The re-assembled chair ready for it's new home. Love it!

The Mini Moderns linen fabric is a lovely oatmeal coloured base-cloth that has been screen printed. The texture will hide any dirt/dust build up pretty well, but Moyra suggested that I should scotch guard the cushion covers. Considering this fabric was a bit of an investment, I liked the idea of making it easier to clean and extending it's life!

So I ended up doing 2 x light coats today, waiting 1.5 hours in between coats. I recommend doing this outside in an open space so you don't inhale the fumes.

The original chair brand - AIREST.

The strapline for AIREST... 'The Furniture with a Future' is so true to it's marketing word! These chairs are now up to their third life, and I see them having many more in the future! The furniture manufacture probably had no idea they would be still going strong well into the 21st century!

A life long shell collection.

And something terribly cute to finish off. When my Mum heard that I was going for a retro beach-side theme in Denis's Photo studio, Mum decided she had the perfect gift for us - her life long shell collection!

When she gave it to us, I looked at it and thought how amazing it is to think that these shells were individually picked up and carefully carried home and stored in this bottle by my Mum who is now 75 years old. Lot's of memories in this jar - and I am sure if I asked her, she probably knows the story behind most of these shells! I also recognised some of the shells that I collected when I was a kid on our annual West Beach holiday. I would often sit and stare at this jar in wonder, looking at the colours, shapes and their beauty.

It is Mum's contribution to the studio, which is very near completion (more about that in another blog post). Oh how special and cute!

Toodle-pip!

Visual Storyboard - the overall look and feel of the space!

Exciting news, we are currently half way through our garage renovation to convert it into a photographic studio. Denis and I both work from home, and we are lucky we have enough space to have our own dedicated work areas! I currently work upstairs, and this wonderful space is going to be Denis's pad. Lucky boy!

When we bought our home, it was always in the plan to convert the garage, so 2 years on it is exciting to see the transformation taking place. I have to take a moment to thank Denis. He patiently worked with me renovating our kitchen, laundry, den, bathroom and bedroom first before starting this - which made me a very happy and content lady! :)

So while Denis is doing the hard stuff, I have been starting to design the interior. Trying to incorporate touches of a 1950s beach side theme to suit the studio location, working within a strict budget and utilising our existing furniture, second-hand and hard rubbish finds!

I'm totally in love with the vintage inspired beachy fabric from Mini Moderns. I have a couple of teak chairs to cover, so better get onto that soon!

Mmmmm, the state of the garage before we started!

Our cute shed found on ebay

Being a collector of 'things', first we had to decide what to do with our 'things' being stored in the garage. I found this cute shed on ebay which was dismantled and delivered to us all for the bargain price of $500. At first I thought it would be too big, but now that we have transferred all of our 'things' over to the shed it is actually the perfect size. And yes, the french doors came with it too!

Elevation 1 - gorgeous original windows

Elevation 2 - the front of the garage

The little room on the right is actually a bathroom. While the house was being built, the garage was home to the original family who lived here!

Walls framed and ceiling going up. Mmmm the wall is not straight!

Ceiling and gib complete, planning the ply feature wall.

Denis spent heaps of time repairing the wooden frames to retain all of the original windows. He also decided to line the original block walls with Gib - a quick, easy and cheap way to prep the space for painting. And for a bit of extra character, we decided to work in a feature ply wood wall.

Ply up and undercoat complete - looking mighty fine!

The amazing seamless wall (to be used as a photo backdrop).

I'm really happy with the ply sheets we sourced from Bunnings. They have such a lovely wood grain, and mounting them in large long panels helps to give the illusion of more space and length to the room.

And check out the amazing photo backdrop Denis built. It's a seamless white wall (no sharp corners) that will be used for product and fashion shots, and also video interviews.

Come back again soon to see the finished product. Click here to check out more progress photos >

Toodle-pip!

We kept the original light fitting. The walls look so much cleaner with the wallpaper removed.

Love love love the original floor!

Even though I liked the original yellow bath and basin, this combined with the floor and wall tiles really was a bit much for me. So to break up the sea of yellow, I decided to lighten the room by having the bath and basin re-enameled in white. This also helped to make our new white toilet blend in better!

Ahhhhh, a nice new toilet that doesn't leak!

The original shower configuration simply did not work for us.

Cute original feature window etching, seagulls and waves.

Bathroom Cabinet from My Modern Nest

Denis and I learnt a lot during this renovation. It would have been far easier to just gut the room and start again... matching tiles, finding a toilet to cover the floor, delicately fitting taps to the old threads in the wall, moving the shower head, working around the original fittings were all challenges along the way. But it really is a wonderful feeling to know that we have successfully made this old bathroom like new again, bringing it back to it's former 1950's glory.

To see the renovation in progress and more photos click here >
Toodle-pip!

April Issue of Inside Out Magazine 2013

Seriously, Denis and I are over the moon. I ducked over to our corner deli early this morning and the latest hot of the press Inside Out Magazine was sitting there looking all bright and colourful saying here I am, I'm over here...

'Quick, DENIS IT IS HERE'... I waited for him to come and join me as we both sat in our lounge so excited about this moment. We have patiently waited for this very day since the whole process began in August 2012.

Mums green bottle found at the rubbish dump got a look in!

To see our lovingly renovated retro abode featured in Inside Out Magazine is a massive achievement for us! We sat there drooling over the 6 page spread, reminiscing about how much we have actually done to our place within less than 2 years. Totally chuffed that our renovation is stylie enough to grace the pages of a glossy interiors mag!

Denis and I posing for the camera!

Our little Hestor also did some modeling for us! He has lost a bit of weight since this photo was taken!

Anyhow, if you have made it to retrodelights.com.au after reading our story, welcome! We still have lots to share with you, bathroom reno, converting a garage into a photographic studio, and a new master bedroom suite and living area upstairs. Yes we have decided to re-configure our place so the renovations continue!

Click here to see a little behind the scenes post about the day the Inside Out team came to our place for the feature shoot... 

Thanks for following our reno journey,

Kyrie & Denis
xo

Vintage bottle found at the Dump over 40 years ago!

Mum discovered this bottle wrapped in an old cane basket at her local rubbish dump about 40 years ago. Actually I think she was pregnant with me at the time... (do the math) - Anyway, she asked the guy at the dump if she could have it, and it ended up being proudly displayed in our living room for my entire family life. Both my sisters and I used to roll around on it on the carpet when we were very little. I borrowed this beautiful bottle for our Inside Out Magazine photo shoot as I knew Mum would get a huge thrill if it ended up in the mag. (wait and see!)

My new Blue Demijohn. Hestor the Cat likes it too!

Then during one of my recent visits to Three Card Trick I spotted this stunning Demijohn Blue number and had to have it. My purchase decision was mainly inspired by my Mum. Not that I really need a big bottle, but Mum has always been a bottle collector and so maybe, just maybe I am taking over from her?

From the Angaston Hospital 40 years ago.

When I phoned her to let her know about my bottle find, we started talking about glass in general and how amazing it is and how it can be sterilized and reused over and over.

It made me think of a bottle that I found in storage that I had saved from Mum's original collection, and told her how I am now using it to store my olive oil. I asked her if she remembered this bottle with the embossed measurements running in both directions on the side - so they can be read if the bottle is hanging upside down.

She told me the bottle was given to her full of baby formula when she left the Angaston hospital after giving birth to me!!! How amazing is that...! And now it sits on my kitchen bench and I use it everyday.

Not quite a "message in a bottle", but a pretty good story and I treasure this bottle even more now!

Toodle-pip!

The brief was to bring back some order to the store, remove clutter, and create a warm welcoming environment for customers when they visit the shop. Jane was featured in Frankie Magazine, and when I first met her in Three Card Trick I totally felt like the shop was like a 'bricks and mortar' version of the mag. So that was our styling inspiration, and all day we kept saying, oh that's so Frankie!

Organised Chaos?

oh, that's so Frankie!

So any Frankie fans out there, you will definitely love Three Card Trick! If you do pop in, tell Jane I sent you!

Check out a collection of pics taken at the shop here >

Three Card Trick
7 Salisbury Cres, 
Colonel Light Gardens, SA
Phone Jane 0404 457 274

OPEN
11 - 5pm Thurs & Fri
11 - 4pm Sat & Sun 

Toodle-pip!

Knowing we had a date set for the photoshoot for our Inside Out Magazine feature certainly gave us the extra nudge to complete the hallway. It is the central part of the house, so I thought it was a must if we were to have some nice long photos in the article to help connect the rooms.

Denis said that out of the Kitchen / Laundry reno this was actually the hardest. (I wonder if that is because I didnt help him much with this one - hehe!)

The process was to remove the wallpaper and prep the walls for painting. This took ages because being an 'L-shaped' space there were more walls here than a standard room, lot's of surfaces to cover! We had a water leak that damaged the ceiling from the bathroom above so that also needed to be repaired.


The next stage was to remove the carpet from the stairs, and we assumed this would be a simple thing. Well yes, pulling up the carpet was easy, but tidying up the hardwood on the stairs became a nightmare. Denis spent 6 full days filling, removing paint and sanding each step by hand. I have to admit I really admire his stamina to complete the job. If it was me I would have given up after one step! I am not 100% sure the kind of wood but we think the steps might be Jarrah.

So now our hallway and stairwell are light and bright - lovely! See the full set of 'work in progress' photos here >

Toodle-pip!