From the pages of Style Your Home – now on bookshelves
Let’s open that can of worms, shall we?
Kitchen and bathroom renovations are the most exciting parts of a home makeover — but also the most stressful. These two spaces are where I see the most anxiety, sleepless nights, and panicked mid-reno messages from clients. And understandably so! They’re highly functional spaces, expensive to fit out, and once the fixtures go in, they’re not exactly as easy to swap out as a scatter cushion.
And yes, even I was overwhelmed when I renovated my own home. (Cue me second-guessing tile choices and colour palettes despite doing this for a living!) But going through that process myself reminded me just how many decisions need to be made — and how important it is to have the right people around you.
That’s why I packed my chapters on wet room renovations in Style Your Home with practical advice, measurements, and illustrations to make it all a little less daunting.
Don’t Do It Alone: Your Renovation Dream Team
Bringing in the right team can make or break your renovation experience. Here’s who you want in your corner:
INTERIOR DESIGNER
A designer (like me!) works closely with you and your architect to select both hard and soft finishes for your home. From refining your kitchen layout to choosing tapware, splashbacks, and solving tricky design dilemmas, a designer ensures everything works in harmony, not just in form, but function too.
DECORATOR
Decorators come in towards the finishing stages, focusing on soft furnishings, furniture layout, window treatments, and rugs. They have the creative eye to bring a room to life and make it feel like you.
PROJECT MANAGER
This role is often filled by your builder, but for more complex projects, you can hire a dedicated project manager. They’ll juggle timelines, coordinate trades, and keep everything running on time, which is priceless when you’ve got 17 decisions to make before your morning coffee.STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Not all projects need one, but if your build includes big changes to walls or tricky layouts, a structural engineer ensures everything is safe, compliant, and up to code.
BUILDER/CONTRACTOR
Your builder brings the vision to life. Choose from:
- Custom Builder: For full design control and bespoke finishes.
- Project Builder: A more cost-effective, pre-designed option.
- Owner Builder: You run the show, hiring trades and managing timelines yourself. (Not for the faint of heart!)
It’s the Little Things…
Some of the biggest wins in a renovation come from the smallest tweaks. Like when I re-hinged my bathroom door so it no longer swung into the shower screen. It now opens flush against the wall, making the space feel bigger and brighter — and no more cracked glass or bruised elbows!
These little design details are easy to miss if you haven’t done it before. But they’re exactly what a seasoned design team will spot before they become bigger, more expensive issues.
The Bottom Line
Kitchens and bathrooms are the heartbeat of your home — and they deserve thoughtful planning, expert input, and a bit of patience. Style Your Home is here to guide you through those decisions with confidence, clarity, and a healthy dose of encouragement.
📘 Style Your Home: Design Secrets for Styling with Confidence is available now in all your favourite bookstores and on Amazon
Need support? Get in touch here and the EB Studio team will be more than happy to guide you.
