Confession time, I don’t read much. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good novel, I just never make the time to read one. Running a small business and working part-time as a buyer and stylist for an online store means down-time is rather rare for me and I don’t work the usual 9-5, it’s more like 9-5 then 5-9. For me, I am such a visual person that I find reading a bit annoying and frustrating, just show me the picture so I can understand what you mean! I learn by looking, not by reading. Which brings me to the point of this post, my very first boss in the interiors industry Bronwyn Poole (founder of Touch Interiors & Complete Pad), sent me a link to her latest blog post all about how she ‘healed’ the Cremorne home she shared with her husband and three children to work with what was already there. It’s a three part blog post so you’ll need a cuppa ready before you click through but it’s honestly one of the most powerful blog posts about interior decorating that I’ve read in a long time, possibly ever.

In the posts Bron describes how she opted to work with the space she had available to ‘heal’ the space rather than undertake a massive renovation upon moving in. This is something I’m fascinated with, I love houses with character and soul. I can appreciate the simplicity of a minimalist modern home but I could never live in one. What I love most about my job is getting a peek inside a whole range of houses from narrow terraces built in the 1800’s to brand new $1 million builds. But it’s the older houses who have had various people over their lifetime love them outside and in that I am most interested in.. Each new owner brings new perspectives to the house so over time the house has various stories to tell of bygone eras…If walls could talk, I would certainly be listening.

One of my favourite things to do is to walk around certain suburbs and look at the houses, it’s always the older houses with established gardens that I want to knock on the door and ask to be shown around….. The other fascinating thing is how over time older houses have evolved. I am actually not a fan of open plan living, I much prefer to have things like kitchen, living and dining separate. This is something Bron faced with her home, how to do an older house justice yet heal the spaces within the home that weren’t quite working for her and her young family. There are many photos to accompany the blog so you can see exactly what I mean as you read through.

I will stop my essay here, but I really encourage you to click through and read about Bron’s journey, it’s opened my eyes to think about how I approach entering a new space to decorate with a little more awareness. I’m working on a project now that is very appropriate for this new way of thinking and I will share more about it when I can.

Emma x