A Funky Australian Abode

Name: Darcie
Location: East Geelong — Victoria, Australia

We bought our cute two bedroom, weatherboard dutch-gable house in East Geelong around seven or eight years ago as first time home buyers, and saved like mad for years to renovate. Its been over 12 months since the work was finished, but because everyone knows houses are NEVER finished, it’s still a work in progress! The yard is next..

My husband Justin and I have always shared a love of timber, lots of indoor plants a mix of old and new furniture – we are fans of mid century style and lots of color. I’m really proud of how we have tied all of those things together and even though the house was basically re-built in the main living area, it still has a homely feel and we haven’t lost the charm of the old house. Amazing ceiling height in the living area also means it feels a lot bigger than it would otherwise & is lovely & bright.

There are lots of textures going on – cushions, rugs and throws are on everything, as well as lots of greenery, pottery and artwork everywhere (many are done by Justin, as well as framed posters from our fave bands). We splurged on some items (bi-fold kitchen window, leather couch, west elm rug…) but have some bargain pieces too ($25 clearance bathroom basin, Kmart coffee table, matching IKEA kitchen cabinetry in kitchen & bathroom…) One of my fave pieces in the house is the bar cart which my grandfather crafted! I’m very lucky to have that one.

Whilst the house is reeeeeally small, it’s well laid out for us and very livable. Everything has its place and even though we certainly have lots of things, we don’t have more than we need. Our favorite pieces are on display and we use our ‘special’ items every day to enjoy them – i.e.. wedding cutlery and Grandma’s china. No need to double up, that’s just a waste & requires storage we don’t have.

Thanks, Darcie!

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