Name: Heather Nette King, Jeremy King, Annebelle (13) and Alexandra (10)
Location: Armadale, Australia
Size: 3 bedroom double fronted weatherboard
Years lived in: Owned 10, lived in 6
It's hard not to fall head over heels in love with Armadale. It's close to the city and the beach and has one of the best shopping strips around; filled with cafes, amazing antiques and unique furniture stores. Heather and her family purchased this home 10 years ago and lived there happily for 5 years before moving to Sydney for 4 years. Returning at the start of last year, Heather sought to create a home that is welcoming, user friendly and definitely not precious. We think Heather has achieved this beautifully.
As a freelance writer and stylist, Heather works for some of the best known publications in Australia including Real Living Magazine and The Age newspaper. Whilst the style of Heather's home feels entirely casual, it's clearly the breadth of her styling experience that has resulted in the melding of both vintage and contemporary elements in this relaxed and inviting home.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My/Our style: Relaxed, pretty, gentle, lots of painted furniture, and collections. Most things are second hand or have come from our families.
Inspiration: I am in love with gracious, old white weatherboard homes, and love bursts of colour against a white background. The high ceilings add elegance to the rooms, which I love.
Favorite Element: After years of living in single fronted cottages in Melbourne, and terraces in Sydney, having a wide hallway and being able to choose whether to turn left or right feels strangely like a luxury.
Biggest Challenge: We are yet to face it. We really need another living space, and I would kill for an office, so we need to decide whether to extend up or out.
What Friends Say: My girlfriends totally ‘get’ it and rarely blink an eye when the kitchen floor changes colour again. Most blokes think it is a dolls house.
Biggest Embarrassment: My dodgy paint jobs – I like to get quick results, and don’t look too closely at the finish as I know I will probably paint it again soon. This drives my virgo friends nuts. And the garden isn’t in great shape – thanks to our cheeky puppy Dougal.
Proudest DIY: For Jeremy, it is definitely painting, as he is a bit challenged in most other DIY areas. For me it is my hand-sewn quilts.
Biggest Indulgence: The pool we installed just before last summer. After moving back from Sydney we were both mourning the loss of Bondi Beach 10 minutes from home, so this is out little piece of Bondi. We really should have done up the bathroom, or built another living room, or hell, paid off some of the mortgage! Fiscal practicality is not a strong point here.
Best advice: My father in law Mick always says “paint covers a multitude of sins’. I think it may also be holding some walls together here.
Dream source: I would love to travel back in time to an op shop in the 60s or 70s when people were throwing away all their incredible mid-century designs. Imagine picking up a few Featherston chairs for $10 each!
Resources:
Appliances
My best appliance is my Ice blue Kitchenaid mixer.
Hardware
Bathroom – original clawfoot bath. Basin is from Schots.
Furniture
IKEA white couches with removable covers (kid and dog proof)
Old bentwood chairs from op shops, council junk collections and ebay, then painted mostly on Porter’s Paints.
Annebelle’s iron bed from ebay
Alex’s four poster iron bed from Mitchell Road Auctions in Sydney, painted Dulux July Quarter
Wing back chairs from Young’s Auction rooms in Camberwell Melbourne
Kitchen table is an old desk from the Caulfield Race Course
Dining table was Jeremy’s parents, and friends of theirs before that.
Most small furniture is from op shops
Original Casala chair is from The Junk Company in North Melbourne
Accessories
French style jam jar lamp is by Vince Turner Designs
Cushions mostly made from fabrics from Patchwork On Central Park in East Malvern, Melbourne. Quilts also made with fabrics from PCP.
Lighting
Chandeliers are mostly from second hand stores
Star lanterns in hallway and Annebelle and our bedrooms are from Market Import in Armadale.
Paint
Walls are either Dulux ‘white on white’ or White Swan quarter strength
Furniture and frames are painted in Porters Paints colours, my favourites being la Vie en Rose, Napoleon, Highland Heather, Apple Crunch
Flooring
Original Baltic pine boards in all rooms except the kitchen – it has a floating floor that I despised so I paint it a new colour every few months.
Window Treatments
Annebelle’s and my bedrooms have plain white linen drops from IKEA
Alexandra’s curtains were made by me years ago
Artwork
Loungeroom – the big canvas of girls hanging over couch, oil and stitching on canvas
‘Alice and Shelley’ by Edwina Lye and Brian Simmons from Blank Space Gallery, Surry Hills, NSW
Dining room – the yellow girl with bosom shot, oil on wallpaper on canvas
‘She Went That Way’ by Hannah Murray from Gilligan Grant Gallery, Collingwood. Vic
Kitchen – LOVE print by Jennifer Ramos at www.madebygirl.blogspot.com
Lounge room on mantelpiece - photos in white frames Annebelle and Alex on carousel at Eiffel Tower and Versailles in 2006, taken by me!
Dining Room – the frame on mantle, Crayon on paper
‘Twists and Turn’ by Maxine Liau from Arthouse Gallery, Rushcutters bay, NSW
Bedroom - Above bed photo of the flowers in the vase by Max Doyle given to me as a ‘leaving Sydney’ gift.
Thanks, Heather!
Images: Heather Nette King
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thanks for making me smile
Well, to be honest, I'm a woman and I think it looks like a doll's house...but if I were into dollhouses, I think this would be a dream come true. Aside from that, I love the consistency of color, even if I'm not a fan of it looking quite literally like a dollhouse. My favorite elements are actually of the non-pink variety; the green door is fantastic, the stained glass, the different yellows and mustards on the tabletop. And I love the dog!
Love, love, love. Actually, IN love. Perfection.
This is girly in the best way.
It is lovely, but very feminine... does anyone else feel bad for her husband?
I love your painted bentwood dining chairs.
LOVE IT! Excessively girly, but that's why its great.
Not really feeling the bed sheets draped over the furniture. Love the green door and the stained glass though.
who cares about the husband, lol.
love it!
J'ADORE. absolutely obsessed. I'm a single 20 something gal and this is exactly the look I want in my studio-perfectly girlie.
What a cheerful, sweet place. I've noticed the Australian house tours here are full of happy, bright colors and they don't seem afraid of cottage roses, either. Love it!
And the dog? Best part of the tour IMO. The way the little guy is looking around the door is adorable.
@sophiesmom - Not sure why ignoring one's spouse when designing a space to be inhabited by everyone is a good idea.
Personally, I do see a distinct lack of individual personality in the design of this home. Everyone is very feminine, and while I can see how that would be when three of four family members is female, when I look at the photos, it just isn't indicative that anyone NOT female lives here. Why doesn't the husband have any kind of say? I can't imagine that everyone's favorite colors are pinks, pastel, and white.
Pi - I was joking.
How do you know that the husband doesn't get any kind of say? Maybe he likes it? Maybe he doesn't care? Maybe not every room in the house is shown? Since he lives there, I am assuming he likes how his house looks. And he should, because it is great. Men can't like pink?
super sweet. very very girly, but super sweet. i hope the husband has a space SOMEWHERE to man up in.
It's definitely too girly for my personal taste, but it looks thoughtfully put together and fun. I love homes that look like people actually live there - and where if I spilled my drink, it's not a big deal...the floor will be repainted next month anyway! :)
@sophiesmom - Maybe he does like pink, but it's just so girly. It's just hard for me to imagine that any man really could do that much girliness.
I had a dollhouse as a little girl, and incidentally, it had very similar decorations. But it is pretty.
Also, I was shocked when I found out a man lived in it. But, he may love it. It is totally cultural to say a man can't love pink and frills.
On a final note, I love the bed on the front porch, I envy it in fact!
@Pi - I agree that some men may not like it. With my husband, I could cover our entire house with pink unicorns and he wouldn't care. In fact, I doubt he would even notice.
As a whole, I love it.
Sometimes I think it's a little too cluttered.
MY Husband would certaintly hate it, lol.
@sophiesmom - pink unicorns! Ha. Mine would definitely notice, but we both have a graphic design background. He can't help but get involved.
It's awesome to look at but do they really only read pink books?
I am not what you would call girlie but I absolutely love this, its so fairy tale, salt water taffy. I really love the green door and the aqua hallway. So many charming details. I love that you can change out the paint on the kitchen floor as often as you like, that would be dangerous for me.
Do you know what paint color that is in the hallway?
the chairs are amazing and some of the art is interesting but the rest is not my cup of tea.
Very cozy, very stylish, but yes, VERY feminine (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Soooo, how old is Jeremy? Is Heather married? Just curious. Great job!
Would love to find out where that gold tea set (shown in the second photo from the top...with the large lamp and green wall) is from - or the make/style. I love gold and have never seen a tea set like that. It's gorgeous.
*rolls eyes at the sexist comments* Just because it's mostly pink, it means only women live there? Please.
Anywayyyyy... While I find it completely adorable, and love the playful quality of the color palette, it's just a tad too pink for me. :)
I do like the green door quite a bit. Both the door and the painted picture frames hung on the bedroom wall are my favorite parts.
I haven't shown these photos to my (quite masculine) husband, but I don't think he'd mind this home AT ALL. It's gorgeous! I'm sure he'd make some different choices if he were single, living alone. But I don't think he minds deferring to my tastes now that he's married. And if he were the decorator in the family, I'd defer to his tastes. I'm a fan of both masculine and feminine decor--which must mean that plenty of men like pink, while plenty of women like leather and large equipment (and by equipment, I mean televisions and other electronics).
Heather -
You mentioned that you paint the kitchen floor from time to time. How do you paint it? What kind of paint do you use and what do you need to do to prep the floors?
Love your home and use of color!
Totally love it too. But yeah, feel a little bad for the hubby. That's a boatload of pinks and pastels. Poor dude.
-anna
chateausavoie.com
I like the idea of this and individually, each room is beautifully put together...but all together it is just too much for me. I do appreciate the mix of vintage and contemporary pieces. I prefer a more neutral base with some masculine colors...it makes the pinky pinks and seafoam greens more easily appreciated since they are not the ENTIRE color scheme.
However, I find this home very thoughtfully and lovingly put together!
Wow, it does remind me of doll house! Very pretty, very feminine! I love pink and incorporate the color in my home to - and hubby doesn't mind at all. So long as the color stays out of the bedroom he's all for it! Thanks for sharing! What a great tour!
I love how the owner must be in LOVE with the Nina Ricci perfume (in the apple bottle). Great taste, it's one of my favorite scents too!
I love the look of the dining room, but my family tends to hang out around the table after meals. I'd lose them quickly with those chairs.
You know what they say---
"The mind will absorb what the butt can endure."
i think it's fun and pretty. my husband wouldn't live in it though and i can't imagine designing a space without his personality reflected in it. it does look like a doll house and it evokes a very nice feeling of nostalgia in me. reminds me of being a little girl. my daughter's room is decorated like this. i enjoy a more sophisticated look, but i think this is fun.
This is just so wonderful. I adore the colors and your collection of lovely things. You've taken "shabby chic" (which I find fake and dated) and made it positively fantastic! You are lucky to have such a great sense of style! I sure wish I did.
It's fun and frothy and happy -- and clean and bright and comfy. If that means, feminine, is that a bad thing? Perhaps hubby/daddy is the center of everyone's world and doesn't need furnishings that announce that? Seems like there's an awful lot of concern for the guy...
I'm all for having furniture that can be washed and/or repainted so people (and their pets) can live on it and with it without worry. I love the personal touches in the art work and the accessories and photos that add up to a cheerful, uncontrived overall look. Would love to take a nap on that lovely daybed on the porch!
Now, this was fascinating to me because recently we plopped a pink pouf and a yellow door into the austere white wood we've had for years. That pink pouf was so scary! This family clearly wasn't nervous, they went all the way with the same color scheme, rather than our small bits, great to see it and a great, great building. For my personal taste, much further than I would go, I love my white, but a tour that made me smile.
Somebody should loan this family a good expensive camera, they've sure got the 'styling' part checked off. It's like a Cath Kidston ad.
And I can't resist adding - my husband's favorite color is pink. He wouldn't have as much as this house, but just saying, it wasn't me buying the pink pouf!
I love this house and could move in tomorrow! I dont' understand the posters who are upset that it's too pink for a man to live in. My husband is perfectly happy with our pink, floral house! Pink is such a soothing colour which is why it's used in some prisons to calm the inmates. I'm a big lover of girlie, floral, pink and love dollshouses so it's wonderful! Love, love, love.
I am totally on board with this. I like the kissing booth sign. Do you like Nini Ricci perfume. Are they all your bottles collected over the years or did you find them in a thrift store? Actually it is a good idea to save those bottles as perfume bottles are so pretty but I feel ridiculous saving an empty bottle.
I love it!! It looks like a place where I could live! (I'm clumsy and a little messy, so houses that are too luxurious or too geometric or too antique make me nervous) To me, it looks like home.