UpdatesSpring Update 2021

My Spring update will be short and sweet today as there has been limited tool activity since the last post. Due to the recent lockdown, Paul has been on the wage subsidy for five weeks, which means we now have to pull in the renovation reins while we ride this thing out. 🙂 Fortunately, we had already paid for our new study door and our carpet (which arrived from Australia last week). I never knew I could get this excited about a door, but I seriously love the texture this Louvre brings to my study room. Paul will paint the door and the trim Alabaster white during the week. As soon as this is done, we can finally book in the carpet layers!

Do you remember I was trying to source a wood weave blind for the window? I did find a supplier in Wellington, but they were going to charge an eye-watering $2500 for a simple Roman Blind?! Paul said that was outrageous, considering replacing this window cost us around $900. I wouldn’t say I am giving up, but I’m close to accepting a linen compromise.

Although I have made zip progress with our window treatments for the house, I have been slowly chipping away at my design programme SketchUp over the last six months. The best part about SketchUp that sets it apart from other design programmes is that you can add your own textures such as wallpaper, custom paint colours, or a particular backsplash tile. It’s hard to see from this slight angle, but I have added my bird and peaches wallpaper to the study room, the same Moroccan tile to the laundry, and I even found a matching Turkish rug for the kitchen! Gosh, my house design is a melting pot – giggle! I still need to put on the roof, customise our kitchen, paint the walls, and insert the skirting. Phew, I am so glad I can do this on my computer!

Since this post is about transparency, I have to say there were a couple of moments where I was inches away from quitting this too. This program is not for the faint hearted or the impatient! In saying that, the amount of pride and personal satisfaction I had when turning my 2d model into 3d is hard to put in words. If you are interested in taking your designs to the next level and want to give it a go, please let me know. I would love to share my tips and tricks to support you over the finish line.

Apart from spending many hours at the computer screen, I now give my square eyes a break to watch my favourite interior design programme – EVER! I know this is a bold claim; however, when you create a reality design show with the best designers in America, it has to be magical, right?

Before Kitchen

After Kitchen

Rock The Block 2021 is on HGTV (channel 17) at 7.30 pm. Seriously, you won’t be disappointed!

Although we haven’t made much progress in the house, it was heartwarming to see our first hydrangea bud pop up this spring. Paul and I have been watching these tiny bushes closely since we planted them last year. We honestly thought we had bought some duds because nothing has happened for months. It certainly gives you comfort that while all the chaos is going on in the world, nature will still carry on and do its beautiful thing!