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My Houzz: High Street Hacks and Vintage Finds Make a Characterful Home
A resourceful homeowner shares her arty tips and tricks for an individual and creative living space
This yellow-brick home is a treasure trove of creations by Sarah Borg, an urban designer and dabbler. When Sarah and her husband, Mike, bought the property, they could see it had a lot of potential as well as a lot of challenges. However, instead of being daunted by the work ahead, Sarah and Mike faced it head on. As a result, they have managed to completely personalise an old property to suit their creative life, using clever DIY projects and recycling.
As soon as you enter the property, it’s easy to get swept up in the couple’s joyful sense of style. ‘I love block colours and being surrounded by colour,’ says Sarah. One of the couple’s favourite items is a wacky (and fabulous) side table in the shape of a half-eaten corn cob from Third Drawer Down in Fitzroy, Melbourne.
Many of the items throughout their home have a similarly distinct style that’s unique to Sarah’s decorating taste. One such item is a wooden coffee table that Sarah designed herself, using scraps of MDF for the surface. She made it at a woodworking class in north Melbourne.
Velvet cushions, Castle and Things
Many of the items throughout their home have a similarly distinct style that’s unique to Sarah’s decorating taste. One such item is a wooden coffee table that Sarah designed herself, using scraps of MDF for the surface. She made it at a woodworking class in north Melbourne.
Velvet cushions, Castle and Things
Sarah and Mike have furnished their home with several items from Ikea. To individualise these pieces, Sarah has added fun details. The sofa was customised by sewing buttons into the upholstery to create a tufted effect, and the legs were swapped for a more stylish design.
Even though she’s up for any DIY task, Sarah had to call on a professional to help with that one. ‘DIY lesson No 1: Be prepared to pay someone else if it doesn’t work out,’ she says.
Most of the frames on the living room wall were found at charity shops or on recycling days, when large items are put out for collection. Sarah painted them for a fresh new look. Recycling days make her ‘go a bit crazy’, she says. ‘I slow my car down to a crawl around my neighbourhood.’
Even though she’s up for any DIY task, Sarah had to call on a professional to help with that one. ‘DIY lesson No 1: Be prepared to pay someone else if it doesn’t work out,’ she says.
Most of the frames on the living room wall were found at charity shops or on recycling days, when large items are put out for collection. Sarah painted them for a fresh new look. Recycling days make her ‘go a bit crazy’, she says. ‘I slow my car down to a crawl around my neighbourhood.’
One of Sarah’s most treasured pieces is her 1970s HMV record player, which she received for her 21st birthday. It sits in the living room, where its wooden case nicely contrasts with a red rug from After Online.
Sarah’s most recent purchase is a set of Jean Prouvé-inspired dining chairs. ‘If I buy something new, it’s because I really like it,’ she says, ‘or I’ve had my eye on it for a long time. The rest I will try and make myself.’ The pendant lights were bought in Bali.
‘With my cushions, sometimes instead of buying the really expensive inserts, I just buy the covers and then go to a charity shop and buy a cheap cushion to use instead,’ she says.
Pretzel cushion, Kip & Co.
Pretzel cushion, Kip & Co.
Sarah’s favourite print hangs above the dining table – a photo of Mike at the beach. She took it herself and framed it in one of her hand-painted frames.
Bring artwork to life with a creative wall gallery
Bring artwork to life with a creative wall gallery
The original kitchen was gutted during the renovations, and the units were replaced with Ikea ones that Mike and Sarah installed themselves. Sarah says in hindsight that they should have paid someone to install them properly, as they both feel they didn’t do the best job – see DIY lesson No.1!
Shelving, Ikea.
As true Melbournians, Mike and Sarah have a soft spot for anything Melbourne-related, hence the poster.
Melbourne poster, Australian Vintage Posters.
Melbourne poster, Australian Vintage Posters.
One of the property’s main disadvantages was a lack of storage space. Sarah worked with Laz Fogas of Total Joinery to add built-in cupboards in several rooms. They created these units in the living room, and the wall between the kitchen and the living area was knocked down to open up the space.
Sarah used her urban design background, with the help of AutoCAD, to design the cabinets, then Fogas built and installed them.
Sarah used her urban design background, with the help of AutoCAD, to design the cabinets, then Fogas built and installed them.
Sarah and Mike rent out the guest bedroom through Airbnb. The bedside tables, floral pillows and tan throw were bought at charity shops. ‘Things don’t have to be expensive if you plan to DIY or upcycle,’ says Sarah. ‘Half of the satisfaction comes from doing something on the cheap.’ To add storage in this bedroom, Sarah fitted it with a bank of Ikea wardrobes.
Bed linen; pink velvet cushions, all Adairs. Yellow velvet cushion, Kip & Co.
Bed linen; pink velvet cushions, all Adairs. Yellow velvet cushion, Kip & Co.
Charity shop finds hang in a small gallery above the bed. Searching for the perfect piece in a charity shop can be overwhelming for some, but Sarah suggests giving it a go. ‘Bring things home and see how they fit in your space,’ she says. ‘If I see another object that can be upgraded, I get rid of the old thing. I put it on eBay or Gumtree, and I visit Camberwell market [a secondhand and craft market in Melbourne] two to three times a year – I’m a bit of a hoarder.’
This hallway leads to the bathroom and main bedroom, and acts as another much-needed storage area. The wall features a multi-hook rack inspired by the Eames Hang-It-All.
Need a tidy up? See 10 creative ways with coat hooks
Need a tidy up? See 10 creative ways with coat hooks
The bathroom was originally an all-pink affair. The couple opted for a timeless design when they redecorated it, after deciding they wanted to add value to the property. ‘I was going to go a bit cool and crazy in here, but it’s one of the most expensive things to change if it dates,’ says Sarah.
However, she still tries to maintain her own sense of style and personality here with a Keepresin pendant light, colourful towels and lots of greenery. Once again, Sarah worked with Fogas to design the cabinets and vanity unit to add more storage.
However, she still tries to maintain her own sense of style and personality here with a Keepresin pendant light, colourful towels and lots of greenery. Once again, Sarah worked with Fogas to design the cabinets and vanity unit to add more storage.
The main bedroom is bursting with personality. The Ikea Malm bed frame is finished with a headboard Sarah made using wood, padding and soft grey upholstery. She advises anyone interested in giving this project a go to measure carefully. She also plans to make the same style of headboard for the guest room.
The bedspread is from Urban Outfitters. Despite loving colour, Sarah says, ‘I’ve had this bedspread for ages. I just really like the simple black and white print.’
The bedspread is from Urban Outfitters. Despite loving colour, Sarah says, ‘I’ve had this bedspread for ages. I just really like the simple black and white print.’
‘The 1970s were big on DIY,’ says Sarah. ‘I always look for retro DIY books in charity shops for sources of information.’ Sarah made the macramé plant hangers herself and they are strung up throughout her home. She bought some rope, then watched YouTube videos and read 1970s DIY books to learn how to make them.
Sarah loves devil’s ivy and fiddle leaf fig trees, which are easy to care for. Over the years, she’s taking cuttings from the original devil’s ivy plant and used them to grow more plants to spread throughout the house. She also gives them to friends and family as gifts.
Sarah recommends buying self-watering pots for those who aren’t so green fingered.
Sarah loves devil’s ivy and fiddle leaf fig trees, which are easy to care for. Over the years, she’s taking cuttings from the original devil’s ivy plant and used them to grow more plants to spread throughout the house. She also gives them to friends and family as gifts.
Sarah recommends buying self-watering pots for those who aren’t so green fingered.
This cute duck lamp is a Heico design. The cup is from Keepresin.
The Moroccan boucherouite rug was bought on Etsy.
The courtyard originally consisted of a concrete slab, a steel shed and a rotary clothesline, all surrounded by steel fencing. Removing the shed meant the garden needed an alternative storage space, so Sarah’s dad built a wooden one, which fits around the windows to avoid blocking light inside the house.
Mike and Sarah covered the existing steel fence with timber and laid floor tiles from Ikea to warm up the courtyard. The garden also has a worm farm and a retractable washing line that has replaced the previous one to save on space.
Mike and Sarah covered the existing steel fence with timber and laid floor tiles from Ikea to warm up the courtyard. The garden also has a worm farm and a retractable washing line that has replaced the previous one to save on space.
Sarah built the brick retaining wall around the garden in her first-ever brick-laying job. The garden beds are also handmade additions by the couple. Sarah thinks her next outdoor project will be a garden tidy-up, ‘though we both agreed overgrown gardens are gorgeous!’ she says.
After the couple’s recent wedding, Sarah had a lot of leftover vases. Instead of throwing them away, she turned them all into terrariums to use as gifts.
Along with gardening, Sarah spends her free time doing pottery. She says she can often be found out in the front of the house with her pottery wheel.
Along with gardening, Sarah spends her free time doing pottery. She says she can often be found out in the front of the house with her pottery wheel.
‘I feel proud and love being surrounded by expressions of the things I like,’ says Sarah, seen here with Mike, of her DIY-decorated home. ‘It’s great to have things around the house that I can fix up and create if I get bored.’
TELL US…
What do you think of this creative home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this creative home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Sarah Borg of Bangin Hangings, her husband, Mike, co-founder of EMC Digital, and their cat, Leroy
Location Coburg, Victoria, Australia
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Sarah says the property was in a terrible condition when they bought it. There were cigarette burns on the carpet, broken tiles in the bathroom and grubby walls throughout. It definitely needed some tough love. The couple knocked down walls, put in a new kitchen and added bespoke storage systems of Sarah’s own design.
They dug out the front lawn and Sarah used her green fingers to convert the space into a garden complete with vegetables and herbs. They replaced the awnings out front with these cheerfully striped ones.