Renovate with Ash

I find it incredibly rewarding to be able to walk into a house that doesn’t work for the family who live there and turn it into a home that they will be able to enjoy for many years to come.

Another great part of my role is getting to meet a variety of people with interesting stories and backgrounds. It is amazing how quickly some people will open up to you on a personal level.

It has to be the kitchen/ living/ dining and alfresco areas. In Western Australia we spend a lot of time living outside and entertaining, so making sure there is connection from the inside to the outside is so important for the current way of living.

They do say that the kitchen is the heart of the home and it is true, your family and day-to-day activities normally revolve around this space.

I thrive on coming up with a solution that works for home owners in terms of lifestyle, vision and budget. After asking the right questions and getting to understand how my clients live in the space or more importantly how they want to; I’m then be able to discuss a few options that may work for their lifestyle. Often the solution that works best is a layout or configuration they haven’t even thought of, and seeing the look on their faces is priceless.

The amazing people and characters you meet on a daily basis is also an enjoyable part of my job, they may not all turn into clients but there stories do stay with me.

Being able to walk into a home, listen to the clients on the reasons why the current home doesn’t suit their lifestyle or family dynamics then discuss various options to change the current floor plan into a functional layout that will work for the owners now and the years ahead.

Listening and understanding plays a large role in what I do day to day. Having the ability to design and adapt is so important with renovations as every family will different needs that they are after with their home.

I don’t think it is my place to tell someone they must have one thing or another.

What I do though is talk about different options, ideas, layouts and solutions so that they are able to decide what works best for their family. I would definitely encourage families to have a house that flows and links to the outdoors, an inside living area that over looks the rear garden especially if they have a pool or young families.

I have an appreciation for a variety of genres and themes but what really stands out to me is when an interior style flows continuous throughout the house and also compliments the exterior style of the house. Creating symbiosis between the colours, textures and shapes used in the spaces throughout the entire home is what, in my opinion, leaves the biggest impression.