Our Vintage Home: The Bare Bones

Almost four years ago, we were forced to move out of our stinking, mouldy granny flat type abode that adjoined a residence in the inner east of Melbourne. We moved into a late 1950s – early 1960s one bedroom apartment near the beach in inner south-east Melbourne. We loved it the minute we walked in. Last week I found some pictures that I took the day we moved in and I thought I’d share them with you.

I’m ashamed to say that I’ve not yet got my curtains hung as I had hoped to do in mid February. I need to block out some time and just get it done.
I think I want to remove the decoupage fruit on the splash back: whenever we clean the splash back they come off anyway.
Seeing my diner looking so clear of clutter is making me anxious: we have nowhere suitable to store our heaters (we have two electric heaters and the only place they fit out of the way is under the table against the wall). I just want it to be this clear again!

Our lounge room looks so small here. Would you believe me when I tell you this room is about 5.5 metres deep and about 3.5 metres wide? Sure, we have blocked off the front door to allow us to use the whole space, but this picture is quite deceiving. We’ve got three desks, two bookcases, a couch with a chaise, and a 1940s/1950s sideboard that we use as a TV cabinet.

With the addition of a small 1940s/1950s free standing wardrobe, a 1950s dresser, and two under bed storage tubs, we have sufficient storage space in the bedroom, but we’ve had to push our bed up into a corner to fit everything in. I’d love to find a bedside table like the one pictured below to match our dresser and wardrobe because the modern laminate one really doesn’t match!

Our bathroom is incredible. I really love it. I love the detail in the hexagonal floor tiling, the colour scheme of blue, green, pink, maroon, grey, and importantly the fact there is both a bath (you can see it poking out there in the bottom left underneath the toilet) and a space for a washing machine (where I stood to take the picture).

There is so much I love about our little flat but of course it has its downsides too. It’s not our forever home and while it’s an it’ll do for now job it’s also practicable and suits our tastes.
Is your place somewhere you love or an it’ll do for the time being?

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Friday Finds #3

Handmade: Is there anything better? Customised, rare, unique, special. That’s what I think of when it comes to handmade. This week’s Friday Finds are from the fabulous MadeIt. Step this way as I showcase some of my favourite items from handmaidens Australia-wide.

Our Vintage Home: The Kitchen Project

Three and a half years ago, The Mister and I were faced with a self imposed challenge to find a new place to live in a very short space of time. The ‘house’ we had been living in for 6 months had rising damp and despite our best efforts, we had mold growing on a lot of our possessions. It wasn’t until we dismantled our bed that we realised the extent of the damage: our mattress, our bed frame, our slats; not to mention the mould on the backing board of our chest of drawers (and finally we understood why our clothes smelled so putrid!). Within two weeks, we moved from the mold-infested place to the place we live in now.

DIY: Upcycling the upcycled – turning planter boxes into shelves part 1

I love our little flat, but being a rental I can’t really fix anything to the walls in terms of storage. I’d love to pop some shelves up above my desk however the need for a hammer drill and much planning isn’t really a part of our rental contract.

I hunted around on eBay for shelves to sit on my desk instead. I couldn’t find anything suitable so thought outside of the box and found some planter boxes: two lots for $40. They needed a little work to bring them up to shelf standard but I was up for the challenge.

Home Organisation: Desk Decor

Continuing on from my desk organisation post, I’m currently on the hunt for the perfect desk accessories and decor. I’ve got my planter boxes to work on this week, but I want a few more accessories and decor to make the desk more me. I already know I’ll be doing the decorating on the cheap, so will be scouring op shops and the remainders of the Boxing Day Sales, but for now, I can dream.

Home Organisation: My work space

We live in a small one bedroom flat in Melbourne. It’s not tiny but it’s certainly not huge. It’s not a ‘cosy 1 bedroom apartment with en suite’, nor is it a studio. Our flat is one of twelve, there are six flats each of 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms. We have four very distinct rooms: kitchen, lounge room, bedroom, and a bathroom

Planning: Putting off until tomorrow and how to get back on top of it

It would seem that, despite all my best efforts, I didn’t get my blog planner printed until last night! The result? It’s now Wednesday and I’m only just getting to start the planning now. I’ve let myself down by not prioritising this task. Sure, I love that I have a super clean and neat flat now, and that my outfit for The Mister’s step-sister’s wedding in 12 days is complete, but I’ve left something important fall behind.