The Glistening Oasis of Neon Shelves

Pete bought all the MDF and had most pieces cut to size at Bunnings. He also cut up some pieces at home and fit together each shelf.We wanted to make each shelf blend into the wall so each edge was filled with Pollyfilla (we used both large cracks and skimmer type) then sanded back. OHHH the sanding. It surprises me how long finishes take. Longer than the bulk of putting something together, plus the additional costs for all the bits and pieces that go along with the DIY that add to the budget. But in the end the final work comes out looking pretty good.

There was the undercoat by Dulux called One Step then two coats of Dulux 101 Wash and Wear in "White on White". Its a neutral/cool white. There are SO MANY shades of white to choose from and it can be very daunting picking colours, even the simplest like white. It is SO BRIGHT, and I think it will really enlarge the small space of the apartment.


I know there was pleanty of other things that we needed to takle before we unpacked and decorated, but it feels good having a little glimps of what the finished renovations may look like. The shelves now stand out like a little oasis in the unit. The contrast with the existing paint to the new white is pretty extreme. It was hard to photograph as it is the darkest spot in the unit. We will be installing two spot lights above the shelves to brighten up the corner. Also, in the last image, check out the gross vermiculite, that part is the original grey that was in the closet, the rest of the vermiculite is painted white in the apartment. (Soon to be covered, our next big job.)

Kartell Loves Norbo

We have attached Norbo to the wall. We decided on the lighter finish as later we will probably move him to the kitchen. The one issue though is there is a slight slope down and the table does not quite sit so perpendicular to the wall. I don't think this had to do with our installation and may just be a slight problem with the table. Maybe our wall is crooked?! He and the chairs work well together I think. We are also looking ta paint samples that you can see on the wall above the table,"Top Shot" and "Capsule" by Dulux. It would be a bit ambitious painting the main wall such a dark colour and not sure on it yet but they are still up for some inspiration. Lemons supplied by Carly. Well overdue for a baking session. Think I'll make Lemon Slice.

Saianara Hutch and Closet

On the weekend we began the mass destruction. Pete had already started on the book shelf in the corner, and together we dismantled that awful original 1965 kitchen hutch. Its surprising how low everything is in the kitchen. I know our ancestors were a lot shorter than us but really, it was only 45 years ago! Heres Pete holding up where the bench used to be.


We learned that Marrickville Council offers FREE pick up services for the old wood, just ring to book it in. They pick up as many times as you need, just not building supplies. A lot of our time was spent pulling out staples and nails from the wood and bundling it up ready for collection.


Check the hanging bikes too. These are a great product by Delta Leonardo. We bought them from Woolys Wheels in Paddington where Pete got his bike but then found the same product from Bunnings at half the price as they were a reduced to clear item, another bargain!

Norbo: The new addition to the family

We went on a shopping spree at IKEA recently and this was one of our purchases.Its a fantastic little table to sit two perfectly. Its can fold down easily and sits pretty flush against the wall. Eventually we will probably add this to the kitchen to use as a chopping bench as our bench space is going to be VERY limited.




We got a bargain on our floor (currently the floorboards are sitting in a pile on our living room floor) so we decided to splurge (of course still on sale at 50% off though) on two chairs by Kartell. I'll make sure to get some good pictures once we have everything assembled and in use. Pete has some leftover MDF from the shelves he put together for the bookcase so we are thinking of making a little ledge over the table to put our cups, candles, napkins, vase on.




I found this image from another renovation and a really clever idea is to paint the support the same colour as the wall so it blends nicely when open.