Darren Palmer shares his top transformation tips for designing on a budget

While I’ve worked on many multi-million-dollar projects, one of the things closest to my heart in the design realm is making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, figuratively speaking.

My latest penny pinching project was carried out at a beach shack we rent out in beautiful Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay, New South Wales. It’s a diamond in the rough but in one of the most beautiful locations in the country; although to say the home didn’t live up to its surroundings would be an understatement.

Here are my top transformations that delivered the biggest bang for our buck.

Floor planning

First and foremost, the best thing you can do is make sure the floor plan is the best use of space possible. This house is a five-bedroom property with three bathrooms and was sleeping up to 16 people at
a time.

The downstairs space was carved up to create a large living and cinema space capturing views to the beautiful bushland behind, and a hallway was added along the front of the building, creating a light and airy entrance to the house.

This simple reconfiguration allowed for a new master bedroom with an en suite to be created downstairs.

Improving the floor plan allowed for better amenity for guests as well as a lighter, brighter and more open feeling to the house.

Complete harmony

The next consideration should be the overall aesthetics of your home.

Choosing a style that suits you – or the occupants if not you and your family – and the geographic location and type of your home is paramount.

This house was a pretty easy problem to solve in terms of style. It’s a beach shack and I wanted a relaxed beach feel.

Every great interior that works well and is pleasing to the eye has complementary and contrasting elements. My chosen palette was white, oak and VJ panelling. The oak, white and VJ panels were set against the minor contrasting pops of black in door hardware and lighting, with key furniture pieces adding to the contrasting punch of black.

Colour choice

This is also an important consideration, even in a neutral palette. Here, I introduced colour onto the doors of each room with a eucalyptus-like colour from Haymes Paint called Chameleon.

These two simple devices were all the home needed to lift it from bland to at least some way toward grand.

Picking up oak elements in furniture, handrails to the staircase, and shelving in the kitchen made the palette complete.

Pattern & texture

These are crucial inclusions in any home, and one particularly featureless bedroom needed a simple and cost-effective upgrade to bring it in line with the rest of the property.

Catherine Martin wallpaper was used here as a feature wall, with another Haymes paint, a beautiful blue called Sorcerer, giving just the right amount of magic to lift the room and bring the space together.

Well-dressed

Window coverings are an important consideration in every space. A simple addition of plantation shutters was the perfect way to lift each tired old window to new a level.

Larger openings with sliding doors were furnished with roller blinds, electrically operated for a little extra pizzazz, all of which were supplied by Carpet Court, along with the vinyl plank flooring.

In short, the project was a successful one given its parameters and constraints and one that will continue to deliver for years to come, until the next phase of renovations can take place.

HomeSpace by Darren Palmer (Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99). Darren Palmer is a Carpet Court ambassador. For more design projects from interior guru Darren Palmer visit: domain.com.au/living/design