FROM BLAND TO GRAND   

When Paul and Cheryl moved into thier two-storey Caringbah home with their three young children over two years ago it wasn't the lively, fun place it is now; in fact it was a monotony of cream."It was nothing,"Cheryl recalls, "no curtains, all cream walls, just....blank." Not the most exciting environment for three young kids, but a nice canvas to start some redecorating.

The difficulty was, while they knew what sort of thing they wanted, the family wasn't sure how to go about making those ideas a reality. "There are pieces I like," Cheryl relates, " but I can't put anything together." So they decided to bring in an interior designer. As with any selection for a home makeover, choosing a designer should be a well-thought out process and the Richards didn't gamble on the first person they found.

After talking to a few they went with Jodie Carter of Jodie Carter Design. They found her on the internet where they could see some of her impressive work, but the selling point was Jodie's willingness and ability to collaborate with her clients. "She worked more with what I had," Cheryl explains, "She wasn't too pushy but knew when to stick to an idea too."

BRIEF BEGINNINGS

To start with the Richard's didn't have much. They moved to the house after living in Japan and Singapore, so they weren't trying to fit in a lot of old furniture. What they did have was the dining setting, two Asian cabinets and a clear brief for Jodie to work with.

For the initial redecorating only the ground floor has been done, giving Jodie two main rooms to work on. The formal lounge, which Paul and Cheryl wanted to double as a library, was to be a blend of modern, Asian and exotic styles but not so formal no-one would want to use it; and the family room, which needed to be spacious, inviting and able to endure three young children.

Cheryl also knew what colours she wanted: reds, burgandies, orange and olive green. Jodie reserved the olive green for the family room as the other shades feel more formal. Most of this was done with furnishings and accents; the only painting done was the walls of the lounge room which were done in Dulux Taupe Night to blend with the wallpaper and help with the formal feel.

FORMAL LOUNGE 

To achieve the appropriate mix of modern, Asian and exotic styles, Jodie simply used elements of each. The Asian sideboard and painting were already there from the Richard's previous homes and gave a good starting point to work around. A floral perspex stool, which also serves as a side table, provided a hint of modern. Standing out in the room however is the wallpaper. This is something Cheryl wasn't sure about at first, but Jodie said 'trust me' and that's what she did. The design is Asuka from Osborne & Little and is one often found in Bristish interiors. "it was just what I was after for Cheryl's room," Jodie explains. "It had the right colours, the exotic and the formal feel, but was still fun and vibrant. I know she was nervous about the gold leaves in it and it took a while for her to like it. We looked at about 50 other wallpapers too, but nothing else suited as well as this one."

The exotic touch runs through into the entryway with the hall runner and coat stand which look like they come from faraway places. The table lamps, with thier ribbed texture that's echoed in the rug, add a casual feel, which - along with the vibrancy of the wallpaper - keep the room from becoming too formal.

FAMILY ROOM

The family room presented its own set of problems as it's a rather narrow space but has some important functions to fulfil. To complicate things, originally the television was in the middle of the room, so there was very little space to play with. Jodie solved thta promptly by moving the TV to the side of the room on a swivel arm; so it's still visible when you need it, but not dominating when you don't," Jodie explains.

Furthermore, the lounge suite consists of a lounge that's three-and-a-half metres long, an upsized ottoman and a chaise - great for seating everyone comfortably but not ideal for saving on space. Moving this against the longest wall really opened the room up; it also helped with the whole comfort aspect. Not only is it big and well cushioned, it now faces the deck, garden and pool in the backyard, giving a much friendlier view and letting the kids play out there under supervision that's a bit more relaxed than otherwise might be.

The egg chair is a fun addition to the whole house, but not the most childproof. It takes a bit of care but Jodie felt it would be worth it, and Paul and Cheryl have no complaints so far. The rest of the family room meets the durability test well however. "To endure the kids, we chose the hardwearing chenille fabric on the lounge, the multicoloured striped rug to hide little spills and the dark chocolate timber side tables," Jodie says.

DECAL DETAILS

One final attractive feature in the house is the use of decals. These quaint additions were chosen for a very practical reason; "The casual lounge room had no fully unbroken wall to bring in colour or wallpaper so we had to use the curtains and the decals to provide that burst of colour and a bit of fun," Jodie explains.

The vine twisting up the wall is actually a combination of three decals that Cheryl interwove herself. "We added the cherry blossom to the dining room wall to help balance the large dark bookcase on the other side of the laundry room door," Jodie says. "Again the dining room had no full wall, so the colour came in the cherry blossom, which echoed the exotic feel of the formal lounge. The pendant lights also added texture and pattern and helped balance it all."

While there are still plans for Jodie to come back to do the upstairs bedrooms, for now the decorating of this home is done - and there's little doubt it's done well. The drab emptiness of the original abode is now a colourful, exotic and lively home for a growing family.

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