Instant DIY cabinetry

This is a clever idea carried out by a friend’s husband. He bought an Ikea cabinet and attached it to the wall and then adding some framing (individual pieces of pine, cut to size and then glued straight onto the Ikea cabinet) – an instant timber and white floating cabinet at half the would-be cost. He originally saw something similar on Remodelista, www.remodelista.com, which is where I sourced this photo of the white painted frames (originally from Yatzer) – what is it about white on white? Just looking at this picture makes me feel calmer. Have a gorgeous week, Tx

Cabinetry photo by Anastasia K.

The White House

This is my friend Bel’s house, which we shot recently for Country Collections magazine. It just shows you what a coat of white paint will do. When Bel and her partner bought this lovely old Queenslander they didn’t have a lot of money left over for renovating – so they got stuck in and re-painted the once multi-coloured home completely white. It’s admittedly one of the most used tricks in the book – but that’s because it works. Painting an old home white really opens it up.

Though this home is painted in a bright, neutral white (Dulux ‘White on White’) – traditional homes can also benefit from warm, creamy shades of white – the lightness of the white brightens the whole house up – whilst the warm undertones create a sense of warmth and cosiness (Try Resene’s ‘Half Pearl Lusta’).

Photographs by John Downs. Full story on Bel’s home in the current issue of Country Collections. Vintage cushion on bed by Moose and Bird.