E139 - Insights into Renovating or Building a New Home with James Treble

In this insightful episode, fellow interior designer James Treble joins Frances to discuss the art of creating timeless and functional homes.  

Covering topics such as budgeting, future-proofing design principles, and how to get ideas, Treble shares valuable insights for both renovation and new home projects. Whether you're embarking on a home improvement journey or planning your dream home, this conversation offers practical tips to help you maximise value and enhance your quality of living. 

Frances delves into the engineered stone ban in Australia and explores alternative options for homeowners. From porcelain to laminate, Frances discusses factors such as durability, aesthetics, and budget, advising listeners on many alternatives available and why you may choose one material over another for your benchtops.  

Frances outlines why it's so important to create a furniture layout at floorplan stage in this episode. This is essential listening to avoid big mistakes! She outlines the implications that can occur when a furniture layout is not done before building starts, using a real life example and the compromises made because there was no plan.

Frances reflects on 2023 on a personal and design perspective and shares highlights of the year including finished homes, awards, media coverage and what's in store for 2024.

Frances is joined by her client, Bernadette, in this special case study episode. Bernadette shares her renovation journey, from when she first set eyes on the home 20 years ago, through to creating her project team and the joys and frustrations of her extensive renovation.

This is an honest 'warts and all' account of what a renovation project can be like, including pitfalls to avoid and how your team can support you throughout. She alos outlines how having an interior designer on the team helped her create a home she truely loves and helped her mitigate so many mistakes that could have happened throughout the journey.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the thought of clearing out years and years worth of 'stuff', then this is the episode for you.

Frances is joined by decluttering expert, Amy Revell, who shares her wisdom on how to prepare to pack up and move for a renovation or new build. How to create a vision and create a home you'll love.

This is a super fun and jammed packed episode on what to declutter and decide what to keep for your new home.

Frances outlines exactly what thermal wrap is in this episode, and why it's a great product to consider for cabinetry in your home. With guests from Albedor Industries, she also delves into the myths surrounding thermal wrap, how it is made and the sustainability measures Albedor are undertaking to make a low VOC product.

A great episode if you're wanting to understand cabinetry materials that could be used for your renovation or new home.

Frances discusses what to consider when designing a mudroom. How it needs to function, and be designed around what you need to store in it. She also discusses other considerations for where items can go in the home if the mudroom is not large enough for everything. Finally, she outlines the ideal location of a mudroom in a home.

A must listen if you're thinking for having a mudroom in your home.

Frances is joined by Peter Karaolganis from Presenting Homes Australia to discuss the different decisions made when renovating your Forever Home compared to renovating to flip and make a profit.

Peter and Frances discuss materials, build quality, flexible floorplans and multigenerational living for both types of renovations and how they differ.