All this time stuck at home! No wonder home improvements are ‘on trend’. Homeowners are focusing on two main areas to make their lives more enjoyable.
With decades of property experience, we have seen the inside of several thousand homes and witnessed so many fantastic home décor ideas, plus ways to improve your home’s functionality. Now’s a great time to make your outdoor spaces and your home office more functional, fresh and fun.
Inspiration for outdoor spaces in Balmain homes
In the Inner West, our outdoor spaces become an extension of our indoors, whether we have a small yard or just a balcony. So let’s make the best of what we have.
Make it functional with furniture you’ll love to use, and some form of shade. We love the premium ranges of outdoor furniture, umbrellas and homewares on hand locally. Check out MamaGreen in Lilyfield (483 Balmain Road) and Osmen at the Alexandria Homemaker Centre.
Make it fresh with some statement pots planted with lemon trees or olive trees for impact, or consider creating a living wall for something extra special. There’s lots of inspiration to be seen looking at customer installations at Vertical Gardens Direct. You could even grow your own salad greens in this compact solution. Fit your green wall with a watering system to keep the greenery looking lush all year round.
Make it fun by adding colour and texture with gorgeous cushions. We love browsing at Home Industry in East Balmain (62 Darling St) with its range of stunning fabrics and other beautiful homewares. We also love shopping online at Australian-based Amart furniture, or try Etsy for local suppliers.
Inspiration for your home office
Once upon a time, working from home would have sounded like a dream, but now reality has set in you might be itching to upgrade your workspace. There are so many brilliant options for home offices; what you choose will depend on how much space you have available.
Make it functional by creating space. If you’re converting a bedroom check out this range of wall beds from The Comfort Shop (168 Willoughby Road Crows Nest or Moore Park Supa Centa). We love the clever Clei wall bed range ‒ take a look. We’ll guarantee these beautifully engineered products from Italy will inspire you to transform your rooms.
If total transformation isn’t an option, you might be able to rearrange your living room to slot in a neat desk behind the sofa or build out a cupboard for a dedicated workspace you can close off when you aren’t using it.
On the hunt for an edgy but functional desk? Check out this sleek and easy-to-assemble desk design from Stagekings, a company that pivoted from building huge stages to producing office equipment and other household items when its main business collapsed due to the pandemic. Stagekings also make monitor and laptop stands for a more cohesive look to your desk.
Your work chair is all-important so make sure you buy one that’s the right fit. We love the environmentally friendly Hermann Miller range, particularly this gorgeous Eames-inspired office chair.
Don’t forget lighting, especially if you can’t create your office near natural light. We couldn’t go past some of these beautiful task lights from Urban Lighting in Annandale.
Make it fresh with some greenery. Even a tiny succulent will help reduce your stress and improve productivity. If you can’t commit to watering a plant, check out the DIY packs at Silk Floral in Annandale to create a stunning interest piece and the room scents at Angel Aromatics in Balmain.
Make it fun by adding a pop of colour with a DIY pinboard that also provides acoustic dampening. We love the environmentally friendly pinboards created by Sydney mum, at Al and Em. Then, add some bright writing pads to energise you and brighten your day.
Looking to upgrade your Balmain home?
We’ve also learnt how to help our clients enjoy a stress-free property sale or leasing experience. So, if you’re thinking of making a move, rather than home improvements alone, give us a call.
