Interior Design Inspiration Journey 2011-12

The time has come for me to break some big news...

The last couple of weeks I have been finishing off our renovations, de-cluttering and tidying up my home (which I am so over!) all in preparation for renting out my house.  

I am so excited to announce that my husband and I will be taking 6 months off in November to travel round Asia... yippee...

Apart for some R & R and climbing a few big mountains my blog will continue as I search for inspiration from:

• unique homes & retreats
• local quality furniture, fabrics and materials
• and finally sourcing interior and furniture items for my own home :)

Who knows... I may even have enough photographic material to launch my first book :)

If you are interested in following my design journey feel free to subscribe to my blog (top right hand corner) and/or follow me or natural modern interiors on facebook.

Here is a list of countries I will be going in the form of mood boards...

Have fun.

Joglo Living :: Khayangan Estate, Bali

I had the absolute pleasure last week to assist a lovely client with her furniture layouts for a traditional Joglo she is building in a beautiful tropical setting just inland from Noosa. 

If you are wondering what a Joglo is? They are a type of traditional crafted timber house, mainly found in Bali and Java and built to be dismantled and moved easily. 

I have attached a fine example of one, recommended by my client, with The Khayangan Estate in Bali. These particular Joglos were once the traditional home of Javanese aristocracy and have been saved from destruction and lovingly restored.

Fantastic indoor / outdoor views...

Note the use of high ceilings, low perimeter shading and no major internal walls allowing cool breezes to flow throughout.

images from The Khayangan Estate

The result seamlessly mixes traditional craftsmanship with antique pieces and contemporary furniture within a tropical backdrop. 

Having travelled to some hot places I have nearly always been more comfortable with the heat with high ceilings, massive ceiling fans and shaded open areas rather than enclosed rooms with air conditioning units... 

In the absence of having one of these Joglos shipped over from Bali for myself... I await with excitement to see my client's one finished in the not too distant future and the chance to visit The Khayangan Estate the next time I am in Bali. 

Have fun.

Eco Home :: Rachel Bending, Byron Bay

I have just spent the last week preparing my house ready to rent out.

To cheer myself up from the hours of sorting, de-cluttering and cleaning - which I am well over now! I am going to indulge in some window shopping for my dream home. 

What a better place to start than with Rachel Bending's (founder of Bird Textile) eco home in my favorite location, Byron Bay. 

This is a straw bale house with a difference... it's where sustainable and style come together in harmony. The house is solar-passive, solar-powered, re-uses grey water, has a compost toilet and is built from natural, sustainable and reclaimed materials including straw! Not that you can see a piece of straw from these photos... Just great style!

You can just see the dry stone wall behind the kitchen.

The claw-foot bathtub was a gift from a friends and the travertine floor was left over from another job.

Just amazing views!

This building ticks all the boxes on my shopping list; a sustainable building, made from natural materials, has an amazing outdoor bathroom, plenty of indoor outdoor living and fantastic views.

If you are inspired here is some building info:

1 Building: Natural Building Works

2 Joinery: Piers Martin Cabinets (02) 6685 9014

3 Composting Toilet: Clivus Multrum 

4 Solar Panels: Nickel Renewable Energy 

Have fun.

Hotel Omm :: Barcelona

It's been a few years since I stayed here but if you are ever in Barcelona and fancy a contemporary city splurge this is your place. 


Designed by architect Juli Capella and interior designers Sandra Tarruella and Isabel López, Hotel Omm  is like your own personal cocktail and lounge bar. With it's clean lines, use of timber and warm contemporary colours mixed with a few eclectic pieces you really feel that plain old white walls are history!

Jacobsen "Egg" chair by the lounge and fireplace.

My favorite pieces are the real Jacobsen "Egg" chair by the lounge fireplace, the use of low ceilings to create intimate casual seating areas (which is opposite to most hotel foyers), the timber four poster timber bed and not to forget the chinese tea pots all reminds you that you are not in your usual hotel.

This fantastic four poster is one of my all time favorite bed designs!

Even if you are unable to stay it is still worth treating yourself to a cocktail and a much needed rest in the foyer lounge or splurging on the day spa.

Have fun.

Eclectic Bathroom Ideas :: Small Details

It can be really be hard sometimes to give a new bathroom a sense of identity...

I have certainly found that a challenge with my own bathroom refurbishment - which is finally being priced at the moment... yippee!

When you are refurbishing a bathroom you will naturally wish to install new tap-wear, basins, bath or shower and then tile the floors and walls. In some cases this can leave you with a room that feels cold and lacks identity.

So here's a few small furniture and decoration details that I have left over from my own bathroom inspiration research that can easily be added to give character and warmth to a new bathroom.

Love the warm rug on the stone floor, the small pots and the off white colour palette!

Love the basin and the small timber stools!

Love the bathroom with a timber floor and the use of natural finishes...

Have fun.

Natural Modern Interiors 1st Birthday Today!

It's natural modern interiors 1st birthday today... yippee. I cannot believe its now a year since I started my first post... A year has flown by.

I decided to start this blog as a way to inspire us all to think beyond mass consumerism and instead think more about recycling, up-cycling and using natural materials as a sustainable approach to renovation, decoration and design... sustainable solutions do not have to be expensive or look ugly!


Also without the support from my readers it would not happen... so a huge thanks to you all for a wonderful year and thanks for commenting, your words of support, following and for just liking my blog... :)


To mark this occasion I would like to round up the year with your top five most popular posts.

Ideas for reusing and recycling glass bottles and jars

Bathroom lighting ideas :: Moroccan and Turkish lamps

Kitchen design ideas :: Recycled & second-hand kitchens

Garden Pods, Hanging Playrooms, Artificial Grass :: Grand Designs Live 2011, London

Small bathroom design ideas :: Mirrors

Have a great weekend.

Latest Interior Design by ifdesign :: The New Wardrobe, Brisbane

I am so excited to tell you that one of our latest projects, a new women' s fashion store called The New Wardrobe, opens this Friday here in Oxford Street, Bulimba.

I was approached by the owners Lisa Norman & Maree Diamond to come up with an interior concept using natural colours and materials that reflects the feel of a walk-in wardrobe.

An early design style mood board

The store itself is a cute size so the next challenge was to create a store that felt brighter and more spacious. To do this we kept the joinery lightweight in look, used glass for some of the shelving, made the clothing, rear wall and central table the focus of the room and introduced plenty of mirrors. The use of a natural colour palette for the materials and finishes also helped to keep the room looking light and welcoming.

An early sketch of the shopfront

A sketch of the proposed interior design

Rather than selecting mass produced furniture Lisa & Maree had a fun time sourcing reclaimed and second hand furniture from the Woolloongabba Antique Centre and Brisbane Fabric Market. A few of these items were then re-upholstered for a fresh new look.

Shoe lasts and recycled furniture

For some of the smaller details timber shoe lasts were sourced from a small shoe making business in New Zealand and used as feature display mounts. Black cord was also used to make the drawer handles and timber from Dwyers Recycled Yard was used to make the mirror frames.

The store finished and ready to shop!

The use of low VOC paints for the walls, wood wash from Porters Paints for the display cabinets, 100% wool carpet for the central floor finish, recycled timber for the feature table and recessed LED lights were used to create a healthier, sustainable and low energy environment.

This has truly been a self build with a lot of love put into the construction as vast amounts of the store fit out has been implemented by Lisa, Maree and their supportive families.

This approach has given a small space a new lease of life with a strong identity and with the added bonus of reducing their energy and fit-out costs. 

If you are in Brisbane this week and would like first dibs at their gorgeous selection of clothing and shoes click here for information on the opening day this Friday.

I wish both Lisa and Maree all the best with their new business venture and an exciting journey as one of Brisbane's new fashion retailers.

Have fun.