Pre-renovation planning - paint colours!

Given that our renovations should start by the end of January 2011, there's a few things I can start thinking about now. One of them is paint colour. This is something that has really limited how good I could get our place looking prior to the big works. We always knew we were going to be knocking down walls etc, so there wasn't much point in painting. It is, however, the thing that makes the biggest overall difference to a place and can totally change its look and feel.

I found the coolest toy on the Taubman's website where you can test out your colour choices on finished rooms from the latest series of 'The Block'! I love playing with things like that.

I'm thinking of going for a colour scheme of grey, charcoal and antique white - sophisticated, able to make an impact, but still 'neutral' enough. For the two bedrooms, I'd like to do something like the following picture which I found on a blog called 'My Sweet Savannah' that has a few good grey decorating examples.

I also really like dark greys and am thinking of using this colour to define our entry alcove area when the wall is removed. I'm not sure if it will make it too dark, or separate the space in a funny way though? But I think the big gold mirror and the red Japanese lacquered bench in the entry would really 'pop' against a dark grey background. I found some awesome photos of how dark grey can be used at Design*Sponge.

The open-plan living/dining space I will just keep an antique white for the walls and a bright white for the ceilings to hopefully make it as bright and airy as we can.

Well, that's all for now. I'm off to the beach to soak up some nice weather before NYE celebrations tonight!

Starting the post-reno 'covet list'

I'm starting to collect quite the list of things I covet. I'm not buying anything until after the renovation is done (by mid 2011 at the latest, hopefully) but that doesn't stop me trawling the web for things to add to the list.

Near the top would have to be art. We definitely need a few more pieces to add personality and colour into our home. I've found this cool map of London available at Made by Girl, which will look awesome with the colour scheme I'm going to do (grey, white and charcoal) and remind me of the time Tom and I spent living in North Kensington.

I also love these little ceramic stools/occasional tables available at Interiors Online.

Lastly, a new dining table wouldn't go astray. Not sure if I can afford the real thing, but I do like the Isamu Noguchi Cyclone Dining Table (though it's a bit small at approx 110cm in diameter)

And that's just the tip of the iceberg...

Welcome - let's start at the beginning

Welcome to CandyHeartsHome. It's been about 15 years since I've done a blog (yes, I know, they did exist back then), and finally something inspired me enough to get cracking again. My husband and I bought a run-down, 1920's art deco apartment in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs just over three years ago. I've always wanted to renovate since I can remember, and after living in our place for the last three years with only minor-to-moderate changes, I finally get to go all-out!


As anyone who has renovated knows, it's hard work, and you discover many good (and not so good) suppliers and service providers along the way. Given the amount of effort and interest I have in process, I thought - why not document it? That way, hopefully I can share it with you (I can be a bit of an over-sharer), and maybe if I get some followers, you can share with me too.



I've already loaded some favourite blogs,  online mags and interiors shops. I've also added a separate page called 'Apartment Tour' which has some pics of what our place was like when we bought it, what it's like now, and hopefully what it's like when it's all gorgeous! 

Keep checking for regular updates on progress and sources of inspiration (i.e. things that I covet). xo