The Painted Hive

I’m chugging along with the flip house room reveals like a crazy lady. Or maybe just like a proper blogger? Either way I hope you haven’t been too alarmed by my level of efficiency – LOL!

This is the master suite which features a bedroom, ensuite and walk-in-wardrobe. Here’s how it looked a few months back…

And here it is now…

You can find side-by-side before and after images toward the end of the post.

Sorry, I didn’t take an after of the wardrobe because all we did was clean it out.

The master bedroom is one of the first rooms you glimpse as you walk in the front door. Given it has its own little entry hall I really wanted to draw people in and set the overall tone for the house with a slightly sophisticated mood.

The jumping off point was the mustard headboard which was an easy and affordable DIY (I’ll share a tutorial in the coming weeks).

We were lucky to already have the basic bed ensemble (as per the before pic) though the original Queen Anne style headboard just wasn’t working with the scale of the room. To give the bed some presence and added oomph something more significant was needed.

Initially I was going to go with a bold and contemporary pattern for the headboard, though I couldn’t find quite what I wanted, and then I stumbled across this plush mustard fabric.

I was smitten, and immediately pictured it with deep green, aged leather and shiny brass. It’s a slightly unusual colour scheme though I love that it’s different.

To compliment it I upholstered the bed base in a linen-look charcoal, which is actually a curtain panel!

Bed skirts, or valances, can be expensive, plus they don’t tend to come in a great range of styles and fabrics (and often they don’t fit well). By making your own you can tailor it perfectly and choose from a wide range of fabrics. I went with a curtain panel because the fact it’s already hemmed means there’s no sewing required! And often they are cheaper than buying the same amount of fabric off the bolt.

This curtain panel came in a set of two for $21 (on sale) and I used one whole panel plus a small strip of the second panel (I probably could have gotten away with using just one if I’d been more careful with my measuring). I’ll share a full tutorial in a future post though I essentially trimmed lengths to size then stapled them directly to the bed base until it was all covered.

The bedding is a mix of new and old.

The ticking sheet, block-printed coverlet set, faux leather lumbar cushion and green throw are things we already owned.

The green accent cushions and white euro pillows are from Spotlight.

The rug was a bit of a happy accident. I picked this one up on sale, not quite knowing where I was going to use it, and it works perfectly in here. The grey has a gentle green undertone which references all the other green without being too much, and the geometric pattern adds a slightly modern touch.

I would have loved some natural timber in here however no-one, myself included, was willing to sand the cube tables I found on eBay back to raw. It wouldn’t have been a super difficult job, though it’s not the funnest things to do in the world, especially when you already have a million projects on the go.

The original wenge finish was a little too dark, and damaged, so I decided to simply paint them using some left-over green sample pot paint.

I then added these cute brass corners from D Lawless Hardware for a touch of interest. It’s all in the details.

Atop the side tables sit glass lamps which I stole from my parent’s beach house (you may recognise them from this old makeover) and a variety of simple decor we already owned.

The brass planter holds faux Pincushion blooms (could you tell?) which I’ve supplemented with real gum leaves. Adding real foliage to artificial flowers is a no fail way of making them appear more authentic (although these ones do look pretty amazing as is). I adore live flowers though when you’re staging a property for sale it can get pricey replacing them every other week. This is a great cheat.

Another DIY from this space is the basket ceiling light.

I found this basket at Spotlight and immediately knew it was meant to be a light fixture! As with the headboard and bed skirt, I’ll share a full tutorial in the coming weeks though I essentially just re-purposed a lamp frame so I could attach it to the ceiling batten fitting like any regular light shade.

I was initially going to use it as a pendant though it felt a bit too imposing hanging low.

To give the natural seagrass a sense of belonging in the space, I added a simple cane mirror above the bed which speaks to it perfectly.

The curtains are the same sheers I used in the sitting room (Caprice Montego in ‘Linen’). I put them up in here first and decided I loved them so much I needed to use them again! They have a beautiful fall and each panel is nice and generous for a soft, full effect.

In my wide angle shot above I was able to capture the cute plant stands I have hiding around the corner.

I’ve filled them with lovely lush ferns and they’re the perfect little accent to fill this bare corner and add a touch of life and freshness to the space.

Although the transformation in the ensuite looks pretty extreme, we actually haven’t done much.

The toilet was a bit run down so we switched-out the seat and cistern to give it a fresh, clean look without replacing the entire thing.

And I had some left-over handles from the kitchen so we changed the original chrome pulls on the vanity for these more on-trend black ones.

Aside from that, it’s really just cleaning and staging.

We were fortunate it was so neutral to begin with. If anyone is currently designing their home and wants something which will stand the test of time, you can not go past classic black and white!

Most of the decor are bits and pieces we already owned.

The rug is vintage (borrowed from my aunt), and you may recognise the little stool from this previous DIY.

The little black vessel is another of my spray painted Op Shop finds which I’ve filled with sweet artificial sedum sprays, and the wall basket you can see reflected in the mirror matches those I’ve hung beside the front entrance. It looks a little lost here on that big blank wall however it’s actually positioned directly over the towel rail.

PRICE & SOURCE LIST (MASTER BEDROOM)

Carpet | Beaulieu Daytona in ‘Green Beige’ | $600

Light Fitting | DIY (basket from Spotlight) | $22 on sale*

Curtains & Fittings | Caprice Montego Sheers in ‘Linen’ (plus all hardware) from Spotlight | $65 on sale*

Floor Rug | Woolen Payton Maze Rug from Spotlight | $200 on sale*

Bed Ensemble | Already Owned | $0

Headboard | DIY (fabric from Spotlight) | $25

Side Tables | DIY (found on eBay) | $40

End of Bed Bench | Already Owned | $0

Round Mirror | Spotlight | $18*

Glass Lamps | Already Owned | $0

Planter Stands | Spotlight | $46 for both*

Ticking Sheet, Block-Printed Coverlet, Faux Leather Cushion, Green Throw | Already Owned | $0

Green Cushion Covers | Spotlight | $15 each on sale*

White Euro Pillow Covers | Spotlight | $4 each on sale*

Bed Skirt | DIY (using a curtain panel from Spotlight) | $15*

Brass Planter & Artificial Flowers | Koch & Co. | $32*

Other Decor | Already Owned | $0

TOTAL $655

PRICE & SOURCE LIST (ENSUITE)

New Toilet Cistern & Seat | Installed by Plumber | $160

Floor Rug | Already Owned | $0

Stool | Already Owned | $0

Wall Basket | Early Settler | $35*

Cabinet Pulls | eBay | $3 each

Artificial Sedum Sprays | Koch & Co. | $9*

Other Decor | Already Owned | $0

TOTAL $175

*We were super lucky to be gifted some items from Spotlight, Koch & Co and Early Settler. 
I’ve provided their costs however they are excluded from the total.

Here are the side-by-side before and afters…

Hope you guys like it.

As mentioned, I’ll be back to share the DIY tutorials once the entire flip house has been revealed.

Next up I’ll be posting the open plan dining and living spaces (which just may be my favourite)!

Find all of the previous flip house posts HERE.

Firstly, thank you all so much for the beautiful response to my last post. I was totally overwhelmed and uplifted by your lovely comments which have really stirred me to get a move on with sharing more of the flip house!

Carrying on with my ‘front to back’ tour, I’m moving just right of the entrance into the fourth bedroom/home office (you can find the floor plan HERE if you’d like to get a better sense of the layout of the house). Here’s how it looked before…

Sorry, they aren’t the greatest before pics.

And here it is now…

You can find side-by-side before and after images toward the end of the post.

As mentioned in previous posts, one of the big changes was adding a door. Not only does this allow us to market the property as having four bedrooms (instead of just three and a study), it gives the new home owners the option of closing the room off – whatever they decide to use it for.

I was tossing-up between dressing this area as a nursery, a guest bedroom, and even a multi-purpose space with a daybed and a desk (which would have been pretty cool), however in the end I kept things simple by going with a basic study.

Once I decided on the study route, I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted (I know, super strange for me!).

I saw a grid of art over a desk, a slip-covered parson chair, a plush rug, a large tree and a cute bookshelf.

I was struggling to find a desk I liked when I came across this one in Officeworks. The shape mimics the entry console I built perfectly, and the modern, slightly masculine style works to ground some of the more pretty and vintage touches in the room. Love it!

The chair is from my mum’s house.

I wanted something with a skirted slip-cover to harp back to the ottomans in the entry. I was seriously considering buying an almost identical chair from Ikea when mum reminded me she had this one. It’s just a regular timber dining chair which she recently sewed a slip-cover for and added a DIY seat pad to.

At first I wasn’t sure about the ticking (I do ADORE ticking though in my mind saw plain cream linen) though it adds a subtle dash of pattern which actually works really well.

I was lucky to be gifted the gorgeous rug a few months back. It’s from We Berber and is the most lush thing in the whole wide world. For reals.

We Berber hand-weave their rugs in Morocco from natural wool and using ethical, fair-trade means. They are so lovely.

The artwork grid uses gold frames from Kmart and my free printable ferns.

I almost backed-out when I realised the frames were going to cost me almost $100, but I bit the bullet and just went for it. I could potentially have bought slightly cheaper frames and spray-painted them though decent gold spray paint is fairly expensive anyways so in the end I wouldn’t have been that much better off. Plus it would have added yet another project to my compiling list.

Thankfully the prints only needed to be quite small and cost me less than $4 in total from Officeworks. Score!

For a while I wasn’t sure whether to go with edgy abstracts or soft botanicals, however in the end I figured the house already had enough abstract art. I like creating a sense of continuity though sometimes you also need to break things up. I’ve used botanical prints in one of the bathrooms too so they are echoed elsewhere (which saves them from being lost and lonely in here).

On the wall opposite the desk I positioned this cute bamboo shelf which I picked-up from Marketplace for $50.

I love this shelf and have always wanted one. It’s staged with a variety of items we already owned. I stuck with mainly books to reinforce the office feel and plopped this large green demijohn beside it for a touch of colour and interest.

Even with the desk, chair and shelf, there was still quite a bit of empty space in the room and for some reason I decided a tree was called for.

I’ve never used a tree in an interior before however it’s not exactly anything new. Problem was, trees generally aren’t cheap and I was pretty much out of coin.

Enter this branch (okay, perhaps small limb) from one of my parent’s established olive trees.

I have it sitting inside a narrow, tall glass vase filled with water to help sustain it, which is sitting inside a standard, plastic pot filled with rocks to help weight it, which is sitting inside the Kmart belly basket to help make it look nice.

Apparently the branch should last for many months. What a great free way to fill a void in a room and add instant earthiness and life to any space.

The simple light fitting is from Bunnings and adds just the right hint of casual texture.

Finally, the decor on the desk consists of items we already owned.

You may recognise the green flat file drawers and timber card catalogue from my previous DIY posts.

The brass magnifying stand is out of my little man’s bedroom (originally from TK Maxx) and the black stone canister is stolen from my mum’s laundry (originally from Kmart).

PRICE & SOURCE LIST

New Door & Frame | Professionally Installed | $585

Carpet | Beaulieu Daytona in ‘Green Beige’ | $380

Desk | Rustic One Drawer Computer Desk from Officeworks | $159*

Chair | Already Owned | $0

Floor Rug | OOAK from We Berber | $350*

Bamboo Shelves | Facebook Marketplace | $50

Ceiling Light Shade | Cali String Batten Fix from Bunnings | $52*

Olive ‘Tree’ | Clipping from Garden | $0

Belly Basket | Already Owned (originally from Kmart) | $0

Gallery Grid Frames | Kmart | $90

Botanical Prints | Officeworks | $4

Decor | Already Owned | $0

TOTAL $1,109

*We were super lucky to be gifted some items from Bunnings, Officeworks and We Berber. 
I’ve provided their costs however they are excluded from the total.

Here are the comparison images…

So happy with the way this room came together. Given it’s right at the front of the house I especially love the way it looks through the window from the street.

I’ll be back soon to share the master bedroom and ensuite!

Find all of the previous flip house posts HERE.

In other news, it looks like the house will be Open for Inspection this coming Saturday! I’ll be sure to let you know more once things come to light. Would love to see you there if you’re able!

It’s been so hard trying to decide which spaces to share first!

In the end I thought it made sense to lead you through the house from front to back, just like anyone might view it in reality, so I’m kicking-off with the entry and sitting room.

Here’s how things looked a few months back…

And here are the spaces now…

You can find side-by-side before and after images toward the end of the post.

Of course, I’ve already shared the exterior entrance in my facade reveal post.

And the interior entrance in my entry reveal post.

So what I really want to show you is the sitting room.

This space was a thorn in my side throughout most of the flip.

Whilst it might look well-resolved and purposeful now, for the longest time I really struggled to envision how things were going to come together in here.

I had a mish-mash of furniture to work with, no focal point (ideally I would have loved a free-standing fireplace – or similar – in here), and a slightly awkward room with asymmetrical corner windows. On top of that I needed a clever way of tying said ‘mish-mash’ in to the quite bold entry so there was a sense of cohesion between the adjoining areas.

This was very much a ‘make-do’ room. To begin with, I had the raisin-toned sofa (which, as you can see from the before pics, came with the house), the bamboo coffee table which I picked up for $50 from Marketplace, two sweet wicker armchairs I got from Early Settler and the DIY ceiling pendant which came from Bunnings.

Individually they were all pretty great pieces, though together nothing worked.

How was I going to make sense of all this?

With styling…that’s how!

As much as I believe in the power or accessorising, I must admit that I still had my doubts. Though I could not be happier with the way this space has come together.

I started with one of the new Bunnings rugs (this is the Wemyss – which I absolutely LOVE!).

And then some simple sheer curtains (I got mine on sale for $40) to help soften the room.

I added matching side tables (these are the Kmart black stone ones) to provide a sense of continuity.

And a simple brass stand (which is actually a gold Kmart tray atop a metal pot tripod!).

The biggest challenge was the long blank wall above the two wicker armchairs.

I wanted to do something really impactful here, which echoed the graphic nature of the entry wallpaper, without it being too full-on.

Well, it may be a bit too full-on for some people, though not for me :)

My initial idea was a simple row of four or five really large frames, though even the Kmart ones were going to be too expensive (the sitting room was one of the last rooms I decorated so funds were running low). Eventually I compromised by buying five smaller frames which I filled with a collection of downloadable abstracts from Etsy. I had the art printed as A3 documents at Officeworks for less than $2 each.

I was going to create a gallery with the black and white frames alone, though I just wasn’t convinced they were going to span enough of the wall. This is quite a deep room and I wanted something to compliment the scale. So, at the last minute I decided to add in some of my own vintage artworks.

I couldn’t love this gallery more!

One of the easy little projects was creating “lamps” for the side tables.

I had this vision of large matching stone lamps though they are sooooo expensive! I looked high and low on second-hand sites and in Op Shops however, whilst it’s not that difficult to come across a cool individual lamp, finding a pre-loved pair isn’t quite so easy.

Eventually I stumbled across two large ceramic vases and my mind went ‘ding’. I could totally pop a shade on top and pretend they are lamps! Of course they wouldn’t be operable though for staging purposes that’s totally okay. And once I have time later on I can work out a way to make them function.

The vases were nice though had a bright blue glaze which clearly didn’t suit the colour scheme of the house so I painted them using left-over Dulux Texture Paint from the facade. I then sprayed them grey (again, using left-over paint – Dulux Chalky Finish in Rivieria Grey) and dry brushed on some white to give them a rustic, weathered concrete look.

They shades were a $15 Marketplace find and whilst I could have simply sat them on the rim of the vases, I added little wooden raises (just made from some dowel off-cuts) to boost them up a bit.

All of the cushions are filled with feather inserts from mine and mum’s personal stash. The mustard cover and wide stripe cover are old-stock from H&M. All of the other covers have been sewn by mum using inexpensive fabrics from Spotlight.

I wanted white to freshen the room and brighten-up the dark sofa. The mustard ties-in with the warm wood and gold elements and the classic black and white lumbars reference the wallpaper without competing.

To bring everything together and give the room a sense of “life” I finished by adding a few simple decor pieces.

All of these items are things we already owned.

The large glass vase is still available at Kmart and is so perfect for displaying statement foliage. I simply picked these clippings from a massive tree I found on the side of the road and they add just the right amount of punch to the room.

The Habitat book was a recent birthday gift and I highly recommend it. Author Lauren Liess is one of my all-time favourite designers!

So, that’s pretty much it for this area. I hope you like it!

PRICE & SOURCE LIST

Carpet | Daytona by Beaulieu in ‘Green Beige’ | $500

Wicker Chairs | Martinique Arm Chair from Early Settler | $200 each*

Sofa | Already Owned | $0

Coffee Table | Facebook Marketplace | $50

Floor Rug | Wemyss from Bunnings | $149*

Light Fitting | Mika DIY Pendant Light from Bunnings | $156*

Curtains & Fittings | Caprice Montego Sheers in ‘Ivory’ (plus all hardware) from Spotlight | $65 on sale

Stone Side Tables | Kmart | $29 each

Brass Side Table | DIY (gold tray on plant stand tripod we already owned) | $0

Lamps | DIY (ceramic vases topped with IKEA shades) | $25 each

Abstract Wall Art | Kmart Frames with Digital Downloads from Etsy Printed by Officeworks | $53 total

Vintage Wall Art | Already Owned | $0

Large Glass Vase | Already Owned (originally from Kmart) | $0

Dough Bowl | Already Owned (originally from Etsy) | $0

Small Decor (Candlesticks, Wooden Horse, Burl Bowl) | Already Owned | $0 each

Books | Already Owned | $0

White Cushion Covers | DIY using Fabric from Spotlight | $15

Black & White Stripe Lumbar Cushion Covers | DIY using Fabric from Spotlight | $10

Gold & Wide Stripe Cushion Covers | Already Owned (originally from H&M) | $0

Feather Cushion Inserts | Already Owned | $0

TOTAL $791

*We were super lucky to be gifted some items from Early Settler and Bunnings. 
I’ve provided their costs however they are excluded from the total.

For further price and source information about the entry and facade, please refer to their original posts (as linked).

Find the side-by-side before and after images below.

As always, feel free to ask any questions and I’ll do my best to help. Looking forward to sharing more soon!

Catch up on all the flip house posts HERE.