There are a range of age-old questions that have had the minds of humankind in a tizz since, well, forever. Stuff like, what’s the meaning of life? Do aliens really exist? And what makes a house a home? We’ll leave the first two for you to ponder (and hey, shout out if you find the answer!) but when it comes to making a house a home, we enlisted an experienced professional to help us get to the bottom of things. Enter Nadia Fitzgerald, Mojo Homes Interior & Exterior Designer, who has over two decades worth of experience in residential and commercial interior design across Australia and New Zealand. Now Nadia is hands-on in turning fresh new builds for Mojo Homes into inspiring and welcoming spaces for everyone to enjoy.
“Houses that really work from a design perspective and that people tend to gravitate towards, all do one thing – they tap into emotions and evoke connection.”
When I asked Nadia whether the essence of Interior Design comes down to precise cushion placement and adding candles to every empty benchtop, she smiled. “It’s so much more than that. Houses that really work from a design perspective and that people tend to gravitate towards, all do one thing – they tap into emotions and evoke connection.” Nadia believes it’s all about helping people feel something special when they walk inside a house so they can imagine themselves cooking in that kitchen or sleeping in that master bedroom.
“It takes so many different aspects to achieve this result – it comes down to the external materials, the paint colours, the fabrics, the choices in flooring and window dressings and of course, the furniture and all the decorative items. It all needs to flow together.”
Nature’s best
Bathrooms often work better if they are minimalist and simple. As one of the busier rooms of the house, functionality needs to sit side by side with style. “In this home, which is built by the sea, I avoided pattern tiles and went for texture instead. These floor
tiles are simple but they remind you of walking on the sand and the vanities that we chose have a drift wood look which brings hints of nature inside,” says Nadia. “There shouldn’t be anything in a bathroom that isn’t essential. This will give you a seamless flow and asense of space to an area that can be small.”
So, whether you’ve just built a brand-new home from scratch or are simply ready to give a tired-looking room a bit of a zhuzh up, where do you even start? Nadia says whether you’re a seasoned interior design professional or new to the game, the only place to begin is with a mood board. “A mood board gives you a clear vision and keeps you on track. Having a selection of images from Instagram or magazines or whatever inspires you plus colour and material choices, makes the process so much easier.” After the big design decisions are made, like room layout options and what building materials you want to use, a mood board will make chatting to consultants at suppliers and homeware shops so much easier. Everyone will be on the same page, and you’ll undoubtedly end up with a cohesive, homely space. It’s time to get that glue stick out!
A sanctuary for sleep
When it comes to the master bedroom, it’s all about creating a sense of warmth and intimacy. “As soon as you walk into this room, you want to be surrounded by beautiful textures and soft colours to help induce a sense of serenity and relaxation,” says Nadia. “I always think it’s better to stick to neutral, natural colours as the base for walls and window dressings, then add colour in a lovely occasional chair, your bed linen, cushions and accessories because it’s much more affordable and easier to switch these up!”
When it comes to a design vision, Nadia suggests that staying away from matching choices is important if you want to create a space that feels welcoming and warm, rather than sterile and cold. We all tend to love a good dose of white linen action but mixing things up with eclectic choices and being brave enough to blend distinctive styles together, will evoke a ‘feeling’ within a space and that’s where the magic happens. “You can love the Hamptons style but that doesn’t mean you need every single thing in your house to be white, with a tiny hint of blue… choose pieces of furniture and accessories that you really love and that complement each other but aren’t overly matched,” states Nadia.
Window splashback
A trick that’s not so new but always so effective in bringing the outside in, is the living kitchen splashback. Using a window instead of a traditional tiled or stainless splashback, instantly brings nature into your living spaces, adding natural light and creating the illusion of additional space but there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. “People make the mistake of planting their greenery too far back towards the fence, instead of closer to the window. You need to layer plants, so you get that effective block of green colour with light filtered through. You don’t have to plant trees outside your window splashback, but you’ll need to think hard about what you can see from your kitchen and paint your fence or add sculptural elements outside so it becomes an extension of your home and not an afterthought.”
If the idea of choosing colours and textures for a new house project leaves you anxiously pacing the paint card aisle of Bunnings, Nadia has a fail-safe tip for you: look to nature. “Most interior designers use nature as their biggest inspiration. You can find the perfect colour combinations in leaves or in a rock you find at the beach then it’s all about bringing these ideas into your home – nature very rarely gets it wrong.” Using nature to draw texture into your home is also a clever interior designer trick. Nadia considers the geography of where the house is built before making choices in tiles or bench tops. On the beach? Try channelling the look of sand into your laundry tiles or consider the hues of the ocean when choosing towels and bedlinen. If your house is surrounded by trees, let the foliage around you inspire your choice of dining table or what rug you decide on.
Brush of colour
It’s tempting to choose a piece of art that works with the exact palette as the room you’re decorating, but Nadia encourages us to be bold and brave in our choices. “If your home has a lot of greys, or whites or browns, you don’t need to stick with these colours when choosing art. I say this about furniture as well. Be eclectic in your choices and add different elements and colours to each room. Sometimes they might be clashing or contrasting elements but if they still talk to each other, then it’s going to work. The result will be an interesting, warm, and inviting home. It’s all about trial and error and giving things a go.”
Ultimately, making a house feel like a home comes down to personal choices, collecting pieces that make you happy and being confident enough to put it all together. As for interior design trends, Nadia recommends treading lightly. “I don’t follow a lot of trends because they come and go so quickly. Follow your heart instead and look for materials and timeless pieces that you really love and that draw on the emotions. Turning a house into a home doesn’t have to break the bank, but it does take time and effort in imagining a space that you’ll never want to leave.”
Outdoor nooks
Making a house a home doesn’t stop at the back door. Landscaping and outdoor spaces are just as important to the overall feel of any home. Creating outdoor spaces or nooks, where you can gather, rest, and enjoy your space, is an easy way to increase the functionality of your home. “Outdoor entertaining should really be an extension of your indoor spaces so look for that flow when you choose colours and materials. Buying furniture that you can easily move around depending on the season is a great idea – then you can curl up in the sun on a lovely outdoor chair in the winter and enjoy a cool drink with friends in a shady spot in summer.”
