Design Anatomy
Welcome to Design Anatomy, where we examine the world of interiors and design. With a shared passion for joyful, colour-filled, and lived-in spaces, Bree Banfield and Lauren Li are excited to share their insights and inspiration with you.
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Design Anatomy
Bad Interior Design Advice
Ever wondered if your open floor plan is more of a hassle than a haven? Discover why Bree Banfield and Lauren Li think it might be time to rethink this modern design staple. We explore the hidden pitfalls of open layouts, from echoing acoustics to the woeful wafts of last night’s dinner. With a fresh perspective on furniture placement and clever solutions like sliding doors, we invite you to rethink how you can achieve both openness and functionality in your home.
Creating a home that caters to family dynamics often means reimagining spaces to balance togetherness and privacy. Let's talk about how broken plan designs can keep the family connected while giving everyone their own space to breathe. We spotlight the value of thoughtful design choices, like separating toilet areas in bathrooms to boost both privacy and comfort. As families grow, so do their needs, and we highlight intelligent decor strategies to foster interaction without compromising personal space.
Why wait for a "forever home" when you can live fully in the now? Join us as we challenge the notion of designing with resale in mind, urging you to tailor your home to today's tastes rather than tomorrow's market. Whether it's a bold pink kitchen or an eclectic mix of decor, personal expression should reign supreme. Hear stories of how individual style triumphs over conventional trends, and why investing in what you love leads to a more meaningful and authentic living space.
Want the low-down on the good stuff? Sign up for the launch of Design Edit by Bree Banfield - curated pre-selected decor collections, workshops, design tours and trends. Learn more: BREE BANFIELD
If you're sitting at your desk about to send a fee proposal and you'd just like to run it by someone else first? Or have you ever had a client dilemma and it just doesn't feel right but no one you know understands (except for the dog)?
And do you wonder why you're not raking it in when you're practically living at your desk, busting your creative chops 'round the clock?
These are the things we're diving into with a small group of designers just like you. And so much more in THE CONVERSATION CIRCLE
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Welcome to Design Anatomy, the interior design podcast hosted by friends and designers me, b Banfield and me, Lauren Li, with some amazing guests appearances along the way, and today we're going to be discussing what we consider to be bad interior design advice, which may be controversial at times. Who knows, everyone has different opinions on these things. These are just things that we think don't work or should be rethought about, I think. And while we have you, if you want to jump into the show notes, you'll find links there to the things that Lauren and I do in the real world For me. You'll find a link to subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date with things we're doing this year, which is bespoke packages sorry, more curated rather than bespoke packages to help you design your home on your own, with a little bit of help from me, as well as some short courses coming up later in the year. So fun and for any designers out there listening, we are doing the conversation circle, which is a small and tall group, so if you want to be with your own people, like-minded, we all get you. Um, yeah, come and join. And yeah, again, there's a link in the show notes. So this is an interesting one, I reckon, br, because we have opinions, we always have opinions. I think you know we have a bit of experience, you know behind us when it comes to interior design and some things you know seem like a great idea and then when you live in it, you realise, oh, that's so great Not really working for me. I didn't even think about these things.
Speaker 1:So I think the first one, for me, the number one thing that I think is bad interior design advice, is open. Find spaces. Oh, controversial, mostly, just because nearly all of us have them. Right, nearly all of us, not everyone, but I guess, particularly if you're in a newer home or a home that was built even just in the last 15 years or more, you probably have an open plan living, dining, kitchen, at least. Right, definitely. And even if it's a renovation, you know, we probably have seen this before you know a gorgeous little worker's cottage with this big box on the back which holds the kitchen, dining and living. And the reason why I don't think it works is because of well, there's a few things, there's acoustics, so it gets very noisy when we're all in that same space. You've got the cooking, you've got the dishwasher whirring, you've got the range hood. It's very noisy. Somebody is trying to watch tv and then somebody over here is trying to do some work and it's sort of like a bit of study area and then it's just like very overwhelming.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that, um, I can see where the merit came from in open plan. I think the way it's designed is what's really important. So you can have the idea of an open plan, but the TV room might be open to the dining and kitchen, but you've got big, giant sliding doors that close, for instance, when you don't want it to be open. So I think it comes down, for me, it comes down to functionality and if you are renovating, sometimes you do feel like you want that sense of space. I think this has become a thing in Australian interiors, isn't it? Having a sense of space where that's why they're like oh, we want to open this up and we want to, or we want to be feeling connected to outside, and sometimes the only way to do that is to open up a back room so that the kitchen can see through to outside. But it has to be done well and if you just kind of create this big open room, it can be really hard to furnish as well in terms of the loud of the furniture, acoustics, as you said. And then for me it's also decoration, in terms of paint color or wallpaper or wall finishes, whatever you're doing, and even flooring. Where that stops and starts Like if that's all overlooked, it becomes bad design. Right, you're right. Like a lot of the time I've seen clients they're not lacking in space, but they can't figure out their furniture placement and they've got this sort of big open area and it just wasn't quite done. You know you need to just drop in on your floor plan the furniture. Where's the TV going to be? You've got windows everywhere. Then how do we? It's just like basic, like we all watch TV still.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's also lipstick is also smell, because when you're cooking in the kitchen sometimes you don't want to smell like the whole house, like a fish curry or whatever. Yeah, I think it is hard though, isn't it? I find the kitchen's the trickiest spot. I think that we can easily create like alcoves or rooms that adjoin, that can feel a bit more open plan when it comes to, say, like a TV room or a sitting room and a dining room. But I think that the danger with the closed off kitchen is the person that's cooking and dare I say, it is often female, I know that's changing feels like they're kind of like locked away in this little room on their own cooking. So I think it's trying to work out how to make sure it doesn't feel like that. Right, so true, and I mean to have to be, to be fair. Um, if you are organizing the space and if you're planning it right, the smells are still going to come through. So it's a bit of a hard one to resolve.
Speaker 1:You actually just need a really good extraction, exactly Rangewood. I've seen houses that there is this big box on the back and they've got all of this space in the middle of the floor. They're like what should we do with this space? I'm like I've got no of this space in the middle of the floor. They're like what should we do with this space? I'm like, yes, no idea. They're like so much should we put a little table thing here? I'm like it's kind of not big enough for that, but it's just like what is it for? No, I refer to it. I've same thing. Many times have I been into a client's place and it has been actually renovated, you know, not so long ago, but it needs some work. And I sort of refer to those weird spaces as the dance floor. Well, here's your dance floor, yeah, exactly. Or sometimes Just this big weird empty spot yeah, they're like this is where wrestling happens, like if you've got little kids, yeah, and the thing is like okay, I get it.
Speaker 1:Family homes do need flow through spaces, but there are those moments where you go I don't even know how to resolve this for you unless we start, you know, moving a wall or whatever it is, because it feels it actually feels wrong, and sometimes it's really frustrating because another space needed that space yeah, exactly, do you know what I mean? And you can't move it there. Yes, you've got this pokey little study or whatever, and then all of this wasted space that you know no one really thought about what it would be for, and it's so great to have that feeling of spaciousness, but when it kind of echoes in there, that doesn't feel like a space to hang out. No, like that's the thing with the noise and the echo, it's harder to make it lived in and cozy and more like a home. It's going to always feel a little bit empty. It's much harder to add character as well, isn't it. True.
Speaker 1:I remember this client. She wanted her family to all be together. What would happen is her teenage kids would go off in their room because it was such an uncomfortable space to be. I was like, how sad is that that they can't spend time together? Yeah, it does have impact. It really does. It definitely has impact. Yeah, she was upset about it. And actually, in particular, that age group I think sometimes we think about particularly if you're you often will have young kids right when you renovate or buy a new home or build a new home, and so you are thinking about the fact that you will be with them in that space. But it does change a lot as they get older and spend that time in their room. So you do want it to be inviting and a space that you want to sit at. So you do need to be thinking about those change of life moments when you're designing for a family too. I think that's really important.
Speaker 1:I suppose what I would suggest, other than that broken plan, is what's known as a broken plan. So that's more like an L-shaped space, or maybe there's like a courtyard. Yeah, I love an L-shaped space. Yeah, so you can still be connected. That's right. My favourite design actually is around like more like a C-shape, so, yeah, you have that kind of like courtyard-y space. You still have connection to the outdoors and a visual to outside and it's connected. But yeah, as you said, broken. I like that. It's good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not always possible once you have an open plan, but there are ways to help it. Well, I think that's. You know, with open plan it's like the designing is left up to the end user. It's left up to the end user, it's left up to the homeowner and they don't know how to organise their furniture in a way. That's sort of all left up to them. You know, sometimes you do need a bit of help. Yeah, I would say that I've worked on open plan in terms of decoration, so that you know footprint's already there.
Speaker 1:I've just finished the house actually, and it does have a very beautiful, warm feeling about it. I mean, it's helped that there's some great materials there, but it has. We have had to delineate pretty. Basically, there's the kitchen, there's the dining room, there's the living room, but I guess then it comes down to clever decorating in terms of the layers. You know where the rug goes, how big it is, what sort of sofa you have. You know, like I feel like the sofa needs to be a little bit more kind of, I guess, creating a division in the room for the living room as well. So maybe it doesn't work as well to have like a single sofa and, uh, individual chairs. It probably feels like it kind of grounds the space to have a much bigger kind of, you know, curb sofa or something like that. So, yeah, I think it's just approaching it. When you are stuck with it, for want of a better word, it's about making sure that you've got kind of like things going on in there. That kind of grounds it and doesn't feel like this big kind of open showroom kind of vibe.
Speaker 1:Definitely, I think this client that I'm thinking of in particular you know all of the furniture was pushed to the edge of the wall. All of the furniture was pushed to the edge of the wall. Ah, yes, nothing worse. It's nothing worse and just you can't have a conversation. That's why it felt like such an uncomfortable place for her family to spend time together. So it is exactly what you said. It's back in the right size, the right scale sofa and the right type of armchairs or whatever, so it flows correctly. I mean it sounds like we're talking about really insignificant things, but I think you know when a family won't come together and that's really upsetting for her. It actually does me a lot. Yeah, no, I agree, it can definitely impact.
Speaker 1:You've written one, lauren, which I actually agree with too, which is kind of about open plan, but open plan in the bathroom that includes a toilet in the open plan bathroom. I couldn't agree more. It's probably one of the things I hate the most. I mean, sometimes I get it. Maybe there's not enough room, en-suites can be really tricky, but there's ways. Like you know, you create like a cubicle, like a shower cubicle, with the toilet in it. You would have seen that done in hotels. It's a great example of how to separate it, because when it's just there in the room, like it's not A, they're ugly, true, and B. When we talked about smells before, maybe this is also kind of related to this room and it's kind of right next to a toilet. When it's your own suite, yeah, and God forbid, you also have a bath.
Speaker 1:So if you're having a bath, the toilet's right there, yeah, well, we have had, you know, situations with and without, and when we did our renovation, we definitely made sure that there was a door to the toilet. You know, when you've got little kids and stuff plus, it's nice to have this door. It's like a minute of privacy. Oh God, yes, you need that room. Sometimes the only privacy you have all day is going to the bathroom, it's true. But even if you're visiting a friend or something and you're in their bathroom and you feel like you're really far from the door I don't know if that's just me, but I feel like somebody could just burst in no, it is a thing. It's definitely a thing. Yeah, because you don't know what their family dynamics like. Maybe they all just like open the door, you're in there, like, yeah, I know, you know there's no lock.
Speaker 1:Actually, let's add that in have a lock on your bathroom door. Yeah, can I tell you a story? So our bathroom, it's all one big bathroom with a toilet and you know the toilet's far from the door. There is a lock, but we don't have the key for that lock, so we've had to hide it with sticky tape, because if you lock it and close the door, we can't get in. So we don't use the lock.
Speaker 1:So anyway, you know, I'm in the bathroom, I'm using the toilet and I've got a little three-year-old toddler who walked past, opened up the door, swung it wide open and we had one of my Indy's friends over for a play date and she saw me sitting there on the toilet. She did not need to see that. At least it wasn't like you know, 10 dinner guests off in the distance or something Exactly. Oh, it's the worst. Hi, hey, everyone. I was like oh, my God, god, I'm so sorry you had to see me so you were tired. That's awkward. Yes, no, we definitely need some delineation there. Yes, a screen at the minimum or some kind of screenage at the minimum, right, just, yeah, I think it's good.
Speaker 1:I think another one and I dare say that we would agree with this one is people think to make a small room feel bigger, they will paint it white. Oh gosh, it's such a myth, isn't it? It is. It does not work. People do this all the time, yeah, and then they regret it, I feel like.
Speaker 1:So the only thing that sort of makes something feel bigger in a room, if it's to do with color, is receding colors. Right, we've touched on this before. So you can actually have a really dark room that's like a midnight blue or something, and because that color recedes, it can make the room feel bigger, even though it's not white and bright. And I think that that's the other. I think there's two things it's making the room feel bigger and the other thing people think that that's the other. I think there's two things it's making the room feel bigger and the other thing people think is that, oh, it's a dim room with not a lot of light, so we'll paint it white. And that's probably my, that's probably my favorite bad design advice, because it's it's the worst, like.
Speaker 1:So, as soon as you paint a shadowy room white, what do you get? Gray, shadowy, no character, it feels cold. So grey, shadowy, no character, it feels cold. So as soon as you add some kind of color to it, at least there's something in the shadow, um, I say, I say to clients or anyone that asks me about that embrace the moodiness of that room, bring in beautiful lighting, create moments with that. You're never gonna, unless you break a hole in the ceiling, you're not gonna get more sunlight in there because there's a white wall slightly reflecting the dim sunlight coming from the other side of the room. It just doesn't work that way. So that's my. I kind of get all cross on my high horse about that one. I think it's just because as well you know the impact that color can have and it is just so beautiful.
Speaker 1:And also, I think that there is this obsession with making a room seem big. I'm like why, yes, like, if it's a small room, lean into it, as you said, lean into that craziest. It's not going to feel big at all if it's a small room. And I also think that, um, having less things in there people like don't put too much stuff in it well, I actually think that can make it feel smaller. It's almost like you can create a few little moments in the room, that kind of just fill it up a little bit and create more points of interest, maybe. Um, yeah, yeah it's.
Speaker 1:I think that's the same thing as what I was saying about the, the dark room. I guess you're saying embrace it and make it cozy and and you know, not cluttered, but like interesting with elements, rather than just like a, a small room that has nothing going on, and then that's all. You focus on the fact that it's small, yeah, kind of distract from the fact that it's small with the pretty things and making it interesting. So you're not going, oh, that's, that's a tiny room. Instead you're going, wow, that's a cool room. And then you might go, oh, it's small, but hey, doesn't this work, whereas if you remove everything, you just go, that's a really small room. That's pretty boring. Well, I think you know it's true, because if you um, you know, if you're moving house and you see the bedroom and you're like, oh, that's a small bedroom, but then when you put a bed in there and your bed's a tub, so actually it's not that small there's something about it being empty that makes it feel small. Well, it gives it a point of reference, doesn't it Exactly?
Speaker 1:And sometimes people think a small room I'm going to put small furniture pieces, a small sofa, a small coffee table. It's actually. No, actually a bigger sofa that's just in proportion actually makes the room feel bigger than lots of small pieces as well. Yeah, yeah, I think it's a. It can be a visual thing too, like if you I don't know, it can be like what's on the floor that can make something look bigger is better than trying to make it look bigger with a white wall, like it's the making sure your rug is proportionally right to your furniture and the room, whereas I feel like you can actually make a room look smaller by having a too small rug. You know how it sort of breaks everything up visually. Yeah, yeah, it looks kind of piddly and it floats in the space. You want to make sure that you know the furniture sits on the rug and it feels like a much more expensive sort of Be generous with what you put in a room, even if it's small, I think is a good way to look at it. I love that.
Speaker 1:What about natural stone? I don't want natural stone. I feel like we've talked about this a few things, I think, because we love it, right, we love natural stone. But yeah, that's the thing, that's it. I think people get really scared of it, really terrified of it, and I think I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think the key is to do your research. It's not an indestructible material. It does take a bit of care and most things aren't right. All the good things aren't. I mean, if you want something indestructible, I was about to say the things that are worthwhile. Yeah, you know it's come from nature. It's very hard wearing, it is very strong and all stones are the same. So you know you can research a stone that fits the way that you live in your home and you know like a quartzite is more dense than a marble and you know a travertine is extremely soft I would probably really hesitate to specify that for a kitchen bench for anyone, so they're not all the same, but that's so true can get a bit frustrating sometimes when clients are like I don't want actual stone, we need to unpack it a bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you need to educate a little bit, but also I think I guess it also comes down to the acceptance of that beauty isn't necessarily perfection. So it's like stone and timber and all those beautiful natural materials aren't going to stay as perfect as they are when they first come into your home. But that's actually what makes them beautiful, that's they're going to evolve with you over time and and become more beautiful as they kind of age. And I think that's that's the importance of kind of understanding that but also accepting that that's how it works. Don't you think like, because some people just don't love that totally and I think what you're saying? It really underpins all what we're saying about interior design advice, wanting something perfect, yeah, fresh out the box, perfect, like. What does that even mean? And sometimes you really have to challenge your clients a little bit and say you know, um, that doesn't always mean beautiful.
Speaker 1:A painter tells a story, it has soul, you know, it captures some sort of feeling that's beautiful, and they've never really thought about that before perhaps. Yeah, which actually kind of leads into one that is further down our list, but I'm going to jump in and say it now and that is because it also relates a little bit back to, you know, designing through families. You know, changing is you and I both work on family homes quite often, and one of the things people do kind of get a bit stuck on sometimes is oh well, we don't want to invest in XXXX until the kids are bigger, older, not babies, not toddlers, and then it's sort of just. I feel like your life or the way you want to live kind of gets put off a little bit, and I don't think it's necessary. I think you can still do great design and make a home feel beautiful and still invest in pieces and have young children and I will be challenged on this and I know not all children are the same.
Speaker 1:I know that my first child was amazing and never did anything, and my second he's the terror destroyed, maybe a couple of things, but they were actually not, let's say I won't say cheap, let's say affordable an affordable coffee table that was veneer and what he did because it was veneer I couldn't fix, whereas potentially, if it had been a bit more of an investment piece, we could have fixed it like a solid timber or something as an example. Well, I agree it can be frustrating then. Frustrating, I understand, but I feel like you don't want to live your life on hold for that moment, that everything's going to be great and everything. And I feel like that almost brings me to the next point, which, again, maybe not everyone's going to agree with, but I don't think we should strive to live in a forever home. Oh yeah, because you know we can plan as much as we can for the future.
Speaker 1:And you know I've had clients that have adult children and they're like, oh great, we can use some really beautiful fabrics that we don't have to use outdoor fabric for the sofa, we can use a lovely whatever. And they're like, oh no good, I might have grandkids one day. Like I've got a client who's literally bought all of these clothes for her grandchild that hasn't been born. Oh no, yeah no, she's so funny, she's so funny, it's on its way now, though, so that's good, but, you know, planning for what might happen as well, like, just, I feel that life changes, our tastes change, our lifestyle changes. You never know what could happen around the corner.
Speaker 1:Live in the now, and that's just maybe me a little bit, and I think people can obsess about it. Yeah, they can, yeah, and I think it actually almost feeds back to, um, you know, the other thing that, again, we would have talked about, which is thinking about oh, when I sell. So for me, like, I like, I like, if a client talks about a forever home because for me that means they're not worrying about when they sell, true, you're 100% right that you can kind of go the other way with it and kind of think that, um, you're continually going well, I'm going to be here forever, so I've got to take into account this, this, this, this and this, which might be just too much for one home to handle, right, yeah, and maybe just like okay, I'm here now. That might happen in the future. We'll think about it and what's important, to integrate into it now. I guess that's kind of our job as well is to have that conversation and go. Well, you know, that's potentially a long way away and by then maybe then you'd be adapting this. But we can think about it and plan for it. But it doesn't have to be done right now so that it lasts you for the next 50 years.
Speaker 1:But I love the forever home from a client because it means they're not going to go. I need everything to be white and neutral because maybe we'll sell it one day. That is the worst thing you could say to a designer. I know, and also I mean I can go on a rant about the whole. You know, decorating or having a home that you think you might sell, unless you are literally selling it next month, don't even think about that. You live here now. It's your home. You want it to be your home. You don't want it to be some place that you live in until you move on to the next one. And then what? When you move on to the next one, are you going to be thinking about that again? When do you ever get to just go? This is my house, yes, exactly, and I love.
Speaker 1:I've said before, like pink kitchen, I'm going to have my pink kitchen. You know, like, if that's whatever it is for you, you just do that You're investing so much in it. You might as well make it something that you love. Yeah, absolutely. What's another thing? Oh, I do like this one too, lauren, that we've written down here Always matching, everything matching.
Speaker 1:Make sure everything matches. I feel like we'd probably say almost the complete opposite to that. Right, I think things should complement each other Exactly. But as soon as you do everything matching, then you kind of lose the fact that it's a design in the first place too. It's like anybody could probably do everything matching, couldn't they? Definitely? And I mean it just does look like straight out of a showroom, which is what it is Catalogue, catalogue, catalogue, decorating. Yeah, you know, and I think that was something in the past where you would have bought a dining table with the matching chairs that go with the matching buffet, and you'd even, maybe even, get a coffee table in that same. You know, all the same tipper and everything, the bed and the dresser and the bedside, the bed and the bedside. Yes, it's like a one-stop shop and you're so right, it's about having it coordinated.
Speaker 1:Uh, and you want your home to tell a story a little bit about you, express yourself, and when you're buying something straight out of the catalog. You just don't get that well. All you're doing is selling a look that you purchased from a brand it's got nothing to do with you at all, in a way. No, and I think that also leads into another one, which you need everything done at once. So it's sort of you know you're getting that done, it's all done, we need it done. It's like, well, I think, interesting spaces. They kind of evolve over time and they add to them when you're rearranging things around. It's not static, it's not done, and you never touch it again like that. Um, that's so true. I find that too.
Speaker 1:Even, um, I think artwork's one of the ones that's always a bit tricky to. You know, it's nice to sort of aspire to okay, this is the house and this is, this is what we want done, and then we want to be able to go okay, great, ticked, tick, box done. But I think as you work through that with a client, you realize that sometimes you're looking for a piece that hasn't presented itself yet. And I think artwork's a really good example where you know I can search everywhere for the right piece and it's not there. But that doesn't mean we won't see it in three months, six months or whatever. And I guess the flip side of that is making sure you allow your house to evolve, and I think that kind of ties back to if everything's matching. It doesn't kind of allow for that, does it Like you want things to be able to come and go in your home as you change or your family changes and it still works? Yeah, I don't know. Evolving homes is good, big tick to an evolving home. I like that and what you sort of mentioned about artwork.
Speaker 1:Then I have a bit of a maybe upside down take on this. But I think a lot of the time we're told splurge on your sofa. That is the piece you should splurge on. But I would argue, splurge on artwork instead. So let me give you an example.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly this lady that I met just last week. She is so gorgeous and lovely. She um has moved downsized, um, unfortunately her husband passed away a few years ago, so it's just her. She entertains, she's super lovely and very social. It is not a priority for her to have two really comfortable sofas because she sits in her own armchair. So I sort of turn it on its head and said why don't we just not invest in the sofas, like we're going to get something that looks nice but it's not going to be sat in it's just not only with her guests and we'll spend on her armchair, but the artwork and those day-pool pieces and the lighting that really make the space feel good. So I think we can get a bit obsessed with having to spend a lot and these days we think that you can get a really great sofa without having to spend in the tens of thousands. Yeah Well, you can.
Speaker 1:I mean, even finding great vintage sofas is a good option. If you don't want to invest in terms of money in a sofa, you might be able to still find a great vintage one that isn't cheap. I guess for me you've just got to watch where you go. Don't overinvest, as you said. Make sure the budget goes where it's needed, but also don't skimp on it, because it also can ruin a room like you wouldn't do that, but like if you're doing it on your own and you go, oh, we don't need an expensive sofa, but you buy something that's a bit cheap, even if it's not being used a lot. It can actually change the way the room feels, because sometimes you can just tell it's not right. So I think vintage is a good option.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you know what I think you know, back in the day, when we were up and coming in 20 years ago or so, like you, really, there were not a lot of um sofas that were just imported from china, you know. Now you've got, you know. No, that's so true. Yeah, they were all made in australia and which is fantastic, and I 100% endorse that and support it whenever I can.
Speaker 1:But sometimes, you know, for this client, the, for an example, she doesn't need sofas. Yes, she's not going to sit in them ever. She's like I think you should have designed a room for her with just the one arm chair and just a little table, just like a really plush rug or something, and just amazing artwork everywhere. Yeah, and just sculptures and artwork, and just like a gallery that she sits in with her wine. She's so gorgeous. You know you've got Ellison Studios. You know they're really cool sofas and they're at a Pretty reasonable price point. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're not saying, go and buy the cheapest, but we're saying, like you know, stick to things that may be a bit more affordable where you need to, and that's sort of the high-low factor right when you create a room. Yeah, totally, and I think it creates more interest often too. But it's just being budget smart. Yeah, put the money where you need to put it, and art's always a good investment. Art is never a bad investment, in my opinion. There you are sitting, surrounded by artwork, your little backdrop there, love it.
Speaker 1:Well, I've heard people bang on about this one saying, in your kitchen, the sink shall never be in the island bench, and I think that's bad advice because it depends on how you cook, it depends on the architecture of the space. Sometimes there really is no choice but to put it there, and plus, it's a kitchen, is it not for cooking? I mean, yes, we dine in there. I'm a bit more relaxed on those kind of rules. I think so too. I kind of have seen it done where it is a mistake for sure, especially when you know sometimes there's the tap that, no matter how gently you turn it on, it sprays water everywhere, and so, like you know, you're sitting at the island bench and the tap gets turned on and you get a shower. Oh my God. Yeah, that's so annoying, I've seen that happen. But yeah, I, yeah, I think you've got to be realistic.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it comes down to the best layout and sometimes the best layout is also the sink goes in the island bench. What I will say about bad positioning in the island bench? I hate it when they're right in the middle, because if, for example sorry, I'm getting on my high horse slightly the kitchen that we have here is quite a big kitchen, so it should be very functional, but the sink is being put kind of right in the middle of this beautiful big, long bench, and so then it immediately breaks it up and in the end, instead of having like all this great space to work in and cook, I end up in like one little corner next to the sink and down. The other end is generally where everyone just puts their sheets, just puts stuff, and so the sink would have been like just a bit like just give me like one more cupboard the other direction, perfect, anyway. So I think it's less about it being in the island and more about where is it in the island in relationship to everything else. That's my yeah, and that you make sure the chat doesn't give everyone a shower. Yeah, I mean those every dang things. I can really just annoy you. Oh yeah, because they're not. They are actually. They're not really little things in the scheme of it. If you use your kitchen more than once a day, which probably most people would like, if you're there for breakfast, maybe lunch, most likely dinner most nights um, yeah, it impacts the whole way you kind of live and it also impacts how your kitchen functions and looks so like if we've got everything gathering at one end of the bench because it looks like there's lots of room there, that kind of drives me a little bit crazy. I get that there's always set down space and things get put there, but like I think it's an invitation, when there's this like kind of big bit of bench there for people to kind of walk past and just put their stuff.
Speaker 1:Another one is I think it's bad advice to design a kid's playroom and I think that that kind of goes back to sometimes our sometimes what we were saying about forever homes and things like that. I see what you're saying Like, say, this is the kids' playroom kind of forever, you do not have a plan for it. Well, yeah, I think that sometimes the kids' playroom it's a dumping ground for all of the toys that the kids never play in the playroom. That's so true. They want to be where you are so that you know, maybe if you're planning for a family or whatever and you'll think, oh no, this will be the kids playroom, tell me if they never play. Yeah, I think you'd have to make it pretty exceptionally inviting for children, for them to want to stay in there and play. I think it's probably more realistic to make it like a, I guess, a games room. I guess it depends on how old the kids are. I think as they get older, then maybe they're more likely to hang out there. Yeah, if it's a TV room or a games room or if you go in there and play with them, yes, but yeah, I think you do need to think that through a little bit. And particularly if you haven't had kids and you think that you're going to use a playroom the way you think you are, generally the playroom just spills out into every other area of the house. Agree, I agree on that one, I think.
Speaker 1:Were there any others? I'm sure we could keep going, but I think we've kind of covered quite a few, haven't we? There's some of the main bad advice. Oh, there was one. There was one that we should have probably talked about before. When we're talking about sofas, you know, when you're talking about like that, we don't need to invest in it.
Speaker 1:My thing on the flip side of that is when everyone wants to have a neutral sofa or a beige sofa, yeah, or there's something that like that, oh, it's going to last. Again, it's like, instead of having the forever home, it's our forever sofa. So, like I think people can get a bit hung up on not just investing the money but investing in something they think is going to go with everything, never date. That drives me crazy, because A if it's a central furniture piece in your room, it has to help create whatever mood or style or character you're trying to create in that room. It's going to have a big part to play because it's visually taking up so much space. So when you turn it into just like something you know, vanilla, then that's kind of what you've got to work around and it can be so much harder to make all the other things work with that, don't you think?
Speaker 1:I agree, and you know, realistically, a sofa has a lifespan. It is not forever. They can't. Yeah. Yeah, as long as it lasts, as long as you love it, you know, I think we could sort of say 10, 15, 20 years. You know, by that stage you might be like you know what, I'm ready for a change, ready for a change anyway. Um, yeah, and that doesn't mean that sofa doesn't get a second life with someone else. It just means that you know someone else can take it maybe. Maybe they repulsor it or whatever. But yes, I don't think we can expect a sofa to perform that well. At some point you're probably holding onto it because you did overly invest in it. Maybe If you're just like, well, we spent all this money, we're not getting rid of the sofa, and then it's know this kind of weight that holds you down instead of making you feel good in your space.
Speaker 1:Oh, you could have a sofa. I think we had one, for, oh my gosh, it was when we first moved out. We had it for over 10 years 10, 15 years the most comfortable sofa ever. But I actually felt a bit tired of it and I got rid of it and I actually regret it because it was like, oh no, I know, and it was in a bit tired of it and I got rid of it, and I actually regret it because it was like the most oh no, I know, and it was in a beige-y sort of colour which did go with everything. It was like a dark beige colour Dark beige, I'll forgive. Yeah, it was like it was during the macro suede era, but it was another really hard wearing Warwick fabric and it was like my first worn up sofa and we had it for years and years and then, whilst that whole gray sofa period, um, you know, was happening, I still held on to it, but then I let go of it. I'm like, anyway, yeah, the sofa that got away, but that's what happens, right, you can't keep everything either. And then someone else is enjoying that now, hopefully, and one day you'll end up with something different to what you have now Like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, evolving Herms that's the name of my new book, evolving Herms. I would read that. I would so read that. Putting that out there, I think it's a new book bestseller. It is your next coffee table book.
Speaker 1:Yes, brie Banfeld, evolving Homes, taking Pre-Orders she hasn't written it yet. Yes, I know, but Pre-Orders would be handy. Yes, oh, that's too funny. Oh, that was really fun, brie. So, yeah, let's wrap that up, and we've got some really great episodes in store for you as well.
Speaker 1:So thanks for tuning in. Yes, stand by, see you later, see ya. So thank you guys for listening in. And just a quick reminder if you would like some help with the interiors for your own home, I can help you in a course called the Style Studies Essentials. Or for designers out there, come into the Design Society for business and marketing and all of the things. Yeah, and in the same show notes you'll find a link to sign up for my soon-to-be-released furniture collections, pre-selected furniture collections and cool trend information, and then in the future, some short courses on styling and trends as well. So, good Bree, we've got the utmost respect for the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. They're the OG custodians of this unceded land and its waters, where we set up shop, create and call home and come to you. From this podcast today, a big shout out to all of the amazing elders who have walked before us, those leading the way in the present and the emerging leaders who will carry the torch into the future. We're just lucky to be on this journey together.