A change of pace today. We’re speaking to Natalie Walton - interior stylist, designer and author - who writes and shares about slow, intentional living.

A former journalist and deputy editor of Real Living, Natalie is interested in understanding how our environments shape our lives. Natalie creates genuine and atmospheric interiors, underwritten with a theme that infuses all of her work  - connecting with what’s important to you.

One of Natalie’s newest books, Still - The Slow Home, came about from the sheer overwhelm Natalie experienced when exploring all the options of how to live and create a sustainable life and home.

In this episode, Natalie explains what makes a slow home, unpacking the guiding principles that she developed in alignment with the slow food movement - sustainable, local, organic and whole.

Natalie takes us through the most important things to consider when you’re designing and decorating a home - your intention for the space, your values and priortising what’s important to you. She also reassures us that when you’re looking to do things in a more sustainable way, it’s not about doing things perfectly, just trying to make better choices.

We discuss what it is about those spaces that energise us, and the ways you can approach and design your home in order to make it a space that you enjoy coming home to.

This was such a beautiful exploration of what makes up a slow, considered, thoughtful and meaningful home. Whether you’re designing a space for others to enjoy, or your own forever home, you’ll find this an inspiring guide to designing and living with intention.

LINKS:

• Natalie Walton Website: https://www.nataliewalton.com/
• Natalie Walton Books: https://www.nataliewalton.com/books
• Natalie Walton Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliewalton/
• Natalie Walton Podcast: https://www.nataliewalton.com/podcast
• James Clear - Atomic Habits: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build

Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a lot of movement and change in the building industry, which requires a high level of problem solving and flexibility. You have to think quick, take action, and respond to multiple things at once.

Some people might perceive this as chaos. But is it?

In this episode, we’re talking about reframing your thoughts and challenging the stories we tell ourselves, based on how others perceive us. It’s important to question whether those things are true or whether we are simply perpetuating a story. 

We all have a lot going on. We’ve got busy family lives, busy work lives, and projects on the go… but just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re chaotic.

Another person might interpret a busy and fast pace life as chaos, but be careful about taking that on board. 

We talk about how these stories become limiting beliefs and why it’s important to reframe your mindset, flipping the negative stories into positive ones. 

LINKS:

• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have a treat for you today to share a really positive experience had by one of our amazing students, Amanda Siva. Amanda undertook renovations on an investment property and her own home and shares how building a great relationship with her builder helped to make both projects run like clockwork. 

Amanda talks us through her Fitzroy renovation project, and how she planned out the renovation knowing it was going to be a rental property. It’s easy to get caught up in the latest trends but Amanda wanted to create a high end property without over capitalising. By keeping things neutral and reminding herself of the purpose of the renovation, Amanda focused on knowing her market, sticking to budget, and was super happy with the result.

From the get go, Amanda knew the importance of establishing a great relationship with her builder - you’ll catch more flies with honey! She shares how she prioritised relationships and the long lasting impact this had on her build. Amanda also shares her top tips for renovating; staying organised and positive, building good relationships, and maintaining clear communication. 

If you’re looking for a way to unleash your creative side, you’re organised and you’ve got some great people skills, renovation might just be the thing for you!

LINKS:

• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If renovating for profit is something you’ve been dreaming of doing, at some point you’ll need to start DOING to make that dream a reality. 

Renovating for profit requires an investment of time, money, and resources. If you know that you want to experience the freedom, creativity, and financial impact that renovating can bring, you need to prioritise it. 

You can’t expect your outcome to be different if you continue to do the same thing!

Looking back over my journey, I’ve invested a bunch of time and money into learning and growing my skills to get to a place in life where I’m able to travel with the family between projects. I love what I do and the lifestyle that developing for profit enables me to have!

In this episode, I talk about embracing the journey of renovating for profit, and the amazing opportunities it can bring. I also share some of the amazing transformations our BuildHers and DevelopHers have completed and how they are creating the lifestyles they’ve always dreamed of.

If you want to stop dreaming and start renovating for profit, come join us for our FREE 3 Day Renovate for Profit Workshop next week.

Over the 3 days we’ll cover:

• What works, what to avoid, the different styles of renovating and how to align with value.
• How you can design on a budget
• All the things you need to learn like costing, templates to make your project feasible and practical.

You’ll also become part of an incredible community that shares, empowers and builds together.

Let’s make dreams happen!

LINKS:

• Join the FREE 3 day Renovate for Profit Workshop here
• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We love bringing you the journeys of our amazing DevelopHer students and this week we have the inspirational Claire Larritt-Evans to share her tale with you. 

Claire is an interior designer with her own practice, Larritt-Evans. She’s been in practice for 13 years and first established and grew her business with commercial work before finding her true passion for residential projects. 

In this episode, we explore the journey Claire underwent to embark on her first development. She has learned, through becoming a client for the first time and experiencing exactly what her clients go through, to redevelop her systems and processes within her studio and create the best possible client experience. 

In this conversation, we’re covering the joy of handing over a house to a client after all of the design work and the challenges Claire has overcome when developing and being a client herself.

We’ll be excitedly following along with Claire’s journey and can’t wait to see the final developing project!

LINKS:

• Larritt-Evans: https://www.larritt-evans.com/ 
• Larritt-Evans Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larrittevans/ 
• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it look like when an interior designer takes on her own project?

Kerrie-Ann Jones The Stylist is one of Australia's most coveted interior stylists. As the former editor of Real Living Magazine, her impeccable style and eye for trends have influenced and inspired how Australians decorate their homes.

Recently, Kerrie-Ann turned the whole process on its head, shifting her attention to the renovation of her own dream home.

In this episode, we learn what the renovation journey looks like from the inside, how Kerrie-Ann dealt with the numerous challenges renovating during covid threw at her, and her learnings and takeaways of tackling your own project as an owner-builder.

The result of her efforts is a serene home in the Sutherland Shire, complete with water views. Kerrie-Ann details how they ended up with this untouched mid-century gem, the experience of demolishing and starting with bare bones and the mantra that got her through the mammoth 18 month reno (while she was working full time, looking after her kids and dealing with some personal challenges).

If you're in the industry, or you just want an understanding of what a renovation is like as an owner-builder, these tips from Kerrie-Ann will make your renovation journey so much easier!

Enjoy!

LINKS:

• Kerri-Ann Jones The Stylist Website: https://www.thestylist.net.au/
• Kerri-Ann Jones The Stylist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerrieann_jones_stylist/
• Kerrie-Ann's home: https://thedesignfiles.net/2019/07/interiors-kerri-anne-styling-darlinghurst/
• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our days can become jam-packed with neverending to-do lists and it feels like we never have time to sit still for 2 seconds, let alone 2 hours. We're so focused on every action that needs to be taken that we’re not making it a priority and giving ourselves time and space to plan and think. 

In this episode, Rachel and I are going to talk about the importance of finding time to plan for success. We run you through our own planning processes and practical ways of finding quiet space to plan and organise in your everyday hectic life. When you’ve done the big thinking and decided that it’s what you want to achieve, you need to break it down into manageable steps. This process takes dedicated time and energy but you’ll be endlessly thankful that you did. 

At BuildHer, we’ve updated our automated processes and changed our meeting structure to allow space. Take a moment and consider that even though you can spread yourself across every aspect of your business and spend hours doing domestic duties, should you? There may be many things inside your business and in your personal life that you can outsource to take advantage of your day and find space for planning. 

If you want to plan with your partner, book a dinner out away from the kids. You’ll be able to set the intention and find focus for your big decisions and how you’re going to make them happen. Make it fun and exciting! 

This conversation is perfect for you if you’re just not finding any time in your day to plan and reflect on your big decisions. We’ll help you navigate your hectic schedule and grab hold of that quiet space! 

LINKS:

• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ivy and I have bought a winery with our amazing partners! The property also includes a vineyard and we will be having wine made and sold on-site - it’s so exciting and we can't wait to share it with you.

In this episode, Ivy and I are coming to you from the vineyard to let you know our exciting news! We’re discussing and exploring the planning that went into making this huge decision and the expert advice we sought. This is the biggest project that Ivy has ever done and she talks about the concern over how much is unknown and the courage it takes to make decisions in the dark. 

The property is Toms Cap Vineyard in Gippsland and is absolutely gorgeous with 100 acres of beautiful land and 20 acres of vines. There are four houses that are currently rented as holiday rentals, an owner’s house, and two restaurants that hold weddings and events. 

The current pipeline has us taking over in January and then spending time renovating and putting our own unique design onto the properties. We’re absolutely thrilled to be creating a unique experience on a much larger scale. Stay tuned for more details as we work together on this incredible project. 

LINKS:

• Toms Cap Vineyard: https://www.tomscapvineyard.com.au/ 
• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve got a fun bonus episode today to tell you all about our 5 Day Ready to Reno Challenge! 

With the cost of materials going up across the board, it’s a little overwhelming to know how to overcome these huge price increases.

If you’re looking to renovate or build in the next 2 years, you might be feeling a little stuck, not knowing what to do, where to start, or if you should even start at all.

So, to ease some of the overwhelm and help you gain some clarity on your build process, we’ve put together a fun 5 Day Ready to Reno Challenge. Each day we’ll give you a new, fun easy to do challenge which will put you on the path to plan your renovation or new build!

Over the 5 days, we’ll be covering 5 key aspects to get you ahead of the curve. 

• Clarify your vision so you make sure your build solves your problem.
• Develop your style and narrow down what is absolutely essential.
• Get a grasp on what you can afford. Knowledge is power when it comes to funds!
• Conduct a reality check into the value of your project.
• Finally, we will look at the love it or leave it calculator to see if you should stay or go.

Building is FUN! We don’t want it to be an overwhelming process for anyone, so come join us by registering for our FREE 5 Day Ready to Reno Challenge!

LINKS:

• Join the 5 Day Ready to Reno Challenge: https://www.buildhercollective.com.au/5daychallenge/
• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often talk about how a home should be a reflection of who you are. From modern facades to kitchen cabinetry detail, there is so much information out there to help Australians build truly amazing and purpose built homes. It’s all about cohesive design!

I’m chatting today with Joe Snell from Studio Snell and Christian Hansen from James Hardie. The three of us got together to talk about the shape of design, architecture and product use in Australia and how we can educate ourselves to build better homes and create spaces that are more liveable for everyone.

Joe Snell is an architect, writer, television co-host and has a philosophy that design can solve everything. Christian Hansen is the Product Manager at James Hardie and together, they are helping to educate everyday Aussies on what makes a good home. You don’t just plonk a home anywhere and hope for the best!

In this episode, we talk about some of the differences between European and Australian design and how our naturally good climate has allowed us to be a little too lazy when it comes to design. Joe and Christian talk about their popular Hamptons project and some starting points to help Australians achieve a modern style. 

Joe and Christian talk about some of the trends they are seeing and what we should be embracing as we look into the future. We talk about catering for people working from home (the study nook doesn’t cut it anymore!) and an increasing desire for outdoor areas and secondary living spaces. 

We dove into a lot of topics in this conversation and if you’re interested in modern design or looking for ideas to create cohesive and purposeful spaces in your home, this is the episode for you.

LINKS:

Website: https://www.studiosnell.com/joe-snell

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joesnelldesign/

Website: https://www.jameshardie.com.au/

• Buy our new book: BuildHer, A practical guide to building and renovating
• BuildHer Website: https://buildhercollective.com.au/
• BuildHer Instagram: @buildhercollective
• BuildHer Facebook: Women who Design, Decorate, Renovate & Build
• Register for a call: https://go.oncehub.com/BuildHer

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.