Serial decorator and stylist, Emma Flint, has taken a fairly ordinary brick home on acreage at Morayfield, and turned it into a cosy, contemporary and modern home.
With stunning photos from Trina Bechly, I’m so impressed with Emma’s vision and drive to turn this ugly ducking into a beautiful swan.
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling
Emma Flint is a busy woman. Between studying, mothering, renovating, decorating and living, she is also launching her new business, Raw Styling, in June this year.
With a focus on keeping it real and affordable, Emma will be offering her services in Interior Styling, Decorating (including E-Decorating), product styling and home staging. You can see she has style in spades, just by taking a look through her home.
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling. Photos by Trina Bechly for www.walkamongthehomes.com.au
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling. Photos by Trina Bechly for www.walkamongthehomes.com.au
Who lives here?
Emma and her husband Sean and two children Zachary 16 and Isabella 10. They also have a much loved Miniature Schnauzer dog called Ebony and 5 chickens fondly known as “the girls”
Where is it?
The home is situated in Morayfield, just at the top of Narangba in North Brisbane. The family loves being close to the sunshine coast where we spend a lot of time.
How big is it? (Sq feet/rooms/bathroom)
The house is situated on over 1 acre of land which used to house a fruit tree orchard. There is nature bushland out the back which makes for a peaceful outlook. The house itself is around 280 m2 with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3 living rooms and two offices.
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling. Photos by Trina Bechly for www.walkamongthehomes.com.au
I asked Emma to share some of her experience and insight from their experience renovating, here’s what she had to say…
What were you looking for in a home when buying?
We decided to move from our two storey house on the golf course at North Lakes which was a typical block around 400 square meters, to gain more outside space. We loved our house and swimming pool there but once we had put our personal touches on it, there was nothing left to do.
As we are both keen renovators (we had renovated a Queenslander at Windsor), we had the urge to do it again. I have lived in over 14 houses and 3 states so I do get restless and always looking for the next project. We were looking for a house that showed potential, had enough inside and outside space to suit our family lifestyles.
We run a home based Travel and Sales Business and I was also studying and starting a business, so two office spaces would be ideal. We also wanted a kid friendly, useable acreage block and not the normal bush wasteland. When we stumbled across our current home, although a bit further out than what we intended to go, it ticked all the boxes. I immediately could see with some new flooring, cosmetic changes and a face lift out the front, it could become our future home.
The bones were good as it is only 12 years old but having had 3 previous owners, it was a mismatch of flooring and tastes. The backyard was fully grassed and had many fruit trees on it, so it was ideal. There had been a lot of money already spend in landscaping the front and back yards so that was also a bonus.
Who did you approach to help with renovations?
Sean is a keen DIYer and there isn’t much he can’t do. I am also a keen learner and willing to roll up my sleeves to give it a go too. The only thing we have had done professionally is laying new floorboards over the existing tiles throughout the living areas.
What were your motivations for making changes to the home?
I could still the possibilities of the house the minute I walked into it. We knew if we could do the minor cosmetic changes, we could build some equity into the home and have fun in the process. As I am a trained Interior Stylist, I was more than keen to put my skills to the test. I think everyone wants to walk through their front door and feel like they have come “home” and that is what I am trying to do with this house. Put our personal stamp on it and bring it up to today’s standards.
What are your favourite features?
Originally we went looking for a character filled house with vaulted ceilings and fireplaces but we couldn’t find the perfect blend of inside and outside. When we saw this house, although it didn’t possess either of those qualities there was something “homey” I felt about it immediately. It is reminiscent of the solid brick home I grew up in back in Adelaide. It has wonderful open plan living areas and a kitchen that had been re designed only 4 years ago.
I have since given the kitchen a face lift buy painting all the cabinetry, replacing cooktop, oven and dishwasher and inserting a feature tiled splashback. The bones and function were great just not the colour palette I would have chosen. Another great feature is that the first owners converted the double garage into two living spaces, this added space provided us with our third living area and a huge studio for me to run my Interior Styling business from.
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling. Photos by Trina Bechly for www.walkamongthehomes.com.au
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling. Photos by Trina Bechly for www.walkamongthehomes.com.au
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling. Photos by Trina Bechly for www.walkamongthehomes.com.au
What was biggest challenge in the renovation process?
Apart from finding the time, the biggest challenge is always budget, I think. When you start opening up walls like we did in our Laundry, you never know what you are going to find. There had been a previous water leak and never rectified properly so we had to start from scratch.
Sometimes the designs I have in my head either never fit my budget or would be a case of over capitalising for the future. This won’t be our forever home so we have to find the balance of what we want to live in now as to what will sell down the track.
How has the renovation changed your lifestyle?
Although I love doing renovations with my husband, let’s just say there have been moments were our ideas clash! Sometimes my design ideas might not match his DIY skills but then I do ask for some major changes sometimes!
I think it has really given me the confidence in my field to know that I can improve on a space and stick to an affordable budget. It’s all fine for people to watch shows like “The Block” and think on the weekend, yes we could do that… People don’t realise sometimes the costs and man power that goes in behind the scenes. Sometimes you can make just as much as an improvement but looking at cheaper ways to renovate. That doesn’t mean you end up with a cheap looking job but if you are smart about it, it can look great.
The home of Emma Flint from Raw Styling. Photos by Trina Bechly for www.walkamongthehomes.com.au
Emma has a lot to love about this home, and although it wasn’t love at first sight, it has clearly grown on her as she has made her own stamp on the property. A favourite spot is her studio (above) as it provides a quiet space, away from the rest of the house and has views out the front and back gardens.
Thanks, Emma for sharing your gorgeous styling with us and Trina Bechly for the amazing photos. Make sure you keen an eye on Emma’s website (launching in June) Instagram and Facebook, as well as Trina’s photography work on her website, Instagram and Facebook.
