I am also excited to finally be sharing some pictures of our downstairs renovation. There has been a real metamorphosis in this space! We haven't finished everything yet as we still need to re-paint the whole area but it's getting there, slowly but surely.
Our teenager's retreat!
New visitors to my blog might not know that our house was flooded a couple of times due to the enormous amount of rain we had here in Brisbane over the last couple of years. We were in drought for a while so even though the rain was refreshing and very much needed, it came very suddenly and it came down hard and fast! You can read about the terrible cyclone in Queensland here and you can read about the floods here and here. We were so lucky as we only had very minor damage and we were insured. There were thousands of people who were left homeless after the devastating floods and many were uninsured which is making their recovery even more difficult.
We lost a few things, had to replace flooring and we had to redo the plumbing and drainage for the house.
How about if I show you some before and after shots?
Here is a before shot of the downstairs family room. This is where our kids spend much of their time. It's a real "Teenager's retreat" area!
Now here are a few shots of the empty rooms, sans floor coverings and furniture:
And here is Big Al's room.
What a difference new floor tiles and shutters make!
Here are some pictures of the finished kid's rooms.
Maddy's pink and pretty room!
Here is Big Al's Red, White and Blue room.
Please be sure to come back on Saturday to see the top 5 posts from last week's link up and, of course, to join in with this weekend's
I really appreciate your visit today and if you have a moment, please leave a comment and say G'day!
Best wishes,
Oh Natasha,
ReplyDeleteThese are totally amazing!!! I love all the rooms and those shutters are gorgeous!!
XO
Cindy
Natasha,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about your damage and loss of property! I can't even think how upsetting that must have been.
But let me say that this post is really proof that there is light at the end of the tunnel. What a lovely living space and bedrooms! This area is fresh and bright and has such a welcoming feel.
I am so glad your bad experience turned out to have a sunny ending!
Yvonne
Hi Natasha, I hadn't realise that all that work downstairs was all brand new. It looked like it had always been that way - now that's the sign of an excellent reno! xx
ReplyDeleteHi Natasha.
ReplyDeleteThe damage must have felt overwhelming, but the results of your hard work is amazing. Enjoy!
WOW Natasha! That is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with those shutters and Maddy's white bedroom furniture!
Oh and those bentwood dining chairs! my favourite.
NICE job, girlie, truly!
xx
I'm so sorry about your water damage.
ReplyDeleteLately when it rains here, many homes lower level get water. Thankfully we haven't. You and hubby have done a wonderful job making the downstairs a wonderful retreat for the kids. Leather seating is perfect, too, it wipes clean. I also really like the bedrooms...so cozy and sweet. You did a splendid job, Natasha!!
XO,
Jane
Oh wow! Great transformation --- Will you adopt me???
ReplyDeleteHope your teenagers appreciate it!
Sleep well (or if you're waking up - on the other side of the world - Happy Day!)
Linda
beachside cottage
what a great change! Great job :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower of your blog now - everything looks great!
What a wonderful space - I also hope the teens appreciate it all. You and your husband have created a wonderful space for them.
ReplyDeleteI am behind in visiting blogs and did not know you had all the flooding issues. I am so sorry. There has been so much loss of life and devastation from the horrible storms and flooding in the states this year.
Have a great week.
Wow I wish I had a retreat like that as a teen...
ReplyDeleteI'm inviting you to add this to our linking party at
http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/07/american-pickers-with-linking-party.html
Have a great weekend,
Maggie
Your place looks beautiful! I know what you mean about facing another flood situation. I fret every time we get a hard rain that lasts a long time. We were flooded in 2004 and we lost our detached garage,the very long fence in our yard was washed away along with everything that was on our patio. Our basement had 5ft. of water in it, but thank God, it didn't get upstairs in the main living quarters! It took a very long time to get some normalcy back into our lives.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and of course I don't mind you pinning the advent calendars! Have a good week!
Natasha, I do remember the floods and storms in your area. I am so glad that the water didn't get into your walls.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tremendous job it must have been. All the clean up and displacement. Everything looks fabulous. The children's rooms are so neat. Thanks for sharing all the pictures. At least you are a great photographer. Me, not so. Everything looks great, blessing,s Ginger
Hi Natasha thanks so much for letting us feature you on the Decorating Forum this week:)
ReplyDeleteIt must have been awful to have had your home damaged in the floods. But at least there is a silver lining as those shutters and tiles are gorgeous.
Wow, looks fabulous Natasha!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so fabulous. What a wonderful retret for your teens. Loving those shutters.
ReplyDeletePam x
It looks great !!!...love xxx...
ReplyDeleteWhat a great retreat for your two to have, like their own appartment!
ReplyDeleteI love you daughter's desk. It is so heavenly!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHello Natasha!
ReplyDeleteI wish you only sunny days without rain! (In Poland a few days it rains. This is terrible!)
Greetings
Maggie
What a fantastic transformation!!! You have such a good eye for decorating and balance. Looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI agree. Amazing rooms! I hope they are appreciated!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week, all of you! :)
You are so right, Natasha, what a huge difference flooring and window treatments make. I am in love with your shutters. So airy. The room looks lovely. I hope the teens enjoy it and I'm sure the older kids will too. ;)
ReplyDeleteOff to visit your Sunday Song post. Also grabbed that button and hope to participate this coming Sunday.
Have a great week.
I am sorry you had to deal with that, but the rooms look great! Thank you for visiting my blog too! Have a great week. Lisa
ReplyDeleteMy Blog
Find me on twitter
Google Plus Me!
Natasha- I'm too am so sorry about your flooding- I know how hard and scary that is.
ReplyDeleteI love the teenager retreat area. I have my own teenager and I'm getting ready to redo his room/ study area so it was nice to see your AWESOME work! Thanks for sharing!
Danielle
what a lovely house.
ReplyDeletegreatings to Brisban
I love Queensland
hugs Conny
Me again! :D Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by and nice comment.
ReplyDeleteGlenda
Very neat, orderly and beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us and have a great week.
ReplyDeleteHi Natasha. I hadn't realized that you had suffered that water damage :( The renovations look absolutely fantastic - you must all be really thrilled with the results. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteOh I did that double-take on the date again. I had to look at my calendar and remind myself you're in a different time zone. You're on tomorrow! Love the shutters, and the redo/update - wow. That's awesome! Wasn't boring at all. Enjoyed my visit! Love, Jenn
ReplyDeleteEverything looks absolutely amazing! And I love how you got pictures of 'everything in its place' - you know, so if/when the kids mess it up, you can show them the pictures to remind them where they go. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog today - I'm now following you, and thanks for the invite to participate in Sunday Song - I'll be sure to join in next week...I've grabbed your button! ;)
Boob Tube Tunage: MMMM
It looks great! You have done a fabulous job. So sorry for all the damage and stress.
ReplyDeleteLucky kids...actually, also lucky mum and dad that the kids have somewhere fantastic to escape to! Really love the white desk.
ReplyDeletex
Great pictures! Can I come and visit and pretend I'm a teenager too??? :O)
ReplyDeleteNatasha, AWESOME rooms!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
Have a PRETTY day!
Kristin
Thank you so much for your message Natasha, It really means a lot !
ReplyDeleteFriendly, Aina
Glad you did not have too much damage...the room looks WONDERFUL!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful room! Glad that you did not have too much damage...it is always my pleasure to visit your lovely space:)..It is so inviting!
ReplyDeleteFriend, would love to see you on my blog:)
I better not let my kids see this. They may march straight into a therapist's couch to tell him what horrible parents we were that we never provided them with a space like this!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I'm glad that you didn't go over the top decorating it. It looks beautiful but has retained an ease that would make any teenager want to hang out.
Oh, and I love the pink rug in the girl's room.
Wonderful makeover!
Hi Natasha, We have had our home flooded twice as well. . . and it is a difficult trial. But the results are beautiful. All the new paint and flooring.
ReplyDeleteYour tile choice and your window coverings are classic and beautiful.
I am happy to hear things finally worked out after enduring this long journey.
You guys did a spectacular job!
*hugs*
mo
Thanks SO much for stopping by my blog!! I love yours and am following ya now!! I tried to link up my post on your Sunday song linky but for some reason its not working...I will try later...Would love to have you join my photo swap linky next week!! It happens on Sundays too.. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, what beautiful rooms and you guys have definitely created some lovely spaces. So sorry for all the damage, but the end result is stunning. Thanks so much for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful for them to have this space. My teens would kill for it but they have to settle for the den or their rooms right now. Came out great!!
ReplyDeleteNatasha, your rooms are lovely...so much work and it turned out wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about the flooding, I cannot imagine how awful that must have been for you and your family.
Barb
Hi Natasha,
ReplyDeleteWOW! It is all so beautiful. I hope that you never have to go through that ever again, but you guys did a great job on the redo.
Take care,
Kathy M.
I will stay more than 5 minutes with your blog!
ReplyDeleteHope you can relax from this hard work!
Your home is very nice!!!
See you soon!
Franka
Love it! Fantastic. I am completely in love with those shutters on your big glass doors. I didn't know that was possible. I'll have to look into that for my home! Thanks for the pics...
ReplyDeleteDanielle
It's good to see you guys up North recovering so well from this year's dramas! God knows, you've had trying times this year.
ReplyDeleteSo warm and inviting! It looks fantastic :)
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about all the flooding but seriously, job well done! Who wouldn't want to retreat back in that room. It is AWESOME> I think my favorite part are the door to the outside. Just beautiful! Thanks for stopping by the other day, so glad you did. Love your blog and now following
ReplyDeleteLove the shutters! Also, love the Blue Italian cups you have in your header! I have the same china pattern. They are just divine. Thanks for popping in for a visit the other day. This new little blogger appreciates it!http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2011/07/kitchen-cabinet-transformation.html
ReplyDeleteWow - your room looks GORGEOUS - hope you are all over the flu soon!
ReplyDeleteRamona
http://create-with-joy.com
it looks so great!! I'm loving the tile
ReplyDeleteColey @
www.whatyoumakeit-coley.blogspot.com
Totally amazing..shutters are fantastic.
ReplyDeletewindow shutters clayton, ca
Hi from Canada :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were able to make lemonade out of such a lemony-sour situation! Beautiful job -- renos are such fun (not)
Ask me to guest blog my kitchen reno -- I have tons of pics and advice since I had 20 years to dream up the design.
fantastic designs and also very innovative too. I like it .Very stylish and nice look can be used in the houses . It looks super and gives a new look to the old house also .
ReplyDeleteBean Bags
I'm sorry y'all had to deal with that, but you've done a great job. It looks wonderful! Best wishes with the weather in future :)
ReplyDelete