Owned by my friend Jade and her husband Andrew for the past four years, I’ve watched from afar, through texted photos and social media, as they breathed new life into this 75-year-old house. When they finished, I was overjoyed to get to visit in real life. This house is even more beautiful in person than in photos.

It was 2020 – that year we now all associate with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – and Jade and Andrew had been looking for a holiday house for a while. With two small children and two hectic corporate jobs in the city, they wanted somewhere peaceful they could escape and just relax as a family together, away from the bustle of city life. Ideally, they wanted a country cottage they could use for Christmases and family holidays, and let out as AirBnB accommodation other times to help cover the upkeep. Jade said they wanted a place they could pause, rest and reset. “We searched until we came across a little cottage with sturdy bones that felt like home,” she said.

It was this house – a cosy weatherboard cottage in Quinninup. I will admit, I’d never heard of Quinninup until Jade told me about it. Tucked away in the middle of the most beautiful forests and farmland, this tiny south-west town is a bit of a secret gem. The town sprang up in 1944, when a company called Millars Timber and Trading Co purchased the forest region of Quinninup to build a timber settlement. A street of workers cottages was built for the thriving timber mill and even a tiny school for the workers’ children.

One of the original heritage cottages built for the timber works, this house – which Jade and Andrew named Millars by the Lake – was home to an assortment of folks, including the school’s headmaster, an artist and the owner of the local pub. Quinninup is beautiful at every turn, but Millars by the Lake, in my opinion, might have the primo spot in the prettiest part of the town, tucked away and idyllic, with stunning views across the bushland and tall Karri tree forests.

It’s so quiet and just… still. You arrive here and feel like you can let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

Journalist Jade, the former editor of iconic Scoop Traveller magazine and travel writer for Rebecca Judd Loves, knew what she loved – and didn’t – when it came to south west holiday accommodation. Drawing on her industry knowledge and love for interior design, she knew exactly what kind of feeling she wanted to create for her own cottage – a romantic retreat for people who wanted to feel like they could truly relax, and enjoy a simpler, slower pace.

WA’s COVID border restrictions and lockdowns challenged Jade and Andrew’s work on the house. Over the next six months they fixed up Millars, with two little kids in tow. My kids are very close in age to Jade and Andrew’s kids. All I could think was, how are they doing this renovation with two little kids – with all the restrictions the pandemic threw at us? Miss Nerd, a busy two-year-old at the time, got her hands into absolutely everything; the more dangerous, the more alluring. Jade and Andrew never seemed fazed by how kids have a natural tendency to get underfoot and drag everything out. They didn’t complain (like I totally would have), they just got it done and enjoyed it too.

They bought a bulk lot of secondhand tools for a steal, learned to refurbish the jarrah flooring on their own, and headed down to Quinninup with trailer loads of materials, Bunnings purchases and thrifted purchases. They repainted the interior (formerly painted in a fetching combination of bright purple, yellow and various blue hues) in a palette of whites and earthy tones that perfectly complement the local landscape. To save money on renovating and reduce waste, they refurbished and reused as much as they could from what was already in the cottage, but updating the décor to give the classic layered, collected look they wanted.

Jade found secondhand and vintage pieces through Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. An old hutch was a generational piece from a family in Kensington, finding its perfect home in Millars. A vintage decanter on the hutch was a family piece, from Jade’s nanna and granddad. (Eagles eyes might spot our old tea chest bedside – which looks perfect in the main bedroom – and my old vintage suitcase which looks like it was made for Millars!) A skirt beneath the kitchen sink adds rustic charm, complementing the stained glass window and sloping ceiling. Everything is pretty, with cute details – even the toilet!

A potbelly fire keeps the whole house toasty, the beds are super comfortable, with the softest linens, the lovely kitchen is a great size, and there’s a bath in the back garden, where you can soak and admire the incredible night sky (we spotted shooting stars).

I just LOVE how Jade and Andrew have styled the house – I think it perfectly suits the house and the location. Go for a bushwalk and you’ll likely spot kangaroos, standing silently in the mist, or be greeted by the inquisitive local kookaburra, Kevin. Millars is the perfect cottage for a winter getaway – for being nestled snug inside by the fire while it rains.

A few minutes walk from the cottage is beautiful Karri Lake, backdropped by towering karri trees, one of the tallest hardwood species in the world. The lake is ideal for a morning run, or for bringing down a wine and a picnic blanket in the evenings. In recent years, the lake was given a pontoon; perfect for jumping off on hot summer days. In Quinninup there’s a tennis court, a pub with cheerful staff and a little oval. Pemberton is a pleasant 24 minute drive away; Manjimup 23. Mr Nerd and I went mountain biking in Pemberton, during which I stacked it (how unsurpising). After dinner in Pemberton one night (Jaspers whisky bar is lovely) we came home to the cottage and watched a movie on the very comfortable sofa.

If you are looking for a cosy, down south cottage retreat for your next adults-only evocative getaway – trust me, this should be it. You can book Millars by the Lake through Jade and Andrew’s website, on AirBnB or follow their Instagram @millarsbythelake. Maya x

The post A Cottage in a Forest: Millars by the Lake appeared first on House Nerd.

Well, after our unplugged family weekend I was catching up on emails and Instagram DMs today, and I read this one.

“Hello, thanks for the great blog post about painting your driveway with Crommelin.

Can I ask how it looks now? We have a painted driveway and we want to spruce it up. Just wondering how the Crommelin looks a couple of years on, especially over the pre-painted areas?

We’ve been told by Bunnings we have to remove all paint for Crommelin to be effective. That will be a huge job so just wondering if you noticed a big difference in the final result where the driveway was painted previously? Thanks again for the great website and tips!”

I’ve had a few DMs about our driveway refinishing project over the past couple of years – especially from Pinterest where that project went viral – so I thought it would be a good idea to revisit it now and share some updated photos.

So a bit of background to refresh. Painting our driveway was one of our COVID lockdown projects, done in February 2021 (with a two-year-old in tow….. always a real accomplishment). Here’s my original blog post.

As you can see above, we had a very unloved-looking, very large expanse of driveway, some new and extended, the rest from the 1970s and previously painted (by yours truly way back when, with a product called Berger Jet Dry I wouldn’t recommend).

Then we painted it and it was looking like this.

Now two years later, it looks like this.

In the spirit of transparency, I haven’t swept up or tidied up for your visit. I think that means we are real friends now, right?

We used the solvent-based Crommelin DiamondCoat Tintable Sealer in an 8L tin. You buy this and then you add in the colour additive – I got a 1L tin of the Crommelin DiamondCoat Tint in Basalt. You can get it at Bunnings. We ended up needing another big tin for the second coat. The big tins cost $151 each and the 1L tint pots were $40. So overall this project cost a bit over $400, covering the cost of a roller and brush.

I’ve tried to show this in photos, but you can see there are patches where the paint has worn away. I’ve tried to get the most worn-looking bits in these pics, but in reality most of it still looks decent, despite the small amount of fading.

So would I paint a driveway with Crommelin paint again? Yes.

It doesn’t look perfect today. Some parts have begun to wear away which you can see.

But for a project which cost $400 (compared to probably thousands to have it hired out) I am still really happy with how it looks.

We would have loved to hire someone to do an exposed aggregate driveway which I think looks beautiful, but the cost would have been out of our reach – I think it’s about $90-$100 per square metre, and we have a lot of driveway so it would have been a few thousand at least. I’m not saying that price is not worth it as I think poured and exposed aggregate can add a lot of value to your landscaping, but it wasn’t affordable for us at the time as we had already spent so much on the driveway. That’s a looong story involving a really dodgy contractor who ended up taking us to court (and lost) which I might share another day!

The small areas of the driveway where the paint has worn away haven’t bugged me enough to warrant touching it up – yet anyway. I think some wear is probably par for the course considering most driveways get a lot of wear and tear, particularly in spots where you are parking.

The woman who emailed me asked me how the pre-painted areas have been faring compared to the new concrete, and mentioned that Bunnings told them they have to remove ALL the old paint before repainting. (I shudder at the thought, so I’m not surprised she’s not keen either).

You can see what we were working with below – our mix of old, previously painted driveway and new extended areas here. We did not remove all the old paint from our driveway before repainting – it would have been a massive job, but we did pressure wash the whole driveway and scrubbed it all with a wire brush before we started.

Now two years on, I think it’s interesting to note that there is not actually much difference between the new concrete and the old parts that had also been previously painted – there are still some small rubbed away parts to the new concrete, too. This photo probably shows the most worn-area, where Mr Nerd parks his car. On the left is the new concrete while the right is the old, pre-painted bit.

I still believe that the Crommelin tinted sealer is the superior product out of the three driveway paints I have tried in the past. (The others were White Knight Ultra Pave and Berger Jet Dry, one which I tried here years ago, the other doing the driveway at my parents house).

For a driveway that gets baked by our harsh Perth sun, I think the Crommelin tinted sealer has held up well. Except for first thing in the morning, when we have a tall gum tree that shades a lot of the driveway, it tends to get absolutely cooked by the sun, especially in late afternoon in the summer. I think because of this, the colour has faded slightly, although I noticed with our bright light my photos today make it appear lighter than it is in real life.

Many people love that Three Birds Renovations look of beautiful white and light grey concrete which is incredibly popular at the moment, but if you try this product I would most likely recommend a darker colour if you have an older driveway and a lot of crazy garden, like ours. It’s much easier to keep a dark driveway looking clean. These are the Crommelin tints available, we went with Basalt as we thought Dark Charcoal would be too close to our Dulux Monument-painted exterior walls.

We have a lot of garden out the front of our house, but we also have a LOT of driveway. The difference painting the driveway has made to the overall look of our exterior (and for a relatively small investment compared to hiring out the job) made it worth it, regardless of a few rubbed bits.

Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions in the comments or via DM! I’ll be plugged in now, I swear. Maya x 

The post How Is Our Painted Driveway Holding Up Two Years On? (And Would I Paint Concrete Again?) appeared first on House Nerd.

It wasn’t all that long ago when home video security systems were thought of as something that only wealthy people could afford; protecting mansions in ritzy areas. But these days, there are video security systems that are suitable for all budgets, homes and situations. Adding video surveillance to your home can be as easy as popping to your local Bunnings and connecting a basic DIY home system yourself – no electrician needed.

Research has shown that your home is 8 times less likely to be broken into if you have signs of security – like cameras, sensor lights or alarms – visible on your property. Research also shows that 60 percent of burglars change targets after spotting a home security system on-site. Video footage can also aid police in recognising and arresting thieves.

A global leader in home security, Swann Security is an international company that began from humble beginnings right here in Australia more than 30 years ago. Swann really kickstarted the DIY-installation home security sector, and recently asked if I would be interested in reviewing a couple of their video security products.

Sarica Malhotra, head of Global Marketing for Swann, says Australia has the seventh highest rate of burglaries in the world (New Zealand ranks the highest) yet the majority of Australians don’t use any kind of sensor or video home security.

“We Australians are often praised for being a laidback and trusting bunch,” she says. “When it comes to home security, only 33 percent of Australians have a system installed at home. The reasons for this are plentiful – some believe their home is secure enough on its own, others think that because they live in a safe neighbourhood they are exempt from a potential break-in.

“However, recent statistics show that this isn’t necessarily the case, with 1 in 5 people having had someone break into, or steal a parcel from, their house in the last year.”

The good bit is there are multiple things you can do to help keep your home and deliveries safe, says Sarica. “By just adding visible security cameras, sensor lights or security signage, your home becomes less likely to be broken into,” she says. “Adding alarms, outdoor and indoor cameras or smart doorbells are proven to help deter intruders and in turn, provides peace of mind when you’re away.”

SWANN XTREEM SECURITY CAMERA REVIEW

Swann gifted me two items to review – one the Swann Xtreem Security Camera (the wireless version).

I installed both easily myself. I am famed for once assembling a basic IKEA shoe rack so that it ended up looking like a DNA helix. So if I can install a DIY home security system on my own, trust me, you’ve got this. I initially had trouble connecting the camera to our Bluetooth connection but a brief online chat with a Swann representative quickly it sorted out (and haven’t had connectivity problems since).

The camera has an impressive 110 degree video scope range and the picture quality is very clear. The Swann camera withstands rain and heat, and the battery life is good: up to six months of charge, longer than the Arlo cameras we had bought a few years ago. Ours Swann camera hasn’t run out of battery yet (it alerts you when the battery life is low). The sensors are impressive, and adjustable sensitivity and distance-wise, making it a good choice for apartments or those who live on busy streets with a lot of foot traffic.

The loud siren is also a plus. You can set the SwannBuddy sensors to trigger a siren (with choice of siren length and volume).

The camera has a two-way microphone – ideal for telling delivery people to leave a parcel at the doorstep, or to communicate with intruders.

The Swann Security app itself has a little room for improvement – a geofencing mode would be good, so that the system automatically detects that you are away from home. As is, you have to remember to switch the camera onto Away mode if you are heading out. For a scattered mum sometimes just trying to make it out the door in one piece with kids and dog in tow, setting the alarm onto Away mode is often not something I am thinking about. However, it will still record what happens in your absence if this is the default mode. You can connect it to your Hey Google or Alexa.

Prior to trying Swann, we used Arlo security cameras. One of my gripes with the Arlo app has always been that the cameras loaded SO slowly… and the pop-ups! You would receive a security alert late at night, and go to quickly log on to check that no one was breaking into your car, only to receive an annoying pop-up asking you to upgrade your subscription. Of course, they were hoping people would tire of the ads and subscribe to the updated system just for the ease of it. That’s one of my pet peeves – monthly subscription services. Before you know it, you are paying for multiple services, Netflix, Dropbox, email, Canva, Prime, that seem like nothing individually – but add them all up and woah!

In contrast, there are no pop-up ads with the Swann Security app (at least, I’ve not had one yet). While you CAN upgrade to a higher level plan with Swann with their Secure+ plans, designed for extra peace of mind, it’s definitely not something they push on you consistently, and it’s not expensive (starting at $39.99 per year for your doorbell or a single camera. Cheap as chips for peace of mind). Signing up to the Swann Secure+ plan means your Swann products can be set up to distinguish between people, package, vehicles and animals, and intelligently alert you with what you want. No more security cameras being triggered by the neighbour’s cat going on his nightly stroll.

Swann do offer a 90 day free trial of a plan if you want to give it a go (use coupon code 90DAYSFREE). But so far, using the cameras without subscription has been enough for our needs.

The SwannBuddy video camera comes with an on-board MicroSD card, so you can keep a hard copy of all events recorded, even if you don’t want to pay the subscription. And while it is chargeable, being wireless, there is also a wired option available. Recordings are first saved on your app so you can refer to them at ease, save your clips to the cloud, or locally to the SD card.

Another bonus of the Swann Security system is that I have found the loading time to be faster compared to our old Arlo system. Even if the app isn’t open on my phone and the cameras are on standby, it usually only takes about 4-6 seconds from tapping the app icon to getting a live feed on a camera. Pretty good.

The picture quality on the Xtreem Security Camera is also excellent – I would say much clearer than the Arlo and although the videos can occasionally be choppy, overall the quality is definitely good enough to identify vital details, even at night.

SWANNBUDDY VIDEO DOORBELL – SWIFI BUDDY REVIEW

Now for the SwannBuddy Video Doorbell – Swifi Buddy. This was the first time we had ever tried a video doorbell and I now can’t see this changing. The SwannBuddy Video Doorbell is great.

Not long ago, a bunch of journalists who were interviewing inmates about tricks they used to break into houses found out that while it’s fairly common for burglars to knock on a door to see if someone is home before attempting to break in, they also found that many robbers intentionally avoid ringing smart doorbells, knowing it will trigger a video recording.

They also knew that video doorbells could be answered from anywhere – meaning that an answer is not a true indicator of whether someone is home or not (some burglars will knock, rather than ring the bell, to see if they get a response before breaking in). Outsmarting the smart doorbell!

The good news is that this particular doorbell can be set so it records the moment it detects a heat signature – so you’ll get a capture regardless of whether or not someone rings it. The SwannBuddy Video Doorbell can be set to record any movement that comes into the camera’s view – you can arm it completely or choose the motion detection sensitivity and proximity, from close to far. Which is great. There have been so many times our Arlo system had woken us up to the ominous Motion Detected alert, only for it to be just something small and harmless, like a spider who decides tonight is THE night to make an elaborate new web while pinging your security alerts all night long.

Big points for how wide the view of the SwannBuddy is – it is a fish eye style, unflattering to the figure and face, yes. But all-encapturing? Yes – impressively so. It has a 180 degree viewing angle and a 1:1 aspect ratio so you can clearly see who’s at the door and also deliveries on the ground. And small people too.

The SwannBuddy doorbell comes with a simple wireless chime too for placing in your home. The only downfall of the Wireless doorbell is the battery time – I find it needs a recharge every 10 days or so. I’m not sure if my kids ringing it 20 times every time they come home is helping with that battery lifespan, though.

I find sometimes the video recordings would be slightly choppy. But not so much enough so you can’t tell what is going on – and the image quality is still very good.

The infrared vision is good for night-time. It means the colours are obviously in ‘night vision’, as you can see below, with this slightly creepy-looking capture of my face returning home one evening but the image IS super clear.

I quickly realised how much I appreciated being able to see who was at the door before opening it… or not opening it. I had a lot of fun pretending to be these different characters…. can you name who’s who?

The app interface is simple and easy to use and the Doorbell comes with a mobile chime that you can pop anywhere in your house so you can hear the doorbell better – not a big issue in our smaller house, but would be very handy in a large house.

One more small thing I have to mention; I like that included in each item are a bunch of stickers saying Swann Security 24 Hour Video Surveillance. “Not only are the cameras themselves a deterrent, but also with home security stickers and signs for your home, to remind anyone looking for an easy intrusion that it’s unlikely to be successful if they try,” says Sarica.

Cost-wise, both the SwannBuddy Video Doorbell and XTreem Security Camera are decently priced at $199.95 each, and sometimes can be picked up for even less – their online sales mean you could pick up a security camera 2-pack for as low as $169. Sarica says while having a fully fledged security option isn’t an option for everyone, they also have affordable alarm sensors and sirens, which work great when done with other precautions to boost your home security.

“There are multiple different ways to protect your home, apart from security cameras,” she says. “These include locking up your home with updated security doors and windows, changing your locks if you have just moved into your new home, deterring thieves with a dog, maintaining your yard, closing blinds at night, installing sensor lights at your front and back doors, keeping valuables out of sight, and getting to know your neighbours so they can help keep an eye out when you’re away and report suspicious activity at your home.”

All in all, I give a big thumbs up to both.

Thank you to Swann Security for sponsoring this post. You can check out all their home security options perfect for young families here, and they also currently have a bunch of special offers. Pick up their products online or at your local Bunnings.

The post Making Home Safer: Swann Security Review appeared first on House Nerd.

Agreeing to do sponsored content always comes with pressure to meet expectations and deadlines. But the flipside is that there is always something REALLY nice about having a good reason to make guilt-free time for something fun and creative (“it’s work!”) and I had truly missed painting for painting’s sake.

I’ve also missed blogging. If you would have caught me at the end of 2022’s summer holidays, you would have found me rejoicing at the thought of Miss Nerd starting kindy. Two days from 9 to 3pm each week, three days every other week. And I would keep her in daycare for one day a week. SO MUCH KID-FREE TIME, I thought. I would be able to take on so much freelance writing work. And I would get SO much done and have so much time to blog. Well. So I thought.

My friends with older, school-age children, warned me when they saw how excited I was at the prospect of ramping my own things back up.

“The school day goes by so quickly,” they warned. “Life doesn’t necessarily get easier, it’s just a different stage. It’s not just going to be easier overnight.”

Please, I thought, what can be more frustrating than threenager tantrums?

“And their school schedules are busy,” cautioned my friends. “Lots of events, excursions, assemblies, things to remember, and things to go to. Birthday parties every weekend – for two kids now. And you can’t just drop them at kindy and school any time and pick them up any time you want, of course.”
But, I thought, I’ll have two kids at the same school, and I’ll be paying less in daycare fees! This will be wonderful!

And it was – but, as I definitely learned, my friends with older children were right. We may have two kids in the same school now but I feel like in 2022 I had LESS time, more non-blog related freelance writing work, and something has had to give a bit, and it has, unfortunately, been blogging. So many times I have found myself thinking longingly about how much I love just blogging or writing for fun. It’s the ‘pleasurable’ thing I put off to do when I’ve done everything else; cooked dinner, gotten the kids down; cleaned up the house, tied up life admin ends, etc. And when on earth do you ever finish all the other things you should do? 2023, my resolution is to make time for ‘just blogging’ more. (This blog itself, by the way, isn’t sponsored (the post for Instagram was) but I loved this project so much and I really wanted to share it with you here!)

Anyway. Miss Nerd had been saying she wanted her bedroom to “look like Anna and Elsa’s” for a while. This, to me, did not mean buying my daughter vast quantities of garish snowflake-splattered official merchandise. Although I’m sure she would have liked me to.

A princess bed with a canopy would have been cool, but her bedroom is small, and the ceilings aren’t high – we don’t have the awesome space and height of Faye’s ‘princess room’ from Chris Loves Julia (which is a wonderful Frozen-inspired bedroom makeover, worth checking it out if you have not seen it).

Then one night, as my eyes were glazing over from reading a Frozen storybook for the 482^nd time I thought, What if I could make over her built-in wardrobe? I could paint it to look like the rosemalig doors in Frozen.

Immediately, the happy nerd in me went down an Pinterest rabbithole researching Norwegian rosemaling (also spelled rosemalig). Have you ever noticed how in the Frozen movies and books, so many of the walls, doors and pieces of furniture etc feature beautiful painted symmetrical patterns?

Wait, what? You haven’t noticed? You mean you don’t live with a small tyrant who is obsessed with Frozen to the point where hearing the lyrics, “Where the north wind….” sets your teeth on edge? You say you haven’t committed every dang book and movie to heart? Catching a glimpse of Olaf’s overbite doesn’t make your eyes turn into slits?

Do you tell me the franchise hasn’t permeated your existence so much that you’ve spent long drives having heated arguments with your significant other about all things Frozen? (Does Olaf represent the inner, repressed child? Was Elsa toxic? Was the parents’ parenting lacking, by separating the sisters? Discuss. And does Elsa actually die in Frozen 2?)

Anyway, I digress. If Frozen was set in Norway in the 1840s, it would make sense that lots of the interiors in the movie feature delicate hand-painted flowers and motifs. Rosemalig, or ‘rose painting’, is a type of Scandinavian folk painting that is believed to have begun around 1750 in rural Norway.

Rosemaling was a way to bring colour and prettiness into Scandinavian homes and churches – and also a common hobby too.

You can totally get why it was so popular 250 years ago. Long winters, spells of freezing cold, dark nights, no wifi – what a perfect pasttime.

Rosemalers would paint walls, ceilings, shutters, doors and large pieces of furniture, as well as smaller wooden items like chairs, trunks, stools, jugs and bowls – honestly I probably would have rosemalinged my toothbrush, I would have been that bored.

Rosemaling grew in popularity until apparently, it began to fall out of fashion in the late 1800s. (Would that deter me from trying to bring it back to a 1970s house in modern-day suburban Perth? It would not).

I swooned over so many folk art pictures on Pinterest. I did notice that while traditional rosemalig seems more about intricate swirls and detailed flourishes, the furniture and doors depicted in the Frozen movies had more of a stylised look with a more pared-back, simple, stencilled feel.

I thought I’d try to aim for something that looks kind of in-between…. and then kind of make it up as I went along.

The first thing I did with this project was attach the crown moulding. I bought it from Bunnings, it’s pine and about $13 a length.

It’s the same trim I used in the past to add to the kids bedroom walls. I like it but I’m pretty sure it’s the cheapest moulding/trim they have and it’s still not cheap-cheap. Why does this stuff cost so much? Why don’t they sell pre-made ‘moulding squares’ you can just stick onto a door or window? Why am I so bad at making the cuts at the correct angle?

I shall blame the summer heat and my ineptitude to handle temperatures above 26 degrees for the fact that I made so many wrong cuts and then actually glued the moulding on the wrong way because I couldn’t be stuffed cutting it all again. (I’m bred more for icy Norwegian climes than Australian summers). I had suspected I’d done it wrong but it was confirmed by one of my followers, who is a pro carpenter to be fair, but at that point I thought it looked good anyway so…. carry on! Even he agreed no one else would likely know the difference….. well. Let’s stick with that.

After that was the blue coat – Dulux Harmonious as the base, in half-strength Aquanamel. Miss Nerd wanted blue, and I felt like this blue was a nice gentle homage to Frozen without being that traditional in-your-face-Frozen-teal that in large doses makes my eyes start bleeding.

There is something really satisfying about painting moulding. Even if you’ve glued it on the wrong way around.

The rest of the paints I used were sample pot sizes of Dulux Celery Green, Sandpaper, Pinkham, Plunder and Vivid White – all colours from the Dulux Colour Forecast 2022 ‘Wonder’ palette.

Miss Nerd’s bedroom walls I had already painted when she was a baby, in Dulux Diva Rouge, which was very close to Pinkham, one of the pinks in the Wonder palette, so I knew the colours would all go together well.

I chose a pattern for the big flowers off Pinterest…. printed it off, cut it out, attached it to the door and traced around it…. then tried to replicate it symmetrically on the other door.

Well. Don’t do what I did. Don’t be cheap like me; go buy a stencil.

Rosemaling is a lot about symmetry and repetition. So if you are feeling inspired to attempt to do something where you need a repeat of a pattern – I would highly, highly recommend making the effort to secure yourself a stencil. There are heaps of great options on Amazon. This stencil would be perfect and is super affordable. This flower stencil would actually have been perfect for the centre of my doors. And this folk art stencil would be ideal for the top of a piece of a furniture with a curved detail on the top. Or if you are in Perth, I love the craft/painting shop Mon Petit Palais Designs in North Perth. Kate and co are awesome and so helpful and they have such a beautiful range.

Did I take the time to get a stencil? No. When I did this, it was hot as anything, kids were at home in school holidays, and the idea of releasing my busy three year old into a delicate craft store of breakables did not appeal.

So, I thought I could trace out a rough shape and flower I printed off from Pinterest and stuck to the door with blue tac. And honestly trying to make both doors symmetrical took me so bloody long I probably should have just made the effort to bundle the kids in the car and drive to Mon Petit in the first place. Anyway, I digress. No one died and somehow it all worked.

My favourite bits to paint were the little flowers on the edges which were actually so easy. Even if you think you can’t paint – you can paint tendrils of really simple flowers and leaves like these. I swear.

HOW

1. Paint four or five petals first.
2. Add a blob in a different colour to the middle.
3. If you like, add a second, similar colour to the side or middle of each blob.
4. Add a tiny touch of white to the side or middle of each flower centre and a tiny dash of white on one side of each petal.
5. Paint tiny leaves around each. Tada!

I can assure you that even if your individual flowers aren’t perfect, the overall effect will be cute.

Honestly while getting the big flowers roughly the same was hard, painting the little flowers around the edge was so calming… at least until the screams of my precious children broke it.

Like all projects around kids, I had to work in fits (and often around fits) so it took me longer than I was expecting – about a week, doing a bit each day.

Luckily, Miss Nerd loves the finished result. Which is cool because right at the beginning she walked in and grandly announced that one of my laboriously painted big flowers was “ugly. I hate it”.

Ah, the blunt discourse and easy viciousness of a threenager. Turned out she didn’t like the lilac colour I first picked. However, I carefully repainted it for the little madam – it is her room, after all – and fortunately won her approval.

Now she loves her “Elsa cupboard” and loves to show it off to guests…. luckily for me. Did you know that in the olden Norwegian days, folk artists for paint for food and board in wealthy homes, so any lack of care on my end could have seen me turfed onto the streets.

So now we have a little bit of Frozen in Miss Nerd’s room and we all like it…. at least until Miss Nerd becomes a teenager and decides she wants to paint her whole room black or something. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Maybe she will let it go.

Maya x

The post Painting a Frozen-Inspired, Rosemaling Wardrobe appeared first on House Nerd.

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Some nights I absolutely love reading my kids a book before bed. Other nights I think I’ll scream if Miss Nerd whips out her tattered copy of Frozen for the 452nd time.

Little Nerd is 7 now, Miss Nerd is 4 – that’s a lot of books to be got through every night! Sometimes, especially when solo parenting, the bedtime routine drives me absolutely bonkers. There are times I am exhausted, irritable, the kids are bickering, they’ve been prolonging dinner time, bathtime, brushing their teeth and packing away their toys and basically doing every single little thing they can to delay the inevitable bedtime. All I want is to get that bedtime story read so I can get them into bed. Sometimes, the bedtime book is the only calm, pleasant spot in a night of nuttiness.

After bedtime reading for almost seven years now, Mr Nerd and I have certainly come to appreciate a good children’s book – the mark of which I believe is a book that BOTH children and adults can re-read over and over, without adults wanting to poke their own eyes out with the corner of a hardcover.

A while ago I shared some of my personal favourite books on Instagram and so many people asked if I could collate them into a blog post for easy reference and gift shopping – so here it is!

Every single one of these books are ones that my kids LOVE while also being books that I think adults will appreciate and enjoy too.

Please tell me if you have any recommendations in the comments, so I can check them out too! We are always looking for new reads.

Tricky’s Bad Day
Alison Lester
Poor Tricky – we can ALL relate. He wakes up at 5 to get a drink, wakes up his entire (now cranky and tired) family, and it starts the beginning of Tricky’s bad day, where NOTHING goes right, and everything (and everyone) is irritating to him. Until Mum gets home at the end of the day; and Dad and Tricky escape together. They get their coat and boots to head out in the rain – they can still make this a wild and adventurous day. My friend and mum-of-three Ashlea from Our Sunshine Days recommended this book to me; and it immediately became one of our family’s favourites too. It’s such a great little story and relevant to both kids and adults. Sometimes just getting outside for a run around, even when it’s a windy, cold day, can help you turn your dark mood right around.

This will show you how much Tricky’s Bad Day has permeated. Sometimes when I am in a bit of a funky mood – particularly on a dark, drizzly day when the kids and I have been stuck in the house and we’re driving each other crazy, I find myself gazing outside at the trees blowing in the wind and thinking, “All I need is a run up a hill.” Quoting Tricky’s dad. Also, on a minor note, I love that it is the mum in the book who goes to work that day, and Dad stays home with Tricky and his two younger siblings. Tricky’s Bad Day won the Book of the Year for Early Childhood at the 2019 CBCA Awards.

Peepo 
Janet and Allen Ahlberg
Peepo is one of the best books ever written for babies and toddlers, and I’m sure most people who have read it will agree! It’s a classic. Peepo is one of the many books created by husband and wife team Janet and Allen Ahlberg. They produced more than 100 children’s picture books together, with Allen writing away in a shed in the back garden and Janet painting the illustrations in a loft above the garage, until Janet sadly passed away from cancer when she was 50. Like many of the Ahlbergs’ books, there is something about Peepo that is charming and warm. The most gorgeous detailed illustrations; following a few days in the life of a busy little baby and his loving family, and all the little things he sees around him.

What adds to Peepo’s magic are all the little hints in the pictures, like blimps and helmets – most children wouldn’t think anything of them; adults will realise, that while not mentioned in the text, Peepo is set in London during WWII. (Try not to tear up at the bittersweet last page, when the dad and mum tuck the baby into bed; the dad saying goodnight while dressed in army uniform). We started reading it when Little Nerd was one, when he loved finding things in the pictures, and have enjoyed it with both kids for years since.

I Want My Hat Back
Jon Klassen
If your sense of humour is on the dry side, like I’ve been told mine is, this is a kids book I think you’ll enjoy. The bonus? It’s a quick read – you’ll whip through it! Perfect for those nights when you can’t wait til the kids are in bed so you can Netflix and chill. The story follows a bear looking for his hat, but no one has seen it. The littlest kids might not quite understand what’s taking place in the pictures; the ones who realise what’s happened will likely be filled with mirth or glee. This book was another recommendation from one of my followers. We must have read it 30 times now and my kids still giggle at it.

The Paper Bag Princess
Robert Munsch
Written in 1980 and still just as relevant and punchy today, this one is a classic (and another good SHORT book!) It’s about a feisty princess who is also strong and clever – and I love the message of standing up for yourself. Little Nerd and Miss Nerd LOVE the ending. (Prime has free overnight delivery of this one – a good last-minute gift idea!)

The Snail and the Whale
Julia Donaldson
A sweet stories about a beautiful friendship, and I love the wonderfully creative solution to the problem at the end. Julia Donaldson can do no wrong. Beautiful illustrations and writing.

There’s a House Inside My Mummy
Giles Andreae and Vanessa Cabban

This is the book to get if you are expecting another baby and aren’t sure your firstborn is grasping what the heck is going on! This gently humorous book will help. It’s sweet and simple and tries to teach little kids why Mummy is a little more tired than usual these days. When Little Nerd was two and I was pregnant, he LOVED having this read to him when I was roughly the size of a house myself, would recommend for 4 and under. There’s a line in it about the mum feeling too tired to play sometimes and that line that would bring me to hormonal preggo tears pretty much every time.

The Paper Dolls
Julia Donaldson
Five stars for The Paper Dolls, my favourite Julia Donaldson book. It was recommended to me by a House Nerd reader who said she knew it off by heart and still loved it. We all love it too – it’s one of those special books. It’s about a little girl whose mummy helps her make five little paper dolls one day and she plays with them all the time. Until one day, she meets a little boy with a pair of scissors. While it’s pretty obvious what happens (my kids still shake their heads at his reprehensible act) the ending is beautiful and happy, I think adults will appreciate the nostalgia, as well as the bittersweetness of the last few pages. And while not overtly emphasised, The Paper Dolls is a book that could be used as a gentle way to introduce the subject of loss to little kids. The illustrations by Rebecca Cobb are perfect, with a lovely hand-drawn quality, showing how the little girl’s special memories grow as she gets older and older. Waaaaah. (In a good way). Again, it’s a book I occasionally find myself welling up at; one that makes me read a little slower and cuddle my kids a little bit tighter. (What is up with me and getting teary at kids books? I am sensing a theme).

Pig the Pug series
Aaron Blabey
The young and old will appreciate Pig the Pug. Pig is rude, grumpy, selfish, stubborn, hasty and sneaky… and always learns things in a hard (and hilarious) way. Aaron Blabey is a VERY talented writer and illustrator – his drawings kind of remind me of comics, and adults will laugh at the humour in his drawings just as much as kids do. My kids particularly love Pig the Fibber, Pig the Star and Pig the Winner, but you can’t go wrong with any of the books in the series.

Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
It would be remiss of me not to include Where the Wild Things Are in a round-up of great childrens book; even though I’m sure 95 percent of you have likely already read it. Written in 1963, there’s still something so perfect about this book; the pictures, the perfect cadence of the writing, or perhaps it’s just the nostalgia of the story that makes it feel comforting returning to it as an adult to read to my own kids. Max was naughty and rude. His mother calls him WILD THING and sends him to bed without dinner. While in his room, he goes on a wild adventure to a land where wild things are, tames them and makes himself their king. But when he starts to feel lonely, he realises he wants to go home to where someone loves him best of all… and where a little reminder that his mum still loves him is waiting for him in his room.

This Moose Belongs to Me
Oliver Jeffers
One of my favourite books by award-winning writer and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. This Moose Belongs to Me is an easy-to-read book about a boy named Wilfred, who owns a moose. “Wilfred owned a moose. He hadn’t always owned a moose. The moose came to him a while ago and he knew, just KNEW, that it was meant to be his. He thought he would call him Marcel.” Most of the time Marcel is a pretty good pet…. until one day, when Wilfred wonders whether Marcel really belongs to him at all. I’m never unhappy about being asked to read this one – it’s a light, cute story that is easy to read and the illustrations are gorgeous; with vintage painting-style backdrops teamed with cute drawings.

Here We Are
Oliver Jeffers
Another brilliant Oliver Jeffers book, this is a lovely read with the ability to move me to tears. (I know what you’re thinking, it sure doesn’t take much to bring me to tears!) A beautiful hopeful take on the world we live in, with poignant words, and topics that entice little minds to ask big questions. Somehow this is a book that will make you feel good, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. A good one to read at the end of a long parenting day.

Back to Sleep
Zoe Foster-Blake
Poor Finn. We’ve all been there. Try as he might, he just CAN’T sleep…. because Mummy and Daddy won’t sleep throught the night. Just as Finn gets Daddy back to bed, Mummy wakes up…. and then Daddy again, and so on and on. Written with Zoe Foster Blake’s standard wit, this book is a really cute, funny role reversal that kids will laugh at and parents will wryly appreciate. “Can you lie with me till I fall asleep?” said Mummy. Finn took a deep breath. He could never say no to that. She wouldn’t be forty forever. He needed to make the most of these precious years.

No One Likes a Fart
Zoe Foster Blake
Except my kids, apparently, who laugh at this one every time (for some reason they find “air biscuits!” hilarious) If your kids are like mine and consider any book about burps, farts and bad smells completely glorious, they will appreciate this. My two are 7 & 4, but even older kids around 9 will like this one. (Free delivery of this one if you have Amazon Prime!)

Koala Lou
Mem Fox
“Koala Lou, I do love you.” It’s a good day if I make it through Koala Lou without bawling, while the kids look at me questionably. As an eldest child myself who can understand what it felt like to often feel a little overshadowed by younger siblings, I relate to this furball perhaps a little too much, but it’s a really sweet, simple story about the endearing love between a parent and child.

Stickybeak 
Hazel Edwards
There’s something so nostalgic and 80s about Stickybeak to me – I think it’s the beautiful, detailed drawings. I feel like it’s so rare they illustrate books like this these days. Brings me right back to my own childhood reading this one; I still remember my Year One teacher reading it to my class. A light-hearted story about a classroom’s pet duck and his adventures as he goes home with one of the kids for a weekend.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Michael Rosen
I can remember being on a class excursion to the city in Year 1 and my teacher having the whole class sing the nursery rhyme version of this book – I couldn’t believe Mr Nerd hadn’t sung the song in school too, it never left my brain! This is a special sort of book. I love the cosiness of it, the paintings, the parents, three kids and dog banding together to go on a crazy – and fairly irresponsible – family adventure. My kids ask for it ALL the time. Miss Nerd feels sorry for the bear at the end. “He just wanted to be friends.” Apparently.

Claire Malone Changes the World
Nadia L. King
A new book by Irish-Australian author Nadia L. King, my two love this story about a clever little girl who isn’t happy with the way the world is going. At first, it makes her really sad. Then, she decides she wants to try to change things. My kids became obsessed with writing letters after they read it. Like The Paper Bag Princess, I love stories that carry a message about empowerment, and doing what you can. The drawings in this are gorgeous too.

Magic Beach
Alison Lester
If you ever enjoyed beach shack holidays as a child, this book will be a wistful step back into time. It’s a series of rhymes about a family playing and imagining at the seaside, with detailed pictures with lots of little things to spot. There’s something very calming, even for an adult, about the slow cadence of the rhymes and repetition in this book. It is a slow-paced read that is perfect for unwinding hyper little kids at the end of a busy day when you’re trying to lull them to sleep! I love the last pages that depict the family all asleep in the little bedroom with the moonlight glinting on the ocean.

What kids books could you happily read and again? Would love to hear in the comments! Maya x

The post Great Kids Books Parents Won’t Mind Reading Again… and Again appeared first on House Nerd.

Something I have discovered is that getting a pet rouses the same sort of opinions in some people that having children does. When you are considering a puppy people will tell you their frank thoughts: that you are insane, your timing is off, you won’t be able to travel (well…) your age gap is too small/too big, your breed choice is terrible, one is enough, two is enough, two is too many, three is perfect, etc etc. I am an overthinker as it is – sometimes hearing other opinions just makes my own more anxious.

There were also my own thoughts to wade through. Parents with older kids will laugh at my naivete here; but I was clinging onto the idea that life might ‘get a bit more simple’ with Miss Nerd about to start kindergarten at the end of a very long summer. While the start of school for your youngest child can feel bittersweet, and I totally get that; we had also all looked forward to Miss Nerd’s first day of kindergarten for a long time, she included. COVID had put a limit on the amount of daycare we could access; it was expensive, not enough for my workload and we had been on a waitlist for more daycare for more than a year. I hoped kindy would help. But when we decided to get a dog, we were almost at the very end of what had been one of Perth’s hottest summers on record. Summer holidays in Perth can feel arduous and long; many parents await its end with longing; and I am no exception!

So we’d just emerged from a brain-sapping, torturously hot summer, we were looking forward to the kids starting school, I was looking forward to getting stuck back into a lot more work; who on earth introduces a puppy into the mix right as things are meant to slow down? I was conflicted. I unloaded to a few people – including a few internet friends! Isn’t it funny – and lovely – that sometimes the people you think you would get along the best with in real life, you have never actually met in person. You just chat with them over the internet. You feel like you know them but you have never shaken their hand.

A kind-hearted Instagram friend and fellow dog person in Brisbane, known to her followers as The Kmart Forecast, completely understood my worries about getting another puppy when Nala was my ‘soul dog’. She told me something very kind and truthful that turned out to be spot on: that just because I’d already been lucky to have a one in a million dog in my life, didn’t mean that I couldn’t love another dog dearly, and worrying about Nala’s feelings to a puppy situation meant we had her first and foremost in our minds.

And it was a fellow blogger friend all the way in Canada, Val of Zen Shmen blog (and another dog person) who also helped me make up my mind. She sent me a really lovely email when I told her about a less-than-kind comment I had received; and part of her lovely message included this: “The favourite thing I learned through all the uncertainty and upheaval of the pandy is, when it comes to big decisions, choose the bigger life. You will never regret it.”

Well, we definitely chose the bigger life option here.

One energetic, intelligent Aussie shepherd x border collie girl.

In the end, I think getting a second dog was one of those decisions where we decided to just plunge in. The reason I say this is because firstly, we knew a new dog would be a lot of work, when we do already have a fair amount on our plates, and secondly, we already have Nala, who does NOT like other dogs.

She never has. I remember going down to a dairy farm in Harvey to pick her up; my first pick from a lovely litter of Border collie Labrador mixes, and the owner handed her to me. “You should know that she doesn’t really… LIKE the other puppies,” she said, apprehensively. “She’s not very keen on other dogs.” I looked at the ball of white fluff in my arms and almost snorted with mirth. “How can an eight week old puppy not like the other dogs?” I thought. I would socialise her heaps and take her to puppy school and she would be fine, I thought.

Well. Her first owners were right. Nala soon made it quite clear that she does not like other dogs. She would never attack them, but wherever she went she was always content to just ignore them disdainfully, as if they did not exist, and be utterly, one hundred percent fixated on us; her owners. Nala is a people dog for sure.

She is NOT a dog-dog. She has played nicely with probably four dogs in her life. She is jealous and possessive, completely obsessed with Mr Nerd and I (she merely tolerates the kids) and a spoilt, only fur child who walks into the lounge room, stands in front of the TV and sighs dramatically if you are not going to bed at the time she wants to go down. She sounds delightful, I hear you say, why wouldn’t you bring a puppy home to that?

Bringing another dog into the house did not seem like an option. You might laugh, but we didn’t want to upset Nala. We didn’t want her to feel like she was being replaced. We were always happy with our big, hairy spoilt girl, her quirks and all. But the thing you need to know about Nala is that she is super smart. I know everyone thinks their dog is super smart. But although Nala has moments of complete idiocy like all dogs, and her share of moments that make us want to scream ‘what are you doing’, she is still one of the most intelligent, astute dogs I have encountered. As an eight week old puppy she was completely house trained in two days. She went on one walk as an eight week old puppy, and the next day coaxed me to come follow her, watching to see if I was, then walked up to her lead hanging on the wall on the laundry, looking at it, then looking at me and back again, to see if I would get the hint to ‘let’s do this again’. She learned multiple tricks in only five days. You could always speak to her in sentences and she would understand, respond with a small bark for ‘yes’, remember things you promised, sulk if you forgot something you had told her you would do, like taking her to the beach the next day. She was the first really smart I had and I was grateful for it.

We got Nala to be my ‘personal protection’ dog. This is because I am profoundly hearing impaired, and at the time I was living on my own here.

I rely on hearing aids all the time – but they come out when I am sleeping or showering. Without my hearing aids, I can hear, but only if something is really LOUD. I needed someone to be my ears, especially at night. We got incredibly lucky that Nala took to her role so seriously. I had owned this tiny, round eight week old puppy for three days and already she was barking and growling at the front door if someone set foot on our property.

It was almost like she knew my hearing was nowhere near as good as hers. I had had her for just a couple of weeks and one night, she woke me up in the middle of the night, barking in my face and jumping on my chest with her front paws. It turned out to be just teenagers sitting on the verge after a party (who hasn’t had those late night verge chats about everything and anything?) but to Nala it was a potential danger.

It was almost like she knew my hearing was nowhere near as good as hers. She learned to differentiate between ‘bad’ and ‘passers-by’ and ‘people we know’ and ‘the postman’. She also alerted me if my phone rang. I could be having a shower, and sometimes Nala would just poke her head around the door, fix me with a look, walk away and I knew it meant the postman had dropped something off or my Nokia had played its jangling tune (shush, we didn’t have iPhones then).

One night, Nala was going nuts all night long barking at the front door. She was driving me nuts too.  Eventually, fed up, I let her out the front garden to let her burn off some steam and get it out of her system. She took off next door straight away and ran up to their wall where there was a gate, growling and barking. I couldn’t see anything unusual, and finally coaxed her back home. She woke me up barking multiple times that night.

The next morning, I found out that next door and a whole line of houses on our street had all been broken into. Except ours.

Once the Sunday Times were doing a story about how houses with dogs tend to be broken into less frequently than houses without dogs, and they came here and took a really nice photo of me with Nala. Years later, when I was pregnant and ginormous, wanting it over with already, I would don my husband’s ugg boots (the only shoes in the house that fit my turgid legs. It was the middle winter, but Mr Nerd did not dare ever ask for them) and I would waddle angry, stompy laps of the local park in the evenings, trying to get each baby to hurry up. As I walked my laps Nala would circle me protectively, her hackles twitching upwards at anyone who came near. I felt very safe. We called her my direwolf.

When we brought each baby home, she encompassed them in her protective ring too, despite us knowing she has never really been fond of kids – even ours. One night, I was at home alone with the kids – Little Nerd was three, Miss Nerd was three months. Murphy’s Law, of course, meant that Mr Nerd was on a work trip at that time. Nala woke me up barking and growling loudly, her hackles raised. It was 2 o’clock in the morning. I just knew instantly from the fast, furious way that Nala reacted that someone was trying to get into the house.

There was a man at the front door. He started banging on the front door and trying to open it. “Who is it?” I yelled. “Open the ******* door,” the man yelled. “I know you’re in there. Open the door or I’ll ******* break it open.” Nala was ready to rip.

(By complete coincidence, that SAME DAY Mr Nerd had said to me, “I was thinking we should get security cameras for our house?” Let me tell you, that sped it along).

I went to the back of the house and called the police. The policewoman on the phone was very nice. “Hello, I’m not sure if this is really an emergency,” I whispered, feeling surreal, “but there’s a man at my door and he’s trying to get in.”

“Are you home alone?”
“Well, my husband is away, but I have my dog,” I said. “And a baby and a toddler.” She said she wanted me to take the kids and get the dog and lock ourselves in a room. A whole bunch of police were there in minutes. Nala barked again furiously. The man had disappeared. “Reckon your dog would have scared him away for sure with that bark,” said one of the officers. “Give us a call if it ever happens again.”
Nala got a LOT of treats and cuddles the next day and was very pleased with herself.

Anyway, I’ve gone on a lot there, but I do have a point… I swear I am coming to it! My point is that we have a dog who protects her family so hard and so furiously, and who is also so smart and intuitive, that when she dies, I want her to trust that we – her little pack – are still being looked after. I know that will make some people scoff, or giggle, because it might sound absurd to you that a dog would think like that. But as she gets older, she KNOWS she is winding down and while she is still incredibly protective and fierce, she is 12 now. That’s a good run, but she can’t protect us forever.

Some people say dogs know when they are going to die. When it’s Nala’s time, we want her to go peacefully without ‘worrying’ about the pack she is leaving behind. She knows I need my ears. And I want my ears too.

Most people tend to get a puppy after their old dog has died – and I completely understand why – but the thought of not having a dog around also, more selfishly, makes me realise I would now feel uneasy. On the rare occasions I’ve spent the night alone – apart from both Nala and my husband – I’ve realised how unsafe I feel without my dog keeping an ear out; and how much harder it is to fall asleep without that comforting heaviness of her chin across my ankle. She is like my adult stuffy. And so after a lot of thinking, that is what led us to getting another puppy while we still have an old, grumpy, jealous dog.

And you know what? Amazingly, Nala has now adjusted SO WELL to the new puppy. Her first reaction was a tail wag, she was happy and friendly and interested. But when she realised the new puppy was coming into her home and didn’t look to be leaving, she changed. Jealous, growling, angry. The kids were hyper-excited and running everywhere, the puppy was weeing on the floor constantly, Nala was growling, I was home by myself with them all. I KNEW Nala would be growly.

I had been hopeful she would eventually be accepting. But somehow my resolve just completely crumbled and it somehow just hit me; what if she NEVER gets better? What if it is like this permanently? By 8pm that day, I thought oh my god what have we done?! What have we committed to. This could not work. I am a dramatic person; when I’m stressed, everything feels dramatic. Luka could not live with us. I would have to call her owners and let them know it wasn’t going to work out. What sort of life would it be for this sweet innocent puppy, with this horrific fat hellhound terrifying her at every corner? I pictured my home for the next two years with baby gates in every room to keep them separated and never being able to fully relax.

We had told Luka’s lovely breeders, a vet family, in our ‘interview stage’ that we had an older, grumpy dog. They were unperturbed. “Nala will be good for the puppy,” they said, and I was unconvinced, but they turned out to be right.

We made sure to keep things ‘the same’ for Nala, the same way we did when we brought babies home. I think our experience of wrangling a reactive dog around two toddlers over the years had actually prepped us well for bringing a puppy home. We didn’t make a big deal of things changing. We still make a big fuss of her and make sure she knows she is our number one. We always feed her first. We still let her sleep on our bed, the same way she has since forever.

And overall, although I was expecting it to take months for her to adjust, or even up to a year, Nala has done so well – for Nala! The next day after her savage growling fits, Nala was better, the day after even better. When they played chasey in the garden it feels like my heart is going to jump out of my chest. When they have their little happy doggy moments together it’s so gorgeous.

I write this with a new puppy sleeping at my feet and my old dog lying next to me on the sofa. Sometimes Mr Nerd and I have said to each other, I can’t believe we have two dogs. I just think, how lucky am I. Maybe I want three dogs? There is something about having dogs around that just makes everything better. You go to a party and there’s a dog there; instantly it’s a better party. The other morning we said to each other we kind of wish now we had gotten a second dog earlier. Despite the fresh holes in our lawn, the new holes in my shoes and the chewed-up skirting boards in the kitchen, everything feels a little bit more full and rounded and complete now.

Maya x

The post Meet Luka! Introducing a New Puppy to Our Moody Older Dog appeared first on House Nerd.

A little while ago it was time to finally upgrade Miss Nerd to a ‘big girl’ bed. We got her a new (secondhand) bed frame off Marketplace and a single size mattress gifted to us from Emma Sleep – with the proviso that if we liked it, I give an honest review post on it. Well, we like it, so here are my thoughts (and my three-year-old’s).

We’ve tried out a few different boxed mattresses now – five in total over the years. When you’ve been on Instagram as long as I have, chances are you’ve had a boxed mattress company or two (and probably some kind of meal kit service) reach out at some stage or other!

Mattresses in a box arrived on the scene about four or so years ago, and while they seemed like the latest novelty fad at first, I don’t think they are going anywhere. Now it’s a highly competitve market, and the companies have to offer a competitive product. Boxed mattresses make a lot of sense for modern-day living and the way we shop for our homes – they’re generally affordable, convenient and usually quick to order, they come in a range of firmness levels to suit individual tastes, and they’re ideal in the age of coronavirus and lockdowns, with Emma Sleep offering contact-free deliveries (and returns, with a 100 night trial period). And with COVID presently in WA for the first time in a while, it feels responsible to minimise your movements if you are able.

We had just started to look for a mattress for Miss Nerd’s new ‘big girl’ bed when Emma Sleep reached out. One guideline I have learned to follow in our house when it comes to having little kids – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That pertains to everything sleep, because toddler sleep is sacred. If you get unbroken nights of good sleep as a parent because your kids are sleeping well, I’d now be inclined do EVERYTHING you can to keep that going. You know when you finally start getting some sleep again because the kids are out of the baby stage? But then you get ONE rotten night because someone has a ‘bad jeem’ or something and the next day it feels like you’ve been hit by a ton of bricks. No matter how well-rested you were before (well-rested for your average parent, anyway) you’re taken RIGHT back to that vague, shell-shocked newborn haze, sleep-deprived and crying for coffee. So I am willing to safeguard my sleep as much as possible. To this end, Miss Nerd had been sleeping well and LOVED going for naps and down for the night in her ‘cosy cot’, as she called it. So even though her brother had grown out of his cot by two, and she was already three, I was not messing with this bed arrangement. If it worked, it worked.

But by the time she was three and a half she was on the verge of getting too tall for her cot, and I also wanted to add more storage to her room, with a bed with storage beneath. I bought a secondhand bed and Emma asked if they could send me their German-designed mattress that was actually specially made for the Australian market, the Emma Comfort. Made in Germany, this mattress has been designed to take into account most Australian conditions, so you stay warm during the cold winter months and keep cooler during the summer, so that was a feature that interested me. (I am one of those people that ‘run hot’ naturally).

Another thing that interested me is that the Emma Comfort actually won CHOICE’s Best Mattress Overall for 2021 (knocking its sister, the Emma Original, out of her 2020 first place spot and into second).

Miss Nerd was so excited that such a huge box had arrived just for her! The kids loved helping unbox it. It IS fun watching a mattress pop out of a relatively compact box and expand before your eyes! Within five hours, it is fully ready for sleeping on.

The Emma Comfort is a firmer mattress for sure, encompassing 25cm of memory foam. It was an unusually different sensation to what I had been used to (coming from a traditional pocket spring mattress). I would probably describe it as feeling sort of spongey but dense, and very gently supportive – it is firm all the way across, right up to the edges of the mattress. The memory foam is designed to provide good support for your hips, back and shoulders and keep them aligned (and it is also very breathable, so you stay cooler in summer).

I have personally always liked a soft mattress – that feeling of being cocooned in a cloud would probably suit me well; although admittedly it may not be the best for my less-than-stellar back. If you also prefer a sinkier feel, you can ‘soften’ your mattress using the Emma Flip Topper (sold separately). On a mattress firmness level, I would probably put the Emma Comfort at around a 7/10 with 10 being the most firm.

Miss Nerd immediately LOVED her new mattress and has slept really well on it since the day we got it. No complaints there. At three and a half now, she is in the process of dropping her day naps, but there have been times she has snuck off and put herself down for a nap on her new bed (which is something her brother NEVER did!) I sometimes think to myself, ‘Wow the house is suddenly really quiet, I wonder where she is,’ and I go to her room and she is passed out on her new bed. (I love those moments…. unless they’re at 4pm).

Going by her reaction, I would definitely be inclined to give the Emma Comfort a five star rating for kids. (Another plus it that even though it’s quite a thick mattress, it’s relatively light, which makes it that bit easier to move if you need to or put the sheets on).

Another pro of the Emma Comfort mattress that I need to mention is the cost – compared to a lot of other mattress brands, it’s very affordable for the quality. With Emma’s frequent sales, you can sometimes score a single sized Emma Comfort for only $399.50 – a really affordable price for a thick, quality mattress and that’s including free, no-contact delivery. You can also pay in instalments with Zip or Klarna. They give you a guarantee of it keeping its shape for ten years, and you have 100 days to return it if it’s not a fit for you.

When we opened it up, the mattress had that typical factory ‘boxed mattress’ smell that I have noticed with all boxed mattresses we have tried. The Emma website says it is called off-gassing (also called outgassing) and it refers to the process in which a foam mattress releases an odor after being unboxed. This is from the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that break down when it’s opened.

The odor is not toxic and not harmful to most people, but some (like myself) find the smell unpleasant, and a small percentage of people report difficulty breathing, headaches, nausea or asthma from unboxing VOCs. (If this happens with you, or you think you might have a reaction, it’s best to air the mattress outside on a balcony or patio until the smell completely dissipates). I am pretty sensitive to smells, yet my hubby and kids said they didn’t smell much. It was also a VERY hot day when we unboxed it, which I know can make smells stronger.

But this all leads me to one of the features of the Emma Comfort that I love – the zippable, removable, washable cover. Ideal for kids! It was so easy to unzip the cover and throw it in the wash before first use. I threw it in for a quick cycle and hung it on the line while I ran a portable fan and bowls of cut onions in Miss Nerd’s bedroom for a few hours to help clear the last of the smell. Also a couple of bowls of cut onions. (You laugh, but I have used this trick for years to clear odors from paint etc – it works!) I removed these after a few hours. By the next day, the smell had completely alleviated and I couldn’t smell anything different when I entered the room.

The Emma foam pillow is excellent. I know that pillows, like mattresses, are another one of those things that are very personal; what you like someone else may hate and so forth. But the moment I sunk my head onto an Emma foam pillow I was so impressed! (I stole one for our bed).

I was expecting to have to ‘wear it in’ until it felt comfortable, as I have had to do in the past with other pillows, and thought I wouldn’t like the comparative firmness of it, but as soon as I put my head down I thought it was amazingly comfortable. The memory foam was different to what I was used to as it was so firm but it felt so great and so supportive.

The cost at $120 is reasonable for a good quality pillow. A long time ago, I got gifted a special latex pillow that cost $250 that I thought was going to be INCREDIBLE, but after a few weeks it actually ended up giving me the worst neck cricks! Pillows are one of those things where you might have to shop around until you find what you like, but so far, so fantastic with the Emma pillow. Going by my experience with it so far, I would hundred percent buy one of these again.

I had a friend over for dinner last night who had seen my Instagram post about Miss Nerd’s new mattress. She had started looking for new mattresses for her two boys rooms, and so I told her to go have a lie on Miss Nerd’s bed.

“Oh my GOD,” she said in wonder as soon as she lay down. “I can’t believe this came out of a box. It feels amazing.”

Thanks to Emma Sleep for sponsor-supporting this post. You can check out Emma Australia online here or on their Instagram page. They have kindly given me a discount code for you guys – use code word 5MAYA for an extra five percent off.

The post Miss Nerd’s Bedroom Update: Emma Mattress Review appeared first on House Nerd.

Well, home selling aside, I’m in almost exactly the same situation as the family I’m featuring on House Nerd this week, and call me sentimental, but I know what I’d want if I were saying goodbye to my house – photos! (And perhaps a sneaky last party or two). But yes, I’d want some lovely photos of our home to remember it and our lives, at this point in time – so here we are today with a tour of this sweet cottage, which its owners Bree and Trin Handley have literally just put on the market.

Bree, an ambulance paramedic, and Trin, an anthropologist and research manager, bought this 1951 Carlisle cottage in 2011, and currently live there with daughter Amelie, 5, son August, 3, and German shorthaired pointer Pepper, 9.

I met Bree at a party last year, and found out she had actually followed my blog since my early days, but she didn’t discover we had mutual friends in common until years later. Anyone who has ever lived in Perth will know that Perth is small like that; it always makes me smile! When Bree recently asked me if I might be interested in doing a home tour story of her house before she and Trin listed it, I said “sure!” after only having seen a couple of pictures. I knew it would be a lovely home – Bree is humble and gorgeous and honest, and I had a feeling her home would be exactly the same. And well, it is. It is one of those lovely, inviting, unaffected homes that just feels good.

Trin and Bree (I actually just absentmindedly typed “Tree” by mistake, which I must say is actually an excellent couples’ name) had been wanting to get into the Perth property market and bought the house in 2011 after a year in Melbourne.

Bree had previously lived with her parents in East Victoria Park, where she fell in love with the streets of old character houses with picket fences.

“Carlisle offered similar cute, old houses at a more affordable price and still an amazing central location, only 7km from the city,” she said.

“We wanted something with solid bones and character, and we saw this. The high ceilings and jarrah floorboards were a big drawcard, with room for a garden and deck. And my own white picket fence!”

Built in 1951, the weatherboard cottage had a timber and painted timber elevation. “It was blue, which I thought was cute at the time, but Trin had other ideas,” says Bree. “The young family we bought it from had good taste and style, and they gave us a glimpse of what the house was capable of.”

Over the years Trin and Bree gave the home’s exterior a makeover; reroofing and replacing the old timber weatherboards with more resistant James Hardie cladding.

They also gave it a new paint scheme; with exterior walls painted in Dulux Tranquil Retreat in half-strength, trim in Dulux Vivid White and gutters in Monument. The veranda floor was painted with White Knight Black Hills.

Although their home’s block had been previously subdivided, one of the things Bree and Trin liked about it was that there was still ample garden space to the 367sqm block. “When we were house hunting, we found that some houses which had been subdivided meant the house was right up against the back fence,” says Bree. “One thing we loved about this house is that it is well-positioned on the block with front and back outdoor areas.”

While in the past many people have left the garden until the last stage of their renovations, there is becoming a growing trend for gardens and alfresco areas to be prioritised instead, so the garden has had a chance to grow in by the time the rest of the work is completed. Bree and Trin, who studied horticulture, were ahead of the curve.

“The garden was our first area we worked on, wanting to get some trees planted ASAP,” says Bree.

“Trin was full of ideas for a native garden that made the most of the sloping block. We did some landscaping with salvaged jarrah railway sleepers and reo mesh/rods.”

 

“Gradually we added the deck, my Dad’s pride and joy. He completed it while we were away on holiday as a surprise.”

Redoing the kitchen and dining was another larger project they tackled when they had saved enough towards it. “We wanted to open up the kitchen and out to the deck to make it more social and open-plan,” says Bree. “Originally the kitchen had one of those old ovens with an overhanging chimney and a door directly through to the toilet!”

Fortunately, that was able to be amended, and a new IKEA kitchen installed, with a pretty breakfast bar with live edge sheoak countertop made by Bree’s father.

“The sheoak breakfast bar was a slab that Dad had been saving for the perfect spot, and he decided his daughter’s first house was a worthy home for it!” says Bree. “He even added in a matching sheoak book shelf in Augie’s room.”

One thing I really love about the Handleys’ home is the banquette seating in the pretty dining room. It’s practical; making the most of the space and allowing for the thoroughfare, it’s comfortable and cosy; perfect for long chats and board games, and it looks great.

The dining flows into the comfortable, cosy living room, where a wall of family photos hangs above a vintage Chesterfield.

“My favourite room is probably the living room,” says Bree. “It’s where the dancing happens, the train tracks get built, the washing gets folded, Netflix, late night chats.”

Not many couples have exactly the same taste in interior design. So I am always curious to learn how couples compromise around how they decorate.

“Trin and I probably differ in our ideas of style at home,” says Bree. “I tend to like to champion items that are nostalgic or meaningful and make them fit somewhere, whereas Trin prefers a minimalist look – white, uncluttered, space over ‘things’. It’s a source of humour for us and I think we have reached a peaceful compromise! I do enjoy the calmness that Trin’s style brings. We balance each other out nicely in my opinion.”

Trin laughs. “Most of that is true. I do appreciate Bree’s fondness for having special items around the house to give it a homely feel. For me, a home is a retreat, somewhere where the family can relax, have friends and family over, cook special meals… so I want things to work, to feel spacious and uncluttered… it probably means I’m constantly wanting things to be given away or put in the bin!”

They both agree the house is not usually as tidy as it is the day I visit. “It is NOT normally this clean!” laughs Bree. “With two kids we have generally tried to have a place for everything so the kids know where to find things or put them back, but it’s a work-in-progress!

“I think our home reflects our love of nature, with the gardens and outdoor spaces being really inviting and captivating. The indoor areas are designed towards social/open plan as we are usually spending time together rather than in separate spaces.”

With two very active kids, they spend a lot of time at the neighbourhood parks or grabbing a coffee nearby. “We are so lucky where we live, there are so many great parks and playgrounds for the kids within walking distance – Tomato Lake, Koolbardi Park, Rayment Park,” says Bree. “There is also the best coffee and brunch spot, Laika, and Cosy Del’s next door for one of Perth’s best local dinner places.”

Now moving house for more space for their growing family, Bree and Trin say they hope the cottage will go to someone who will enjoy the peaceful feeling of it. “I hope someone falls in love with it and calls it home,” says Bree. “I’d love them to enjoys the birds and the flowers blooming each season. I hope the character of the house is appreciated – and memories continue to be made here and add to its history.”

Maya x

This lovely home is on the market with Lee and Derek Baston of Baston & Co. Check out the listing here.

HOME LOWDOWN

THE OWNERS

Bree and Trin Handley, an ambulance paramedic and anthropologist and research manager, who live with their daughter, Amelie, 5, son August, 3, and German shorthaired pointer Pepper, 9

THE HOUSE

A three bedroom weatherboard cottage surrounded by native gardens

LOCATION

Carlisle, Western Australia

BUILT

1951

SELLING AGENT

Lee and Derek Baston of Baston & Co. Check out the listing here.

The post An Idyllic 1950s Cottage in Carlisle appeared first on House Nerd.

Today I’m sharing my review on our newest electronic home help, gifted to us from ECOVACS – the Deebot T9+ robot vacuum with mop.

The Deebot T9+ has only just recently hit the Australian market and ECOVACS asked if I would like to receive a unit in exchange for a review.

Now, this sounds SO lazy but like most bloggers I am privileged to get offered lots of things and my initial thought was, ‘Could I be bothered?’ (I already told you I hated vacuuming, why are you surprised at how lazy I am?) But… well… I mean we already HAD a floor vacuum cleaner. It was just that, after a few years, our little Roomba sometimes didn’t charge unless he was absolutely perfectly aligned with his little sensor thingies. You had to get the contact cleaner out and give him a little love to get him feeling good again.

Now, this did the job. But sometimes I just couldn’t be bothered getting the stepstool out to get the contact cleaner down (it’s on a high shelf, out of reach of the kids, and well, myself) and maybe, sometimes I would instead try to wedge Roomba into his charger, with a book of just the right thickness (Mysteries of the Unexplained usually worked best) to hold him at juuuust the right angle to provide maximum charge. I told you I was lazy. Shove in a book wedge and call it a day.

It drove Mr Nerd CRAZY. But look, I was happy to do it. Anything except actually clean my floor myself.

I told Mr Nerd that we got offered an Ecovacs robot vac for a review.

“We don’t really neeeeed it, do we? We already have Roomba,” I offered half-heartedly.

“No. Get the new one,” said Mr Nerd flatly.

The day the Deebot T9+ arrived, it was he who tore into the parcel with excitement and started reading the manual (wonderful, as reading manuals is soo boring I would rather count the holes in a crumpet).

“A breath of fresh air!” the packaging declared confidently. “The best just got better.”

“Let’s put Roomba on Marketplace right now,” said Mr Nerd, thrilled to finally have a reason to give Roomba and his floor book the boot.

“No,” I said crossly. “We’re keeping Roomba for a couple of weeks while we trial the new one. Just in case the Deebot isn’t as good and I decide I want to keep Roomba instead.”

We sold our Roomba two days later. That shows you just how converted I was.

Can you love a vacuum cleaner? Yes. I think you can. Mr Nerd was so rapturous about Deevid (what we named our Deebot) he even offered to write the review. “Ok….” I said uncertainly. This is the first time in like almost a decade of me blogging he has EVER offered to write anything for my blog ever. And he actually wrote it really well, maybe even better than I would have. I will not tell him this but I was half impressed, half miffed.

So, let Mr Nerd tell you all about the pros and cons of Deevid. And I’ve put a MY pros and cons at the end too (come on, the colour and the fragrance are important things to discuss).

ECOVACS DEEBOT T9+: MR NERD’S REVIEW

“We’ve been enjoying a robot vacuum for the past four or five years now with our previously reviewed Roomba 980. We accepted its flaws and adjusted the way we used it to make it work for us as a family of four (with a dog… and now a really old chicken).

So how much can a robot vacuum improve in a relatively short time span? A lot. We didn’t initially want to get rid of the Roomba because it was an expensive unit, hardy, and it sucked up pet hair as promised.

So we tentatively tested our new friend Deevid and prepared to move it on when it didn’t meet the very high standard that Roomba originally set. But Roomba is gone and Deevid is staying.

Cue: Sad, blue filter montage of our son as a baby sitting on Roomba being driven around, fishing out precious items from Roomba’s butt, and various other enjoyable vacuum moments…

Deevid’s sound levels are by far the biggest improvement. The Deebot T9+ is quiet for a robot vacuum. Safe to say if our daughter, who just turned three, wasn’t so scared of robot vacuums I’d run the risk of turning it on during her sleeps. That said, she’s actually losing her fear of robot vacuums. The other day I heard her yell, “Tank you, Deevid.”

Because our old Roomba was quite noisy, Maya and I are entrenched in the habit of turning on the floor vacuum when we leave the house, but I can see that changing with time. Both the sound and the sensors are so good there isn’t really a reason not to.

 

Having said that, if we do forget to turn it on when we leave the house, it’s as easy as whipping out the phone and remote launching Deevid into action through the app. So by the time you do come home, the air filter and fresh perfume aroma of a clean house hit you upon opening the door.

Cleaning against our skirting boards is not perfect, but it has improved. We find if you do a quick run with the Deebot every day, it will keep the floors in a state that stops our parents from looking at our home in disgust.

This brings me onto another major development in the robot vacuum world… the docking station with auto-emptier.

Some people won’t like the amount of space docking stations take up but it has encouraged us to use Deevid every day because you don’t have to empty his little butt tray after every clean! It sounds trivial but we are living in the decision fatigue era and it’s one less thing I have to worry about. Seriously starts getting Deevid into the realm of completely automated cleaning.

The docking station vacuum motor is loud as it empties Deevid’s container into the bag, but only for five seconds which is totally bearable. Touched on it before, but the sensors have greatly improved as well. The first clean (have to let it complete a full cycle to avoid mapping issues…yes we learned the hard way) will create a map of your house.

Don’t worry if you have closed one of the rooms off, it’ll add that whenever you give it access.

You can then access the app and put in virtual walls (no longer need the physical towers that came with our previous floor vac) and select specific rooms you want cleaned, which comes in handy if the kids have started a Lego or Duplo war on the floor.”

ECOVACS DEEBOT T9+: MAYA’S REVIEW

We have now had three different robot vacuums – Deebot, Roomba, and before that a Robomaid. (Don’t get a Robomaid. It ate so much stuff and KEPT EATING. There was no “Error! I’ve eaten something I shouldn’t have message” where it would pause and humbly wait for its masters. It literally gnawed the base of my former Christmas tree clean away and KEPT GOING RELENTLESSLY. You can read about that guy here).

PROS

DEEVID CAN DO STEPS! Well, really small ones. 
I will admit, I was stoked when we chucked Robomaid out and got our Roomba. I thought it was great. But Deevid is a big step up. (On the subject of steps, he does actually climb up onto the closest thing we have to a step in our house; my study windowsill, and clean it – Roomba would always get stuck halfway on the step and cark it, spewing dust and dog hair everywhere in a fit, then call for me).

OUR HOUSE IS LESS FILTHY
The floors are definitely cleaner every day from running Deevid regularly. Because both Mr Nerd and Miss Nerd have asthma that flares up from dust, trying to limit places for dust mites is a priority in our home (this is the reason we really don’t have proper rugs!)

GOOD FOR PET HAIR
The Deebot T9+ has done really well with our endless swathes of dog hair (Nala’s hair is short to medium. I am not sure personally how Deevid would go with long dog hair, like a golden retriever or border collie). Sometimes my hair gets tangled in the brushes, but Deevid is easy and quick to pop open and clean if you need to.

A RELATIVELY QUIET FLOOR VAC
The Deebot T9+ is quiet for a robot vacuum which we were pleasantly surprised by – especially compared to our previous Roomba and Robomaid. Sometimes Deevid is doing his thing in the background and I don’t even notice. I could not say the same for our previous robot vacuums; they were unpleasantly LOUD.

As I work from home, I could not focus on work if Roomba was out zooming near me – the constant noise set me on edge if I was trying to focus on a task, so I would turn my hearing aids off (which kind of makes them act like earplugs) and… I could still hear Roomba going! That’s loud).

Meanwhile, with Deevid the sound is not off-putting. Our house is not very big, but I have even set Deevid out while Miss Nerd naps and she doesn’t wake up. I guess it’s pretty much like white noise!

IT COMES IN WHITE!
As our living room walls are white – it makes the docking station less obtrusive and not stand out so much. Scandi-inspired house robot.

IF HE INGESTS SOMETHING HE SHOULDN’T HAVE, YOU’LL KNOW IT
Unlike our original floor vac Robomaid, who would seemed to consume something very small and important (like my grandma’s heirloom earring, or the heel of my leather shoe) and then zoom away quickly into the next room, Deevid seems to detect if he’s sucked up something inappropriate, and will let you know, or you’ll notice the noise change straightaway. We have gotten in the habit (kids also) of doing a quick spin around the house picking up Lego, toys and lifting up our tasseled throws onto the sofa to give the floor vac free rein.

The kids believe that anything a robot vac sucks up is gone for good, and I’m not about to tell them otherwise… they actually pack up all their tiny little toys out of fear.

DECENT RUN TIME
The Deebot T9+ runs for 175 minutes. (Longer than our old Roomba 980 which was 120). It’s enough time to do a full vac of our three bedroom house.

THE APP AND GOOGLE AUTOMATION
The app is cool, and it’s cute that you can sync the Deebot T9+ up to your Google assistance, so you can say, “Hey Google, make the robot vacuum my disgusting house.”  (My childhood self has goosebumps of glee at the thought).

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO TURN ITS AIR FRESHENER OPTION ON
I have been known to greet guests at my door and, while they’re disarmed, interrogate them with, “DOES MY HOUSE SMELL LIKE DOG?” We’ve all been to homes that had a distinctive musty or fusty smell or a lingering odor from a pet or a baby in the household; I want my house to smell good.

The air freshener function is a big pro to me (you can choose whether to turn it on or off while your Deebot T9+ does its work). You can pick from three fragrances, and a capsule should last for up to 60 days.

I have noticed already that I am beginning to associate the smells of Deevid with mental relaxation, because if I have a clean, spotless house, my mind ALWAYS feels a little less cluttered! The scent you get with the Deebot T9+ (comes in little sachets) is nice, but I would like to learn if I can safely add my favourite essential oils into it also.

THE DEEBOT CAN DO CARPET AND HARD FLOORING
If you have carpet, the Deebot T9+ will automatically increase the suction power when it detects carpeting,  and switch back to normal mode when on tiles or hardwood. I can’t personally comment on how the Deebot T9+ goes with carpet, as we don’t have carpet in our home. It has gone well with the small rug in my study.

The Deebot T9+ is a good mopper which is an appreciated time saver – it has an oscillating mopping system and does a nice even mop. (I’ve tried adding essential oils to the mop pad – which is nice but they evaporate quickly on a floor). I think because our vinyl flooring is textured, with very shallow grooves in each plank, if there is a really grubby mark, the Deebot finds it harder to get it off. However, I find that case when I mop our floor by hand as well. To be expected with vinyl plank floors.

CONS

SPACE OF THE AUTO-EMPTY UNIT
Like Mr Nerd mentioned, the size of the auto-empty unit might be a bit off-putting if you are very tight on floor space, you can’t tuck it under a cabinet or sideboard. The positive is, I do love not having to empty its “butt-tray” all the time.

IT’S PRICIER
At around $1,299, the Deebot T9+ is not a light investment. For a robot vacuum with an auto-empty unit, as well as a mopping function and an air freshener, I think it is reasonably priced. I have learned from Robomaid, our first robot vacuum, that you get what you pay for when it comes to robot vacs.

The Deebot T9+ has good coverage also, but again, like most robot vacuums, still won’t get into tight corners because of its size, like in the corners where our kitchen cabinets meet. We tend to dustpan these up or just brush them out so Deevid can come along and suck them up.

DISPOSABLE MOPPING PADS
These microfiber pads come with the Deebot T9+ and work well to collect dust and leave the floors looking as good as new, but these days lots of people are looking for small ways they can reduce their overall household waste. However, after reading a forum, it looks like there is a way to simply cut and attach the reusable mopping pad of a different Deebot model to the Deebot T9+ to give you a washable option.

Thank you to Ecovacs for the gifted Deebot T9+. We appreciate this little guy. Maya x

The post Robot Vacuum Review: the Ecovacs DeebotT9+ appeared first on House Nerd.

There are so many decisions to be made when you are renovating an older home or building a new house – if you’ve ever felt a little conflicted or stuck, you won’t be alone!

Choosing colours, materials and things for your home can have even the most design-loving of us reaching for the wine sometimes. Especially when you’re factoring in things like:

– Picking things that tie in nicely with the rest of your home and that won’t quickly date.
– Getting on the same page as your partner (or compromising).
-Your renovation budget.
– Choosing materials that you hope YOU will still love two, three or even ten years down the line.
– Thinking about what OTHER people will love, if you have in mind resale and want to sell your home eventually.

Cabinet handles and knobs are one thing most people will have to pick out for their homes when building or renovating. Years ago, when we did our laundry makeover, family bathroom and ensuite renovations, it was an easy decision for us – simple because there wasn’t that much choice readily available in Perth at the time! Even when we got cabinet units custom made, for our laundry and bathroom renovations, there were only a handful of handle options available to choose from.

I think when most people (working on an average budget) did a laundry or bathroom renovation, it was pretty standard to just choose one of the builder-grade choices (which were perfectly fine – just nothing special).

Years ago, when I used to visit homes for the newspaper, it seemed like there were maybe four or five different types of handles in Perth kitchens and bathrooms (predominantly brushed chrome) and that was it. I would rarely walk into a kitchen and notice the handles, in a way you’d walk into a space and think, “Oooh, I really like those” or “Oh – those are nice!”

We’ve come far.

Now cabinet handles, pulls and knobs can be real statement pieces in all kinds of spaces – practical AND special design elements.

Today’s hardware is not only easily accessible to all with online shops and shipping, it can be a real way to add something special and individual into your home when it comes to handles and knobs for our kitchens, bathrooms and laundries.

While being spoilt for choice is a lovely thing, it can also make things trickier when you’re choosing from more than four or five different types of handles on offer!

Today I’m talking to the team at Manovella for their tips on choosing cabinet handles and pulls. When they reached out to see if they could sponsor a blog post, I was thrilled – they are just the kind of Australian brand I most love to work with.

A Melbourne-based small business that ship all over Australia with their online store, Manovella specialise in a range of BEAUTIFUL, top-quality brushed brass and matt black hardware and door handles. The kind of thing for the home that has a way of making you feel just a little special and grown up every time you use it. (You may be in your 30s like me, but I know you know what I’m talking about). They also sell high-end door handles and hardware.

I switched up the knobs on our bathroom cabinetry and refreshed existing pieces of furniture we already owned with new knobs to give them an easy update – like this thrifted bedside in our room.

The quality of their handles is great – they are so solid and well-made and just feel good. These are not cheapie pieces. You all know I love my vergeside finds and flea market scores when it comes to decorating and renovating, but I have always believed in investing in things that you really love or that are really worth it, whatever it is to you – a special art work, a soft as butter leather chair, a particular type of timber for your decking, beautiful pulls, or a handmade encaustic tile. I think that’s why I love the roadside rescues and thrifts so much – it makes the spends on quality pieces feel even more deserved.

The Manovella Design team (who by the way, really nice and very helpful) have been working in the building and hardware industry for more than 25 years and this week they happily let me pick their brains. Here is their advice on choosing hardware for your home that you’ll really love. (And head to the end to enter my giveaway with them to win a $250 Manovella voucher!)

HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT CABINET HARDWARE FOR YOUR HOME

Do you have any tips to make choosing cabinet handles a bit easier?

One of the biggest tools you can use early on is a vision or mood board. Seen all over Instagram and Pinterest, these are a great tool to work out what colours and styles complement each other, and will allow you to try bring in different elements on a small scale before committing to the bigger picture.

While putting a mood board together yourself will give you the best range of options, there’s nothing wrong with looking at social media accounts whose job it is to create beautiful and welcoming spaces and have already done the hard yards of tying it all together.

By doing these things it really does take all the heavy lifting out of making the decisions, as you’ll start to see what combinations and colours work well together and compare that to those of the professionals, which reaffirms you’re on the right track.

(Try Style Source Book to create a moodboard – it’s free. If creating a mood board sounds too tricky, a Pinterest board will help (you can make them secret if you like). I often use Pinterest to put together products and images I like on one board, and then see what works together and what doesn’t – and it’s great if you want to show an interior designer what you have in mind. Even a basic moodboard of images in a folder on your computer will help.)

What are your takes on current trends for cabinet handles and hardware? Are there some styles that are on-trend but you think are also here to stay a while?

We have been in the industry for many years and seen designs/finishes come and go (and then come back again in some cases!)

We noticed a demand for matt black hardware started to arise around 2010/2011 and has grown substantially. With so many homes using black to either blend or contrast their cabinetry it really is proving to be a timeless finish.

The demand for satin/brushed brass is a lot more recent, but we see going down the same path, as it’s essentially a modern twist on the classic polished brass look.

With growth in both these finishes we’ve decided to focus on them and provide hardware that may otherwise be hard to find, as well as create a brand that brings true quality to the market.

The most important thing about trending and popular finishes is knowing which ones will stand the test of time and aren’t just a passing fad.

Once we’ve established which ones are here to stay, it is then our job to help bring that look to the market and create pieces that offer a premium look, feel and overall – quality.

Can you mix hardware finishes or styles in a bathroom or kitchen? Are there any rules to mixing metals (or mixing finishes, like brass and matt black) successfully?

Absolutely! There are no limits on what you can or cannot do when mixing/matching.

At the end of the day it comes down to what you think will work well and what suits the spaces you’ve created.

Always work these elements into your initial design as opposed to having them as an afterthought. This ensures everything will work together and you’re not scrambling at the end because nothing you look at suits the room!

At present we specialise in the niche finishes of matt black and satin/brushed brass, we’ve had customers purchase cabinet hardware of the same design but both finishes for different rooms.

By keeping a nice knurled design throughout and changing some of the finishes, they were able to create really well-contrasted spaces.

So, you think you have decided on a style or colour of cabinet handle that you like – what is the next step? How do you advise people mix pulls with handles, or use what where?

With no ‘one size fits all’ solution, the main advice we give customers for mixing and matching hardware is “samples, samples, samples”.

Not sure if this cabinet handle will suit? Buy a sample. Unsure if this cabinet knob suits the tap below it? Buy a sample.

We personally offer free shipping for an item to be used as a sample, and if it’s not suitable, the customer can return it for a refund.

Most places will offer similar deals to this, so it never hurts to ask the question.

When people ask me about what to save on for the home and what to spend, I normally tell them to put their money into buying the best quality they can afford for things that are going to get touched and handled ALL the time – hardware, door handles, knobs, mixers, tapware. (The one time I scrimped and bought cheap knobs for our doors, I regretted it down the track and even during install!) Why is it usually worth investing in/spending a little extra money on things like cabinet and door hardware?

Knowledge is knowing that sticking to your budget is a MASSIVE part of building and renovating – but wisdom is knowing where to save money and where to spend money.

Cabinet hardware and pulls are something that people will use almost every day without thinking about it – opening a pantry door for a snack, the bathroom cabinet for your toothbrush, or perhaps the linen cupboard for some fresh sheets – every day you will see, touch and feel the decisions you’ve made.

So our advice is to make those decisions wise ones and find the hardware you really want and will last the distance.

With so much cheap hardware on the market it’s easy to buy ‘similar’ products to what you really want at a cheaper rate, but nobody talks about how often these cheap comparisons break, tarnish or just simply don’t look quite right in the home. If you cut corners on something you use every day, be prepared to pay for it with time, money and annoyance down the track.

Are there any basic rules for getting the sizing of cabinet knobs and handles right?

For cabinetry, the heavier the drawer/cupboard the bigger the pull.

If you fit a small, single pull to a large drawer you’re going to store heavy pots and pans in, you’re going to struggle. Think about how much purchase you’ll need on the cabinet in order to open it.

Working with brand new cabinets, size is more of a personal choice.

If you’re wanting a minimalist look you may wish to have single pulls throughout, or if you’re trying to make a statement you may opt for longer pulls with sleek lines to complement the cabinetry.

If you’re simply giving an existing kitchen, bathroom or bedroom a facelift, sometimes you have to work with the holes that are already drilled into the cabinets.

The only provision for these is if there are two fixing points you measure the distance from one to the other (centre to centre point or C2C). With this information you can then check it against what you want to make sure you get the right size.

 

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Are there any dos (or don’ts!) when it comes to picking cabinet handles?

Touching on a previous answer, we recommend not cutting corners on the quality of the hardware. Materials such as solid brass are ideal for cabinetry as they will both look great and last the distance.

To add to this, have a look at the warranty information on the hardware you’re buying as this can be a big indicator of how much a company backs their product. Hopefully you never have to address this, but it’s always good to be properly informed on what you’re buying.

WIN! A $250 MANOVELLA GIFT VOUCHER

Manovella are kindly giving one lucky House Nerd a gift voucher for their beautiful range of brushed bass and matt black knobs and handles. To enter, check out my latest post on Instagram. (Don’t have an Instagram account? You can still go into the draw below by leaving your name and a comment below telling me your favourite kind of handle from their website. Please include your email – don’t worry, this stays anonymous).

Winner will be contacted by direct message or email. Competition closes 8pm 23/07/21. Shipping to Australian addresses only. Promo not endorsed, sponsored, administered by or associated with Instagram. There is a complete release of Instagram by each entrant.

Thank you so much to Manovella Design for sponsoring this post! You can check out their online store here or follow them on Instagram @manovelladesign or Facebook here. Maya x

The post How to Choose the Perfect Cabinet Handles and Hardware (and a Giveaway!) appeared first on House Nerd.