https://katrinaleedesigns.com/ [Life & Design] Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:40:49 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.7 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cropped-mylogohouse-1-32x32.png https://katrinaleedesigns.com/ 32 32 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/a-beautiful-house-isnt-enough-7-things-that-make-a-home-better-to-live-in/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/a-beautiful-house-isnt-enough-7-things-that-make-a-home-better-to-live-in/#respond Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:15:44 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89213 We spend so much time thinking about how our homes are going to look. The kitchen colours. The flooring. The tiles. The furniture. But after designing and building our own home, I think some of the most important decisions are actually the ones that determine how a house feels to live in every day. You...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/a-beautiful-house-isnt-enough-7-things-that-make-a-home-better-to-live-in/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/where-i-spent-and-saved-building-an-energy-efficient-home/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/where-i-spent-and-saved-building-an-energy-efficient-home/#respond Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:46:13 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89209 Building an energy efficient home doesn’t mean spending more money on absolutely everything. One of the biggest things I learnt building our home was where spending more would actually make a difference, and where it wouldn’t. Our home achieved an 8.3 star NatHERS rating, but we certainly didn’t choose the most expensive option at every...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/where-i-spent-and-saved-building-an-energy-efficient-home/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-3-bedroom-home-with-2-living-areas/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-3-bedroom-home-with-2-living-areas/#respond Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:31:51 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89206 I really like this one! It’s only 210m² but there’s a LOT packed into this floor plan without it feeling like they’ve tried to squeeze too much in. It’s a 3 bedroom home with two separate living areas, a proper study, butler’s pantry and double garage. I think this would be such a good layout...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-3-bedroom-home-with-2-living-areas/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/we-just-won-four-awards-for-our-home-im-still-pinching-myself/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/we-just-won-four-awards-for-our-home-im-still-pinching-myself/#respond Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:46:39 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89187 Exciting news… Our home here in Wagga Wagga, built by the brilliant Jamie Carroll Constructions, has won FOUR awards at the 2026 HIA Riverina Housing Awards. Four. I still can’t quite believe it. We are absolutely thrilled. Genuinely, properly thrilled. Why this one means so much If you have followed along with this build at...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/we-just-won-four-awards-for-our-home-im-still-pinching-myself/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-a-big-4-bedroom-acreage-home-with-pool/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-a-big-4-bedroom-acreage-home-with-pool/#respond Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:50:08 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89175 Now this is a BIG one! 420m², 4 bedrooms, a pool and some really great separation between the different areas of the home. I love how spread out this floor plan is. The main bedroom gets its own wing on one side of the house with a huge walk in robe and ensuite, while Bedrooms...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-a-big-4-bedroom-acreage-home-with-pool/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/how-big-should-your-rooms-be-a-guide-to-bedroom-living-kitchen-dining-room-sizes/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/how-big-should-your-rooms-be-a-guide-to-bedroom-living-kitchen-dining-room-sizes/#respond Wed, 26 Aug 2026 02:27:40 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89172 One thing I notice ALL the time when looking at floor plans is that room sizes can be really hard to visualise. A bedroom might look perfectly fine on paper, but will it actually fit a queen bed, two bedside tables and still give you enough room to comfortably walk around? Or that huge looking...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/how-big-should-your-rooms-be-a-guide-to-bedroom-living-kitchen-dining-room-sizes/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/10-floor-plan-mistakes-to-avoid-before-you-build/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/10-floor-plan-mistakes-to-avoid-before-you-build/#respond Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:37:13 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89161 Getting your floor plan right is one of the most important parts of building a new home. And while it’s easy to get caught up in choosing a beautiful kitchen, tiles and finishes, some of the decisions that will have the biggest impact on how your home feels happen much earlier. A good floor plan...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/10-floor-plan-mistakes-to-avoid-before-you-build/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-4-bedroom-family-home-with-separate-bedroom-zones/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-4-bedroom-family-home-with-separate-bedroom-zones/#respond Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:54:10 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89165 I really like the zoning in this one. It’s a 4 bedroom family home, but instead of having all the bedrooms grouped together, they’re spread into really practical separate areas. The main bedroom sits at the back with a large walk in robe and ensuite. Bedrooms 2 and 3 are together with the main bathroom,...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/floor-plan-friday-4-bedroom-family-home-with-separate-bedroom-zones/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/do-curtains-actually-save-you-money-on-energy-bills-i-went-looking-for-the-numbers/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/do-curtains-actually-save-you-money-on-energy-bills-i-went-looking-for-the-numbers/#respond Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:57:05 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89114 In partnership with Curtain & Blind Co. Every time I mention curtains in a build or reno, someone in the comments asks the same thing: do curtains actually make a difference to your energy bill, or is ‘thermal curtains’ just a label a curtain company wants you to believe? Fair question. I wanted an actual...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/do-curtains-actually-save-you-money-on-energy-bills-i-went-looking-for-the-numbers/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/investing-in-outdoor-furniture-that-lasts-a-designers-case-for-quality-over-quantity/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/investing-in-outdoor-furniture-that-lasts-a-designers-case-for-quality-over-quantity/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:43:03 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89106 (Feature Image: Investing in quality outdoor furniture. Credit: Osier Belle)  Styling a home well is rarely about buying more. It is about buying the right pieces, the ones that carry a room or a terrace without needing to be replaced or replicated a year later. That principle applies just as much outdoors as it does...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/investing-in-outdoor-furniture-that-lasts-a-designers-case-for-quality-over-quantity/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/7-things-you-must-know-before-you-start-designing-your-home/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/7-things-you-must-know-before-you-start-designing-your-home/#respond Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:28:28 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89102 If you’re about to renovate, build, or finally tackle that room that’s been driving you mad for years, you’ve probably already fallen down a Pinterest hole or two. Maybe you’ve got forty tabs open, a folder full of “inspo” photos, and a growing feeling that you still have no idea where to start. You’re not...]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/7-things-you-must-know-before-you-start-designing-your-home/feed/ 0 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/5-selections-mistakes-that-blow-your-build-budget-and-how-to-avoid-them/ https://katrinaleedesigns.com/5-selections-mistakes-that-blow-your-build-budget-and-how-to-avoid-them/#respond Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:09:15 +0000 https://katrinaleedesigns.com/?p=89092 Selections is where most people lose the plot. Not because they have bad taste, but because nobody warned them what they were walking into. You start out excited. Tapware, tiles, benchtops, the fun stuff. Then three weeks in you’re drowning in samples, second-guessing everything, and your budget is quietly bleeding out while you’re not looking....]]> https://katrinaleedesigns.com/5-selections-mistakes-that-blow-your-build-budget-and-how-to-avoid-them/feed/ 0