Walk-in-Linen: Get Organised

I'm very lucky to have a walk-in-linen cupboard which allows lots of storage. I don't think a home can have too much storage. I use my linen cupboard for more than just towels and bed sheets.

Baskets and boxes are a fantastic way to store items whilst looking very neat and organised. My white baskets are the Rattan Baskets in large from Woolworths. They come in white or black and in sizes large or medium. I have spotted them in the Reject Shop also in brown, red and white. The smaller clear boxes with grey lids are from Big W.

Tip 1: Put sheets or quilt covers inside their matching pillowcases. This will stop pillowcases getting lost and also makes them look neat when stacked.

Tip 2: Stack your towels in 'bath sheets', 'bath towels' & 'beach towels'. This way you don't need to search through all of them to find the right size/style. I keep hand towels and face washers in baskets as they are small.

Tip 3: If building or renovating include a tall space in your linen for your ironing board, mop, broom, vacuum etc

Laundry - Wash, Dry, Fold

Whilst the laundry is tucked hidden away i don't skip it when giving guests a tour of the house. Its a great laundry with lots of storage. I will discuss my walk-in-linen more and organisation tips next post.

Walk-in-Robe Plans

When we were getting ready to do prestart i really wanted to have the shelf and rail removed from my WIR so i could get a custom fit out after handover. However everything was adding up so we decided i would wait. I was thinking i would wait until my 30th and have it as a birthday present - but i cant wait another 3 years. Today i had Lifestyle Wardrobes come out to do their measure. Now to wait until its ready to be installed!

Its a very hard space to try get photos of due to the layout but i will try my best. I'll take 'before' photos to post whith the 'after' photos. Be warned my wardrobe seems to be more like a storage unit at the moment.

Here is the design i came up with:

Wall A = My side, hello shoe shelves! The shoe shelves and shelves/drawers is what you can see from the opening.
Wall B = Full hanging is mine and double for hubby
Wall C = Hubbys side (he gets shelves and drawers too)

I already have 4 of these baskets ready to use. I think ill get some more but i want to wait until wardrobe is installed so i can see what i need.

Scullery: Little Luxury

I'm lucky to have the luxury of a scullery in my home as well as the walk-in-pantry. This room is where my bench top appliances live. Its a place for our dishwasher and dirty dishes etc. Above the kettle in the overheads we have our mugs, tea, coffee and so on. I've kept everything fairly neutral in here, no colour pops like the rest of the house. I love my white kmix appliances, whilst they are a modern style they wont date.

Facebook Page

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See you there!!!

The Block: Glasshouse

Last night The Block Glasshouse started. They really just jumped straight in this year, no messing around. Not much has happened yet but I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes with them scoring each other. There must be some set rules otherwise if you didn't like a couple you'd just score them low every week.

From first impressions I'm liking Jenna & Chris and Darren & Dee best so far. Michael & Carlene will need to grow on me i think.

Which couple is your favourite so far?

Jenna & Chris (Purple), Michael & Carlene (Red), Maxine & Karstan (Yellow), Darren & Dee (Blue) and Shannon & Simon (White)

Pantry Organisation

I can probably be a little bit OCD when it comes to organising but I know there is many of us out there. I first did my pantry full of Tupperware in 2010, the pantry organising has continued from there.

My Dream Kitchen

We plan to be in this house forever (or at least a very long time). This was my chance to get my dream kitchen. After having such a small kitchen with very little bench and storage space I knew exactly what I wanted. I also have a scullery (I will talk more about this another day). The glass door you see is the one for the scullery, there is a plain door to the left which is my walk-in-pantry. The dropped ceiling over the kitchen i love as it sections the kitchen off and adds a nice feature.

Dining: Statement Lighting

The light in my dining room is the main statement piece in the open living space of my house. It gets peoples attention straight away, most comments being about the size of it. You can see how each room joins into this space including a sneak peek of my dream kitchen (post to come soon).

Family Room: Be Social

Our family room is a comfy spot where we can sit and talk with our guests. There is no TV..... I don't think there is a need for a TV in every room that has a sofa. This space is quite simple but comfortable. I like that its in the main living space not tucked away.

I think every home should have a photo wall. It's a great way to show off your favourite photos but at the same time add a personal touch to your home. I had a large space to work with so I went for a mixed pattern within a rectangle shape as I felt with 32 frames it would have looked too messy.

I've always loved plants inside a home, there is just something about the bright green leaves. This plant is a Fiddle Leaf Fig they are often seen in interior decorating photos. The clock is the 51cm Mr Karlsson White.

I'd like a large painting for this empty spot on the left, but I think it will take many years to find something that's 'right' for the space.

Decorative items do not need to be expensive. I framed some left over fabric from the large cushions my friend made for me and some free printable papers.
Tip: Check out your local op shop or garage sales for vases in a shape you like, then get some spray paint and transform them to suit your space.

Free printable paper: Mel Stampz

Lounge: Relax & Unwind

My lounge is where I am most evenings once the kids are in bed. I set myself up infront of tv with the ipad to just relax and unwind. The kids watch movies in this room during the day other than that its adults only. The lounge comes off the study, which is great if I'm on computer in evening and hubby watching TV we can still talk and be near each other.

Study: Where Blogs Are Made

I have always wanted built in cabinetry for my study. I designed the layout to include 2 lockable filing drawers, 4 drawers & overheads for extra 'not on display' storage.  Since our study comes off the main area I selected Laminex 'Burnished Wood' to match the dark wood in our house and Laminex 'Polar White' for the shelves to match the kitchen. I chose to have white shelves as I felt the dark colour up to high would feel too 'heavy' and close in the room.

Ensuite & Powder Room

When you walk into the master room the ensuite entrance is opposite the doorway. It was just a blank wall so I wanted to create a nice entrance that also tied in with the bedroom. I see this wall as more part of the bedroom then the ensuite. I didn't want any traditional wall paper so this removable wall paper was a great option. It comes ready to stick on the wall, no special wall paper glue needed.

The Wall Sticker Company: Herringbone

The print on the wall I made myself. 'What a difference a day can make' - a list of all our special dates. Its actually a clever way to ensure hubby doesn't forget any important dates !!

If you're interested in this print you can email limemortarblog@gmail.com - Custom digital file $5

Our ensuite is his/hers style. We both have our own sink, set of drawers & cupboards and even our own shower heads. The middle cupboard I had the handle put horizontal as it may become a pull out hamper. For now it has our bin hidden away. Cupboards & bench top are both Laminex 'New Graphite'.

Master Bedroom: My Peaceful Space

The master room is very much my personal space and probably the most quiet space in the house. This is the space I escape to when I need a little peace & quiet. I love the bright colours in our room, they make me feel happy.

The bed linen is Adairs 'Nolita' with 'Geometric Archer' cushion. I chose the grey herringbone pattern cushion to tie in with the wall paper in my ensuite which is opposite entrance to our room.

I chose white block out rollers for the bedroom for practical reasons - to block out the sun. This photo was taken as the morning sun was hitting the glass. I put sheers over the rollers to soften the look of them. When the rollers are up the sheers soften the sunlight and give such a nice soft light which is so relaxing. Behind the rollers is a glass sliding door which will eventually lead out to an undercover parent retreat.

Be My Guest

The guest room is a different style to the rest of my house. I used black gloss furniture instead of the dark wood. I think in bedrooms its fun the play around with different styles and looks. I mentioned in my kids room posts about starting with a quilt cover and styling from there. However this room started with the artwork.

Kids Bathroom: Splish Splash

I wanted the main bathroom to have a fun feel but not too kid like. I continued the lime green into this room as I think it looks great with the greys. The bench top and cabinets are Laminex 'New Graphite'. I decided to delete the usual strip of tiles over the bench and instead continue the mirror down to the bench top. I think the framed mirror gives a nice finished feel compared to the unframed style.

Boys Room: Robots

My sons room recently had a bit of a make over. It was still robot theme but orange/blue/grey. I decided to update it and make it feel more grown up. I think adding black really helped do that. The blue/green combo looks really striking. I've painted the wall around windows in a darker grey (Dulux Flooded Gum). Usually the general rule for feature walls is to have a blank wall - no windows, doors or built in robes. But I think it really works in this room.

When your not sure on a theme or colours for a kids bedroom I think its best to choose bed linen and then work from there. That's exactly what I did for Tylers room. This set is KAS Kids 'Vintage Robot'

Girls Bedroom: Girly Aqua Pink Combo

My daughter's bedroom is so girly and so 'her'. I went for something slightly more grown up as I want the room to last. I always knew if I had a girl she would have white furniture for her bedroom. It was exciting to use white as rest of the house is dark wood.

The room was designed around the quilt. I selected fabrics and style and the wonderful Leigh at Sakurako made it. The quality is amazing! The blue/rose fabric you see is the backing to the quilt. It was the backdrop I used at Sophie's 1st birthday party.

Kids Play Zone

If you're building a house and you have young children I think an activity room is a MUST. Somewhere for them to play when inside, watch TV & keep their toys. A place they can let their imaginations run wild on a rainy day. It's also great for playdates! I like that no matter how much mess they make I don't have to look at it all day. My kids bedrooms come off the activity room so it really is their own zone in our home.

When you walk into my home to left is the activity room and this is what you'll see when walking past (if not covered in toys). I'm thinking of adding some framed photos of the kids with their friends down the narrow wall on the left.

I love the world map! I had it personalised with my kids names. You can get one here: World Map

  

Once you walk around the corner you'll see this! 

Making An Entrance

Welcome! Come on in and make yourself at home :)

I wanted the entrance to be simple and spacious but a bit of wow factor. The best way to achieve this was with statement lighting. In my entrance is an ikea HEMNES shoe cabinet and the matching HEMNES mirror. The kids mostly use this shoe cabinet which is great as it keeps all their shoes contained and easy to find (there is no 'I cant find my shoes' as you're trying to leave the house).

Minimal Maintenance Frontage

I'll start with the front of our house. I designed the front garden but we had trades do most of the work as hubby works away and knew he would have lots of work to do in our backyard. For those who don't live in WA you'll notice the land here is like a giant sandpit. Except in hills as you may have seen on House Rules - lots of rock!

This is how our front garden looked when we got the keys to our house.

I drew a design on paper to scale with a pencil & ruler (traditional way haha). We then found a bricklayer to start work just after the new year. Next we had the render done, then the render painted. We planted all the plants ourselves and then had artificial grass laid. We chose artificial so we could put more time/energy into our backyard. This also ment we didn't have to worry about damaging the render when cutting the edges of the grass. We originally planned to have the artificial grass on the verge also (below the footpath) but changed our minds. Hubby and I paved the verge, which gives our guests extra parking. Paving the verge does require council approval. Luckily our approval came few days AFTER we laid the pavers.

My letterbox is huge, I wanted something different but mainly I want to be able to have a big stainless steel address plate. For privacy reasons I have deleted my street name but I have the full street name where 'Lime & Mortar' is placed. The extra part becomes a good seat when watching the kids at the front.

We plan to have all the aggregate pavers sealed in gloss & add a merbau deck to the portico :)

Here is how my house looks today!

ETA 28.11.14: Updated photo showing facade colours nicely with no shadows

Click image to enlarge

Roof: Colorbond 'Surfmist'
Light Render: Solver 'Dawn Grey'
Dark Render: Colorbond 'Woodland Grey'
Front Door: Merbau wood stained Intergrain 'Merbau'
Garage Door: Centurion 'Jarrah'

Next we step inside my giant front door....

Our Floor Plan

The first time we built a house was in 2011. My taste was very different and I didn't really discover my love to decorate until a year later. I always say your first build is a practise run. You learn so much about the building process and how to make selections and so on. I started to imagine what things I would change and do if we ever got to build again. That opportunity came in August 2012 when we put a bigger block of land on hold and started choosing floor plans. We couldn't find any plans that ticked all our boxes so I decided to heavily modify a floor plan to suit our needs.

This is what I came up with.....
 

 

 

The admin/build was a long and stressful 15 months. A lot of tears, frustration, loss of sleep but also a lot of excitement and happiness. We moved into our home 30th November '13 :)

 

Things I really like:

• My kitchen & scullery- I designed it, its my dream kitchen
• Having the ensuite toilet as a powder room. Means guests can use that toilet rather than go through kids zone and use their toilet. Also good for us having easy access. Also makes an extra entrance to our master room.
• Kids bedrooms at the front - means we can entertain without disturbing them. Also if ever an emergency we can get to them quickly and out to the front of the house.
• The kids rooms coming off the activity room. Keeps most their stuff all in that one zone rather then spread across the house.
• Having the study near the lounge room and main living space. Means not hidden away in a bedroom somewhere

I really do love my floor plan!

 



Welcome to my home!

Hey there, welcome to my blog!!

I am a FIFO wife (my husband works in the mines - fly in fly out) and a stay-at-home mum to a 5 year old boy and 3 year old girl. A few people suggested i start a blog, the idea always overwhelmed me as I'm not too creative with words but I've decided its time. This way I can share my home, my ideas, my kids birthdays and so much more in one place for all to see.

How did I come up with my blog name? A couple of friends made suggestions and I mashed them together. You'll notice throughout my house I have used lime green. I have loved this colour for a long time, its such a fresh colour and easy to find. Friends have told me when they see lime green they instantly think of me or my home, so this is where the 'Lime' part came from. Mortar represents my home since that will be main feature of this blog. For those in the eastern states, in WA our homes are double brick, all internal walls are brick.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I've enjoyed creating it :)