Elle's renovation diary: living and dining

Home Beautiful’s editor-in-chief Elle Lovelock takes us through her living and dining renovation with helpful tips on how to transform your home. Watch the video above to discover more.

Take advantage of natural light

Being a Victorian-era worker’s cottage, our home doesn’t have any expansive views, so I sought to create ‘moments’ that would draw the eye throughout each space. For example, we kept a courtyard next to our dining area, which bounces natural light into the centre of the home and provides a spot of green.

A neutral coloured dining area leading to the kitchen. — The kitchen and dining area complement each other in neutral tones. The palette teams with an oak table from Perfect Pieces, a ‘Piaf’ linear pendant from The Montauk Lighting Co and ‘Grande Stripe’ linen roman blinds from Tuiss. *(Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)*

An oak dining table and monogramed napkin. — *(Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)*

Beyond the living room is our small but perfectly formed backyard and greenhouse. We chose artificial grass installed by Aarons Outdoor to ensure a year-round green view. The bi-fold doors frame the dining setting from Yardware, another elegant vignette.

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Elle’s renovation diary: alfresco

Wynstan

Woman in a white shirt leans against a kitchen counter with flowers in the foreground and a staircase behind her.

Elle’s renovation diary: kitchen

Winning Appliances

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3 of the biggest mistakes from The Block living and dining room reveals

Courtyard and white French doors. — Bi-fold doors by Trend Windows & Doors wrap the rear of the Dulux Colorbond Dune-painted home, accented with Pivot Arm awnings in Monument 542 from Wynstan. *(Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)*

Use vertical space

When working with a small footprint, one way to make a room feel larger is to play with height. We demolished the rear of our house so we were able to raise the roof height. Floor-to-ceiling linen curtains from Tuiss further enhance this trick of the eye.

Floor to ceiling curtains frame the contemporary living area opening to the backyard. — Grande Stripe’ linen curtains from Tuiss and an Armadillo ‘Agra’ rug in Artichoke add layering in the living room. Custom sofa by Chilli Pip in Elliott Clarke ‘Para’ linen in Midnight. Albert Petite Tri-leg floor lamp from Bloomingdales Lighting. Martini table from Laura Kincade. *(Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)*

A vintage style ottoman with a planter and vintage perfume bottle. — A marble Rachel Donath ‘Fleur’ vase sits on a herringbone linen ottoman. *(Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)*

Another idea is to install tall skirting boards, like the heritage style we chose from Intrim Mouldings. You can do the same thing with modern profiles, too.

Picture frames hang above a French style chair. — Italian lithographs hang above a French Savonarola stool from The Vault. A Shades Of Pale table lamp sits on an Antique side table from Dusty Luxe. *(Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)*

Elle’s renovation diary: kitchen

Elle’s renovation diary: alfresco

Elle’s renovation diary: bathroom

Elle’s renovation diary: bedrooms

Feeling inspired? See more of Elle’s renovation

Writer Elle Lovelock Editor-in-chief

Elle started her journalism career 20 years ago on Belle and since then has worked on titles such as Australian Gourmet Traveller, Australian House & Garden and Real Living before becoming editor-in-chief Home Beautiful. She is an interior design and lifestyle specialist with a penchant for colour palettes and a knack for spotting the next big thing in decorating.

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