Why do you make a radical change? Well, for Mummy Ask the end of a relationship sowed the seed of change. But it was much more than that, this is the Eat, Pray, Love type of spiritual journey . Your home is an outward expression of yourself, as well a haven from the world.
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Mummy Ask has lived in this home for 10yrs and owned it from new. She moved here after the end of her second marriage and furnished it with things she took with her, some of which were made by my Dad many years before. It was a mish mash of old and new, showing the heritage style of decorating from long ago and a more recent bent for the modern. I thought of it as hippy deluxe. There were Buddhas and African masks and skinny legged occasional tables and an overall look that said bowerbird traveller to me.
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Not a paint pot was opened for 10yrs. A combo of feeling she should keep her good, solid furniture, the emotional upheaval of change and a relationship that spanned 8yrs, where living together at his place was often talked about left her in a holding pattern of doing nothing. The house was a bit shabs, crappily installed cornice sagging, grout that refuse to come clean at the scrubbing brushes touch and the carpet was badly stained. Mummy Ask is a vego, animal loving type and has nursed 3 beloved pets to their end here and the cream carpet showed every pee and chuck stain and no matter how many times is was professionally cleaned, the stains kept rising to the surface (however once she mastered my carpet cleaning method, new stains were easily vanquished).
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What makes this story unusual is Mummy Ask got rid of 90% of her stuff – for real. The only furniture that remains from before is a dressing table I asked her to keep for me (Daddy Ask made), three artworks stayed, half her wardrobe left, even most of the bedlinen went west. She did keep half of her kitchen stuff, ditching her everyday dinner set. Many, many, many decorator items got diced and only her Buddha collection and a few small items remain. This was one hell of a cleanse! Emotional furniture was distributed over the family, as well as many bits and bobs. Painters, electricians and carpet layers took much of the rest and the unuseable items hit two skips that was raided by neighbors.
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Now, if that kind of chuck out makes you feel uneasy, just know it happeneed bit by bit, first the unliked major furniture went to ease painting and carpeting. Then the ridiculousness of decorator items became apparent and they went. For four weeks, Mummy Ask had no floor coverings, no furniture, no blinds and a tradie or three every day. Her bed was floating in the middle of the room with no bedside tables, just a chair with water and an alarm clock. No TV, no stereo for weeks. Whilst there were no structural changes, she could not cook or sometimes bathe. I was here every weekday and the dust, the biting cold when everything is open for the paint fumes and there is nowhere to sit. I actually sat outside in the spitting rain for hours with a bottle of champagne and a prayer!
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There wasn’t much of a plan. We picked the paint colours together; Mummy Ask had a couch in mind and maybe a bed and was certain about carpet but was happy to let it evolve. Scary thought, no? But she felt she was rethinking herself and her life and was thinking of the house through that lens. It would be what she was on the day the decisions were made, one by one. Mummy Ask knew that something would have to flow from nothing, just like the bride stripped bare. She saw it as a reflection of her own life, that each part of her life would have to have a purpose that was suited to her and that were there was darkness in the house there needed to bed light – design decisions were made around this.
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But Mummy Ask and I were not alone in these decisions. Before it even started my lovely Sister in Law, who just finished studying Interior Architecture (and works in a swanky design firm) dropped by and shared some ideas that are represented in the finished design (the wardrobe is amazing, thanks Sis). Mr Ask and Bryan (the painter) provided many on the spot opinions that helped shape the whole thing. Plus Mr Ask was responsible for purchasing and setting up electronics.
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At the end of the day, Mummy Ask loves her home and it serves her. Mummy Ask thinks she has made an amazing journey and everything about it is hers. She didn’t set things up the way most people do, she set it up for how she uses her house. It now reflects her. So there is no large lounge room that would seat many people, there is no spare room with a spare bed or storage room for junk, there is only what pleases her soul and design ideals. I think it is so amazing I am going to write a post about each room, that tell you where the items come from, the colours we chose and the tradies we used. Then you can tell me what you think…….
2 Comments
Sounds very interesting,. would love to hear more.
I am hoping to have the first photo heavy post on Monday xxx