my home in inside out magazine

It's always a slightly surreal experience to see your home in a magazine. It looks so complete, somewhat final, and, well, tidy. I have to add quiet to that equation, too. Anyone who knows my tribe, knows that it's never that. But it is a home, and a humble one at that.

It is an apartment in Bondi Beach, Australia. It is a place that I moved into some years ago and saw its potential, even though it was a rental. As the story that Clare Patience wrote explains, I didn't let a lease stop me from transforming the place into something more personal. It's a topic I feel passionate about: you shouldn't wait for the "perfect" place to create somewhere that's home for you. If you live in a rental then you can still make it your own. I certainly did. I painted it, added plants, hung curtains and replaced the light fittings to more interesting pendants. And I added rugs everywhere to hide the honey-hued pine floorboards. I wanted to make it a place that I wanted to return to every evening.

I also believe that style has nothing to do with money. The place has been furnished with secondhand finds that have been revamped. Almost everything has been painted - from walls to floors to furniture. There are also handmade projects, too. I created a height chart for my son out of kraft paper. And I transformed lamps using paint and fabric and/or wallpaper for the shades.

As I said, the apartment is a humble home. It was all about making the most of what was to hand. But, it's even more humbling to see it in the pages of one of my favourite magazines - Inside Out - in its 2012 Annual Renovating & Decorating Guide (currently on sale). So a huge thank you to Richard and Sharon for the opportunity, and to Kata Bayer for her beautiful photography.

For those of you who are interested, here is where I sourced some of the pieces for the place - as you'll see it's mostly a mix of secondhand finds and Australian design pieces.

LIVING ROOM

Blue sofa: Vinnies

Fabric: Warwick

Danish-style sofa: Street find restored by Old School Industries

Streetscape artwork: Richard Briggs from the James Dorahy Project Space

Embroidered cushion on blue sofa (and on the bed): Tara Badcock

Text cushion on blue sofa: Pony Rider

Hanging tassel on bookcase: Table Tonic

Artwork on bookcase: Anna-Wili Highfield

Artwork on wall: Sebastian Nash - email me if you're interested in his work

KITCHEN

Table: Garage sale

Chairs: Vintage store in Tasmania

Tablecloth: Ici Et La

Ceramics on table: Kif Kaf (I also got a heap of baskets for my plant pots from there - inspired after seeing the home of Daniel Baffsky a while back.)

Rug: I&B Perryman

BEDROOM

Linen heart artwork: Rachel Castle

Rug: Armadillo & Co

Throw: Bholu

If there's anything you're interested to know about, feel free to contact me. And I am always open to decorating projects too: natalie[at]nataliewalton.com

images courtesy of inside out magazine, photography kata bayer, styling natalie walton