Designer Spotlight Maddy Evennett
It's amazing that you've renovated and designed your home–it's so personalized. Were there any challenges that you faced along the way that you were able to overcome through design?
The biggest design challenge we have had to overcome was building a family bathroom. To have a larger and more practical space meant reconfiguring the hallway, removing the existing 1950’s bathroom and entirely reframing for a new bathroom.
Congratulations on welcoming a new addition to your family! How does having little ones around at home affect the way you utilize your space? Do you look at design differently?
Thank you! Our home is small and certain areas require thoughtful design. It has to be practical for everyone. The main play area for our daughter is the living room; we have chosen to keep the space open and inviting by keeping seating to a minimum and a small coffee table for maximum play space. I like to have a couple of storage baskets out with her favorite toys and store the rest in her nursery. We are conscious about only having what is necessary within our home and often purge and donate what we no longer use or need. This, in turn, makes our home feel fresh, uncluttered and functional for everyone.
Being a new mom can sometimes mean having little to no time to yourself. Do you have a favorite place in your home where you find yourself most at peace?
The living room is the heart of our home. It’s where we play, read, relax and entertain. I wanted to evoke a calm and inviting space, cost with textiles and textures, but simple in design to keep an open and airy atmosphere.
The built-in shelves surrounding the fireplace are my pride and joy, each shelf displays global treasures and memorabilia from all over the world and this area is most definitely my favorite place to relax with a candle burning and a good magazine.
What is the most treasured item in your home and why?
We have many treasured pieces in our home, family heirlooms and collected pieces from all over the world. However, the most sentimental item would have to be a large vintage Moroccan rug that is in the master bedroom. Before I moved to Australia from England my husband had suggested as we both enjoyed and met traveling, we to take a trip to Morocco. We decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to purchase our first item for our home together overseas. We chose a rug because it is a staple piece and made to last a lifetime.
Would you recommend renovating a home room-by-room? Or tackling the whole house at once? And why?
If there were an open budget I would recommend renovating the entire home. Having a planned schedule is extremely important for everything to run smoothly. The renovation could not only work out cheaper as you tend to buy materials in bulk but the entire process will be a lot quicker. I do recommend when furnishing an interior to focus on one room at a time and work through the house in stages, it will reduce the chance of getting overwhelmed and confused about the pieces you need to find for all the different rooms in your home.I am also a firm believer of living in a new space for a while to get a real feel for the space before making any bold decisions with interior furnishings.
In your opinion, what should you splurge on when renovating a kitchen?
Don’t compromise on what really matters to you. Your kitchen design should be a reflection of how you live, for example, if you regularly eat takeout it may not be necessary to splurge on the best cooktop and range hood. I personally would invest in high-quality cabinetry with a thoughtful and practical design layout with maximum storage!
Where do you love to shop for interior pieces?
My favorite places to shop are boutique stores specializing in global products, second-hand stores, and markets or shops overseas on travels. When I purchase items I like to be intentional and not just buy it for the sake of it. I would rather have a blank wall for 6 months and save up for a painting I truly wanted than purchase something off a shelf to fill the gap that I might tire of in three weeks.
Is there anything exciting that you are working on at the moment that you can tell us about?
We are always updating our home one way or another but as we have a new family member arriving soon there are a few new projects in the pipeline, as we have to adapt our small home to four. One project that we will be doing in the near future is a new nursery!
What advice do you have for people who want to renovate their home, but find the task too daunting?
The best advice I can offer before you renovate your home is, plan! Prioritize spending money on the areas that matter most. Plan to the finest detail to eliminate design challenges along the way, e.g. pre-planning a space for the garbage in the kitchen. It's really important to find contractors that you can build a solid relationship with, trust and communicate with to make the renovation process run smoothly and efficiently.
We'd like to thank Maddy for taking the time to chat with us. Hoping all of you readers enjoyed this as much as we did! Be sure to follow Maddy on Instagram at @hutchinson.house for more design inspiration.
