You’ll know Bonnie as our clever creative. Her job at Three Birds Renovations is to make everything beautiful ... a challenge she relishes daily. She’s stylish, smart and savvy so of course, she’s responsible for all our design choices. But it’s not by chance that she’s a natural with an impeccable eye for good design. Bon comes from a family of renovators. Her brother, Casey, turned his passion for transforming homes into a full-time gig with his company, Kinwolf, and their parents, Linda and Maurie Scott are onto their 20th project … and counting.

The apples don’t fall far from the tree in this family!

We sat down for a chat with Bon’s Mum, Linda, about their latest project and how she squeezed so much design goodness into a 291sqm Balmain block.

tELL US ABOUT YOUR VISION FOR THIS CUTE COTTAGE

We wanted to combine the traditional features of the cottage with a more contemporary, industrial style to create a classic suburban home. The home had a lovely facade that just needed some cosmetic works to update it and bring it in line with our vision. We had the brickwork repointed and acid washed, the driveway refurbed and the roof replaced, which were all big factors in transforming the facade.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Can you spot what else Linda and Maurie did to update the facade?

Here's what Bon's parents did to this facade. How many did you spot?

Changed the colour palette from white accents to black
Added a new garage door
Installed handmade corbels (those are the 4 cream-coloured architectural blocks on the arches)
Replaced the white steel balustrade with black ironwork
Reconstructed the fence using recycled bricks
Replaced brown tiles on the front porch with new black and white tiles
Added a new front door but kept the original glass surrounds
Installed French doors off the upstairs balcony

HOW DID YOU COMBINE ‘THE OLD’ AND ‘THE NEW’ INSIDE THE HOUSE?

I love the look of the old and new together and think it works perfectly. We kept traditional features like the ceiling roses and wall mouldings in the bedrooms in the original part of the house and they’ve all come up beautifully, painted in Dulux Vivid White.

In the main living area, which is a new addition to the rear of the house, we used exposed brick walls and 3.5-metre high black steel doors to bring an industrial feel to the more contemporary space. We chose second-hand bricks because I love the charm and character they bring to the home. When the brickie was first laying them he was trying to avoid using the coloured ones, but we told him to embrace the different coloured bricks and use them to create a truly unique space. There are even some green bricks up there.

The custom-made steel doors were a splurge but they make the home and were absolutely worth the investment.

TELL US ABOUT THE ALFRESCO SPACE. It FEELS LIKE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT STYLE AGAIN?

Yes, the outdoor area has a definite Mediterranean feel about it with its curved bench seating, mature olive trees, pizza oven and crazy paving. I think it flows well from the inside out through the use of the same colour palette.

The previous outdoor area was just a lawn with a huge fishpond and fence that was falling down. We wanted a low maintenance courtyard to entertain family and friends.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BOLD CHOICES IN THE KITCHEN

I had my heart set on matt black cabinetry to bring some depth into the room so I chose one of my fave dark shades, 'Monument' by Dulux and had the cabinetry hand painted. I know that matt finishes show up more fingerprints than a satin finish but I love the romance and organic look of the matt finish so it was a must-have in my kitchen. And I have no regrets!

Although Bonnie tells me that engineered stone can look as good as real Cararra marble these days, I went for the real deal for my benchtops and I love it. The weight of the marble was somewhat problematic when it came to creating the shelving and it required a number of steel brackets to support it.

What are your best reno tips?

Always start with a mood board so that you have a clear vision of what your final project will look like before you’ve even started.
Use a reputable builder and be clear with your communication (shout out to Jason from Brighton Constructions).
Stay close to the action by being on site as much as possible - every day is ideal.
Don’t be afraid to speak up if something’s not what you requested!