Author Shannon Edwards // Place Bulimba
Blending a natural talent and passion for interior style, with over 25 years of hands-on building experience, the duo of Sally and John Walvin are the ultimate team when it comes to ‘creating style’ to your home.
Not only will they create your dream living space, but they will turn your house into a forever family home.
“Practically is our number one focus, a house can be beautiful, but it needs to be practical for your family lifestyle, and cater to your daily needs,” says Sally, Founder of Creating Style.
We sat down with the pair in their communal working space here in Bulimba, where we got some advice on what exactly it is that turns a house into a family home.
“Specialising in the local area we do a lot of work on family homes. We have years of experience, and having raised a family here ourselves, we know what works” says John from Walvin Constructions.
So, here we have 5 steps to turning a house into a family home.
A) When building or renovating, always invest in a ‘master plan’ allowing for a growing family.
Life never goes quite as planned, but what does the potential future look like? Are you thinking of having more kids? How do you think your living style will change as the kids grow up?
B) Choose materials that reflect your personal style but are also practical.
We want to love the home we live in so it’s important to choose materials which appeal to us, however, these materials also need to suit your lifestyle.
Do your kids live an active lifestyle and love getting messy in the back yard? Perhaps white carpet isn’t such a great idea…
Do you have a spoilt dog (like us) who likes a cuddle on the couch? This should be considered when selecting what material to purchase.
C) Select natural earthy finishes and tones when choosing flooring products, as these can be more forgiving in heavy traffic areas.
D) Resist the temptation to buy everything shiny and brand-new.
A home is made up of pieces collected over time and should be a reflection of the home owners’ lifestyle and experiences.
E) Invest in a good kitchen design.
A practical layout that works for a growing family will last the test of time.
Living and working in the space, this duo are true Bulimba locals. How did this fantastic business concept come about? Check it out!
Sally, tell us about what you do day-to-day?
My business takes many hats. I can work on a new-build, work through the renovation process, work on a house that has been newly renovation, or work in a space where people are living.
My passion is working with interiors from soft furnishings to creating an ambiance in the room, to developing a distinctive look throughout the house, while keeping the style of each space unique.
John and myself are very practical people, so as we said before we ensure that a house is not only built, but also styled to suit every client's’ unique lifestyle.
I really enjoy looking at a space and analysing it against a families living style – you’ve got three young kids and a dog, so how is this space really going to be used, and how can it best be utilised.
We can make the home look absolutely beautiful, but I believe that it must be functional to suit every client’s day-to-day life.
When working on a living space, sometimes it’s as simple as moving some items around that can really freshen up the area. And I love getting in right then and there, moving things around and seeing the joy on people's face – that’s the fun stuff.
John, what’s your unique approach to your projects?
I go into every project wanting to create really practical, cost-effective solutions for my clients.
Whilst I do all the designs of homes, I’m a carpenter and a builder in the first instance, so I have the practical knowledge on how to apply the right design techniques, in order to reach the desired outcome.
As Sally mentioned, it’s all about practicality.
Through the design process we make sure that we’re putting together homes that are going to suit your lifestyle whether it be three kids, four cars and a dog, we will build to suit your needs.
Here in Queensland we love open-plan living with our homes – which is fantastic.
Having raised three kids of our own, we understand that as much as open-plan living, and communal living spaces are fantastic, it is also important to be able to have space where you can have some quiet time, without being totally disengaged with what’s going on in the household.
For young families growing up, the simpler we can make the process of transition in the future we will. It’s all about thinking long-term with our projects.
Why’s the local community of Bulimba important to you?
Builmba is our home, we live and work here.
From day one the community have been really supportive of the business, with majority of our clients being local to the area.
The community has given so much to us, so we wanted to give back to them.
We’ve done projects with the local kindergarten, preschools and with St Peters and Pauls.
It’s nice to be able to work with the community and provide some infrastructure that’ll be utilised after we’ve done our part and moved on.