Perfectionist Home Reno

My friend Katie is such a perfectionist – I kind of think she has a problem, but I’m not sure how to break it to her without getting my head bitten off about how much of a slacker I am. Let’s just say she can be a tad defensive at times.

Something that counts in favour of her perfectionist streak is her apartment, which is absolutely to die for. Starting out as a mass-produced white box in a new development devoid of character, she’s managed to transform it into a luxuriant den of bohemian precision (sounds contradictory, I know) that evokes some kind of cross between Tangiers and Copenhagen.

That’s Katia’s style all over – flawlessly executed with a bold sense of juxtaposition, much like her impossibly natural-looking facial contouring. We all thought she was being ridiculous when she announced she was doing simultaneous kitchen and bathroom renovations (both spaces already being on the very nice side) and that she’d totally lost it when she added a laundry reboot to her elaborate apartment makeover plan.  

But the results speak for themselves, and now we all want in on hiring a kitchen designer. Melbourne interior design heads, can you recommend anyone? Katie refuses to share hers.

Anyway, her two-bedroom apartment now has a rare sense of flow between living spaces, right through to the shower screen, cabinetry and decorative details. I can’t explain precisely what it is that makes it so good, but it’s something to do with the curved shapes and organic textures counteracting the boxy feel of the apartment.

There’s always something exceptionally tasteful about Katie’s approach to these things, even if the project itself seems completely over the top at first glance. For example, I was expecting violet feature lighting to look like a nightclub gone wrong, but combined with the dignified, organic feel of the bench-tops, cabinets and floors, it somehow comes together.

Maybe I should employ her to supervise my kitchen redesign. That way, I could benefit from her home renovation know-how without her having to give away her trade secrets.