HOLY HACIENDA! LOOK WHAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE BEEN UP TO NOW
You won’t believe what our Reno School students have been up to… they’ve been super busy bringing to life a Spanish-inspired hacienda, a 40s farmhouse, a mid-century makeover and a drool-worthy coastal barn. If you love reno eye candy as much as we do, wrap your eyes ‘round these projects, pronto!
hola haciendA!
After falling in love with this rundown house, set in the Aussie bush and surrounded by wildlife, Reno Schooler Emma Felgate’s parents purchased it as a holiday home for their family.
Transforming ‘Margarita’ back to her former Spanish hacienda-inspired glory was a labour of love for the entire family. Emma’s Dad, Mum, Brother, Sister, Brother-in-Law and Husband (with the help of a chippy friend, Macca) poured 18 months of blood, sweat and tears into this gruelling and hands-on, “yet overwhelmingly rewarding” renovation.
And the result? It’s STUNNING!
The family very briefly toyed with the idea of knocking the original house down and starting all over again but quickly realised that the home had amazing potential due to its incredibly unique and original features such as the abundance of archways, oversized bluestone fireplace, and high vaulted ceilings in the living zones. The home was built in 1975 and practically in original condition so almost everything needed updating.
“I absolutely love and appreciate the strong community vibe that has been created within the Reno School Facebook group. It’s a non-judgemental, helpful, open and honest platform for all Reno Schoolers to sound out the challenges they face through a renovation or new build, ask for feedback on design choices and seek recommendations. It’s also wonderful to see the “after” photos and appreciate what these clever people have created. ”
BEFORE: Margarita
See more pics of ‘Margarita’ and follow Emma’s latest project at @stlewisrenovations
A FABULOUS ‘40s FARMHOUSE
Built by Lauren Jeffrey’s grandfather-in-law in the 1940s, this gorgeous farmhouse needed more than a little TLC when Lauren and her hubby bought it, earlier this year.
Lauren’s plan is to bring the tired house back to life, one space at the time, starting with the kitchen. She shared her new kitchen with us and it’s fair to say she’s nailed her farmhouse kitchen vision.
before
“I am so excited to share our #beforeandafter shots from our kitchen reno! 🤗 Could not have made all those decisions with out the course and this page! 👏🏻😍 Now onto the next area! ”
Watch Lauren’s farmhouse transformation room by room at @farm_house_reno
A MID-CENTURY MAKEOVER
With a tiny budget and a determination to DIY, Isabelle Bayly and her hubby, Tom, set out to renovate their home in the western suburbs of Brisbane. It’s a 1960s single level brick with some mid-century features that has been totally transformed during the 2-year renovation, with Isabelle and Tom doing most of the work themselves, including making a lot of the furniture!
BEFORe
“The Reno School has been an invaluable tool in our renovation, especially the information from this group”
Follow Isabelle for inspo at @kenmore_house
A DREAMY COASTAL BARN
When Lauren Cecil shared her floorplans of her new family with the Reno School community, we knew we were about to see something BIG unfold… and the ‘Coastal Barn Dream’ did not disappoint!
Located 25 minutes north of the Gold Coast, the busy mum of five designed the 535sqm dream home with inspo from Bonnie’s and Sophie’s homes front of mind. Her hubby, Tai, was the builder for the project.
Even if you don’t already follow Lauren’s journey on Instagram, you might recognise her glorious insta-famous home which has featured in location shoots for brands like Uniqwa, The Beach People and Kookai.
“It wasn’t until I came across Three Birds Renovations and watched Bonnie’s Dream Home come to life that the whole way through the series I kept telling my husband - this is exactly what I have envisioned for our new home! Doing the Reno School gave me my own confidence when making design choices and being able to contribute to the everyday project management of the build. ”
We could hardly believe our ears when Lauren told us her dream home was up for sale! It sold at auction in July 2021. The good news is that she plans to do it all over again and you can follow along at @the_coastalbarndream
