 Everybody's
Doing It!
by Julia Herne
It seems like everybody's doing 'It'. Every second television show
is about It. It's everywhere, it's everywhere!
Of course I'm talking about renovating. It seems every man and his
ute is renovating these days!
One couple who've been on the 'reno road' since 1998 are Brisbane-based
Artist, Candy and (chef turned apprentice builder) Rod Nash.
Their most recent triumph, a 1960s highset amongst the tree tops
in Brisbane's Stafford Heights, was the
result of a previous owner's not so successful attempt to be part
of the 'renovation boom'.
The house stands tall on the high side of the street
with a peek (albeit between the palm fronds) of Moreton Island.
 The
couple say they follow a few simple rules in their quest to make the
most financially from their renovating lifestyle: (1) put on a deck;
(2) landscape the yard; (3) make use of existing plants and features
where possible; and most importantly (4) keep it simple stupid! "If
it's not going to increase the sale price, don't do it!" they
say.
"We love renovating, and we're very passionate
about each house. It's our home, but we also try and remain practical."
Candy says.
 "Candy
is definitely the creative one." says Rod, who tackles the construction
side of things. "I leave all of the colour choices to her."
"But there's also no stopping her when it comes to sanding, scraping
and painting!"
Revamping this 'tree-house' certainly gave Candy an opportunity to
be creative with colour. Taking inspiration from her recent artworks
she treated each room with a colour from her artists' palette.
The rouge (Taubmans 'Fizzy') wall in the front bedroom adds drama
to this light and airy room and a simple sill shelf turns an awkward
shoulder-height set of windows (incorporating a window mounted air-conditioner
- a godsend in Brisbane's summer heat but aesthetically an eye-sore)
into a neat feature to show off books and mementos gathered from the
couples years of world travel.
Having accumulated little in the way of furniture over the last 9
years (4 years travelling and 5 years renovating), the couple say
their decorating style tends towards practical and inexpensive.
"We were literally given our first house full of furniture,
from beds to lounge suite, dining table and fridge!" Candy says.
"We are so grateful; but after each sale I've purchased some
good solid pieces."
With each renovation they have refined their building and decorating
style ("contemporary with clean lines") which Candy supplements
(compliments) with great op shop finds - like the handsome retro upholstered
black vinyl armchairs picked up for $25 the pair! Another serendipitous
find was a gorgeous timber dressing screen which Candy treated with
a weathered Asian paint finish.
The screen is the perfect display for a pair of sumptuous white underskirts
she plans to turn into "gigantic lamp shades". "I can't
imagine I'll be able to keep them in the next house, but I couldn't
resist." she says. "When I saw them I knew they could be
something phenomenal!"
Candy's overwhelming passion for creative expression is clearly evident
in the choices of fixtures and fittings in the house. And the dramatic
displays of curled Ginger leaves and flowers show an obvious decorative
flair.
 The
light-filled studio where she created many of the paintings which
will feature in an exhibition planned for later this year was created
from the awkward front landing.
"The entire front expanse of the original house featured gaudy
1970's orange 'bottle-bottom' glass windows." A quick and clever
cover-up solved that problem and along with the use of Bristol's 'Aniseed'
(slate grey, almost purple) trim on off-white (Wattle Solagard 'Tender
Beige') weather-board exterior, the gangly house on the hillside soon
revealed a sturdy contemporary urban home.
As well as adding the huge (6m x 5m) entertaining rear deck, Rodney
turned a sloping impractical front yard into a fully retained and
enclosed courtyard. Oversize concrete slabs discovered during landscaping
were used to create Mediterranean-style steps, bordered by bamboo,
mondo grass and 'mother-in-laws tongue', alongside the rendered concrete
block retaining wall down to street level. The wall (4m at its highest
point) is topped with a stylish horizontal timber fence.
 Rod
is also the creative genius behind an impressive pantry (laminated
in stainless steel and black) built into the wall facing the kitchen.
"We really needed a pantry and the options were limited without
closing in the kitchen." he says.
"We wanted to keep the kitchen open so I used the whole wall
but kept the shelves very shallow." 20cms shallow to be exact
- the width of a wine cask!
"It's such a functional pantry." says Candy. "The
best thing is being able to see exactly what you have without having
to go digging through the back of the cupboard."
New stainless steel appliances (oven, range hood and dishwasher)
were added to the revamped kitchen along with new tap ware, stylish
black and white check flooring and stainless steel splashback. Simple
white roller blinds leave the ample windows uncluttered.
The couple have just purchased their next 'renovator' in Brisbane's
Northern suburb of Nudgee. "It's a dump but we can't wait to
get started." says Candy and Rod. The next adventure has begun.
See
photos of Rodney and Candy's other renovations
['The Next Adventure' - The couple's current
renovation project]
['Ipswich Beach House' - Rodney and mates renovate
in Ipswich]
['Cottage on the Train Line' - Their very first
renovation]
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