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How to master alfresco dining this summer

Nothing beats the classic Australian backyard family BBQ. The sun is shining, the sausages are sizzling, and the tongs are at the ready. Whether it’s a weekend ritual or a special celebration, there’s nothing quite like spending time outside during the summertime. This year, we think it’s about time to skip the restaurants and create a stunning alfresco scene in your own backyard instead. Here’s your ultimate guide to alfresco dining.

Products: Bed Bath N’ Table Panama Stripe Outdoor Cushion $29.95, Eureka Furniture Brighton Dining Chair $849, Eureka Furniture Vendale Oval Dining Table $2,099, Freedom Olive Tree Garden Pot $269, Freedom Soho Cutlery Set $59.95, Provincial Home Living Avery Goblet $12.95, The Furniture Shack Bondi Indoor/Outdoor Bean Bag $329, The Lighting Superstore Mette 47 Rattan Shade $218.

1. Invest in staple pieces

When it comes to outdoor dining and entertaining, it’s important to invest in the big pieces – we’re talking about your dining table, chairs, barbecues, and additional lighting features. These items should be strong enough to withstand the great Australian outdoors (even if they’re under the protection of a patio ceiling). We recommend opting for timber, oak, or steel tables and likewise for chairs. If your dining chairs have plush cushions, ensure they are removable so they can be brought inside during those pesky summer storms. It’s also a good idea to keep these larger pieces cohesive – opt for outdoor dining sets where the sofa, table, and chairs all match.

2. Quality over quantity

Out with the old, in with the new! It’s time to update your dining essentials this summer – we’re talking about cutlery, luxe glasses, and a set of simple ceramic plates. Having good quality dining essentials will make all the difference when entertaining – after all, no one likes paper plates or plastic cups. The best part? These items are going to last for seasons to come so there’s no need to replace them anytime soon!

3. Decorative accents

Now that you’ve got staple furnishings and necessary tableware, the rest is all about showcasing your personal taste and style. Stock up on outdoor cushions, vases, plants, and even sun lounges that match your aesthetic. We’re loving the coastal style this summer (read all about it in our Summer Trend Report).

4. Change up your tablescape

You’re likely to have more than one outdoor dining experience this summer, right? So why not have a few different tablescape options to choose from? Be sure to keep your cutlery and glassware the same but change up your tablecloth, table runner, placemats, and centrepiece. By doing so, you can easily create a completely different feel.

We recommend having one minimal tablescape – this could be a white tablecloth, neutral table runner and placemats, and pillar candles. Another easily achievable tablescape theme is modern retro – create this aesthetic through burnt orange, yellow, and dark green hues.

Tip: mix and match across tablescape themes to create a whole new feel.

It’s officially time to embrace summer with an alfresco dining experience! Remember to play with an array of colours and patterns to suit the ambience of your outdoor dining area and most importantly have fun and soak up the good vibes with your friends and family.

Redecorating Your Home On A Budget

Are you feeling uninspired by your home? Are you wanting to breathe life into your space, but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars? Redecorating your home doesn’t have to be an expensive exercise! In today’s blogpost we are sharing all our tips, tricks and exercises for redecorating and transforming your home on a budget. There are plenty of affordable stores here at Aspley Homemaker City to help you on your redecorating and restyling journey and we’ve outlined a few below. If you find you are still in need of a little extra help, you can book in a free styling session with our resident stylist today! Just click here to head to our ‘Stylist’ tab on the website.

Update Soft Furnishings

Soft furnishings can be one of the simplest ways in your home to make the largest impact. Cushions and throw rugs can be added to the areas of the house we use the most, such as the bedroom and living room; completely transforming a space. If you are looking for one of the best ways to create a brand-new look in your home, without spending a truckload of money then soft furnishings are the key. Stores such as Pillow Talk and Freedom have an amazing range of cushions, blankets, and bed linen at affordable prices. At the moment we are seeing a mixture of warm tones trending, such as mustard, blush pink and beige. We are also huge fans of the ever-popular Coastal or Hamptons design style which can be created by adding an array of neutral cushions with a pop of navy blue or sage green.

Minimise Clutter

One of the simplest and cheapest ways to transform your home on a budget is to declutter and simplify your belongings. You may not initially think that this can create a whole new look for your home, but we guarantee you will be surprised! Simply by removing a few items from cluttered shelves, over-stuffed bookcases, or the top of a chest of drawers can breathe life into a space and create a renewed atmosphere. If you want to take things one step further, we recommend heading into Howard’s Storage World to pick up some beautiful and affordable storage solutions. Try overhauling your pantry with organised containers or adding beautiful storage baskets to rooms such as the living room or the kid’s playroom to sort and hide clutter.

 

Add Artwork

Artwork is an easy way to redecorate almost every room in the home and can also be done in a budget-friendly way! We have plenty of retailers here at Aspley Homemaker City that stock a wide range of affordable artworks that will suit any home or design style. Our favourite places to add artworks are above the bed, in the dining room, down a hallway or on a blank wall in your living room. Rice Furniture, Freedom, Provincial Home Living. and Pillow Talk have a wide range of prints or canvases at varying prices and sizes. Alternatively, if you’ve already got a beautiful print or art piece you’ve been meaning to get framed, then head into Frame Today! Adding artwork to an otherwise blank wall can completely transform a space. We love utilising artwork to add a pop of colour to a space or if you love the minimalist style, try adding a black and white line drawing in a gorgeous timber frame!

Shop Your Home

Another great, budget-friendly tip we love that makes a huge difference to the overall look of your space is to ‘shop your home’. Shopping your home essentially means that you re-arrange home décor, furniture, and art pieces throughout the home to give them a new lease of life and create a whole new look. We recommend taking all your decorative pieces out of every room and putting them on the kitchen bench, so you can see what you are working with. From there, re-style each area of your home, experimenting with using items in new locations and grouping different pieces together. We also love re-arranging the furniture in a room to create a new floor plan and design. If you don’t have the means or space to re-arrange every item, try swapping out a side table or an occasional chair and see the difference it makes. Dedicate an afternoon on a weekend or a weekday evening and simply have fun with it. We know you will love the result!

Use Greenery & Foliage

An affordable way to redecorate your home and breathe life into a space is by adding greenery, plants, and foliage. Using greenery not only adds texture and life but creates pops of colour throughout your home as well. Try adding some gorgeous large plants such as a fiddle leaf fig or bird of paradise to fill an otherwise empty corner of a room. Place them in beautiful woven baskets from stores such as Provincial Home Living. or Freedom. Both retailers also have an amazing range of faux flowers and foliage at affordable price points. We love places a large bunch of stems and flowers in a gorgeous vase and placing it on an entryway table, the centre of a dining table or the coffee table.

These simple tips and tricks will have your home looking fresh and new in no time! We’d love to hear any other tips you have for redecorating your home on a budget. Comment below or head to our Instagram to have a chat!

How To Create A Cosy And Inviting Home

Creating a cosy and inviting home not only allows you to feel relaxed and at ease when you arrive home at the end of a busy day but encourages your family, friends and guests to feel the same. There is something about the feeling of walking into someone’s home and immediately feeling a sense of welcome, ease and comfort. Everything from the lighting, scent, soft furnishings and small thoughtful touches make a huge difference. Read on, to find out our top tips and tricks for creating a welcoming and inviting home and where you can pick up a few items to make your house feel like the ultimate cosy sanctuary!

Inject Personality

There is nothing more welcoming than coming home and seeing items that are nostalgic, comforting and reflect your personality. Although display homes are beautiful, they are often missing the added element of personalisation and individuality. There are many ways you can style your home to ensure it is reflective of you and your family’s personality in a tasteful way. We love adding books with beautiful imagery and stories on topics you are interested in to your coffee table, console table or floating shelves. These create great talking points when guests are over too! We also recommend using gallery walls in spaces such as the dining room, hallway or living room to inject personality and bring you joy. These could be a collection of artworks, photographs of your family and friends or any other pieces you desire. We recommend using frames of the same material to create a cohesive and elevated look. Pick up some beautiful frames from stores such as Freedom or Provincial Home Living.

Lighting

Well-considered lighting options can make a huge difference to a well design home as they can completely change the atmosphere of a space. Use lighting to not only offer a variety of options and uses, but to create a feature and focal point of a room. We love adding a beautiful pendant light above the dining table or a collection of two or three over an island bench. Floor lamps and table lamps on side tables allow for more dimmed lighting options in areas such as the living room to create a cosy atmosphere. We love adding dimmers to light switches in the bedroom and main living areas to allow for different moods depending on the activity or time of day. Head into Andrew’s Light Up to see their amazing range of lighting solutions from pendants to task lamps and much more!

Guest Room Touches

If you have a guest room or have friends and family stay over often, it is important to make them feel welcome and create an inviting space for them to feel at ease. Here at Aspley Homemaker City we love making our guests feel like they are on holiday by adding thoughtful touches to their bedroom. We recommend choosing beautiful bed linen that is cosy and soft in bright and welcoming colours. Pillow Talk have an amazing range of new season quilt covers, sheets and throw blankets, so be sure to check them out on your next visit! We love the idea of having a beautiful tray of thoughtful and practical items on the bedside table such as a phone charger, eye mask, hand cream and notepad and pen to ensure they have everything they need and aren’t caught off-guard. You can pick up a beautiful tray from stores such as Freedom, Pillow Talk or Provincial Home Living.

Soft Furnishings

To create the ultimate cosy and welcoming abode it is essential to add soft furnishings to elevate your space. Not only do cushions and throw rugs add a pop of colour and texture, but they allow you and your guests to relax and unwind in a comfortable and inviting space. We recommend using soft textures such as linen or cotton and avoid anything with embellishments. Head into Pillow Talk and Freedom to check out their gorgeous range of cushions and throws! Rugs also fall into the soft furnishings’ category, and we recommend adding them to rooms such as the living room, dining room and bedroom. Rugs help to ground the space and create zones whilst also bringing warmth and comfort under foot. We have a number of retailers here at Aspley Homemaker City such as Deco Rug and Provincial Home Living that offer a wide variety of rugs in different textures, shapes, sizes and colours, so head in for a browse today!

Scent

Scent is one of the most important attributes when creating a cosy and inviting home but can often be forgotten. Scent has the ability to completely transform a space and allows you to create a different vibe depending on the season, time of day or event you are hosting. We love using diffusers, candles or room sprays and adding them to all common areas such as the kitchen, living room and bathrooms. Opt for a fresh scent during the Summer months such as coconut and lime or fresh linen and create a cosy vibe during the Winter months by adding the scent of caramel, sage of woody notes to your home. Stores such as Rice Furniture, Freedom and The Sheridan Outlet stock a beautiful range of scents for every mood you wish to evoke.