Our citrus trees, especially the mandarin is absolutely laden with fruit. I spent considerable time in early spring to ensure ...   more »

We've had our B & B operating for just over 6 months and it has been a great success. When we purchased our property there was a space on the lower floor of the house that had originally been used for storage and a spare bedroom. It was barely furnished and crying out for renovation.

We worked with a talented young draftsman from Nowra and came up with a fabulous plan that incorporated everything you could possibly need in a suite for a weekend.

The bookings have been consistently good and the comments left by our paying visitors have been favorable. Over the Easter break we had a couple who loved our granola recipe so much, especially the lady...she confessed to eating the entire jar! I had to email her the recipe.

Here are some pics of the finished renovations.





Kitchen and dining area



One angle of the bathroom.

I'm currently working in Sydney as Event Manager for Autism Awareness. We're hosting an event at the State Theatre in Sydney on Feb 3 to raise funds for our charity.
Busy times and my garden has been neglected, but it will be a small sacrifice when this is over and we see the results of our efforts.

We've been living in Berry almost 2 years and absolutely love it. The cicada's are very active at this time of year...and noisy. I went for my usual morning walk over Moeyan Hill earlier and decided I may need earplugs for future walks!

Still it's a reminder of summer in Australia - heat, sun, beach, balmy evenings...and...cicada's!

Here is another view of the same   more »

I recently finished another gilded door for a B & B in Berry. I applied copper leaf over a red bole finish and then used cupric nitrate in an eye dropper to get a rain streaked window effect on the door.

It was really interesting to see how the chemical burnt into the bole (nothing unusual about that) which then exposed a lot of the red underneath. The end result looked like bloody rain or red streaked tears, with touches of oxidized green as a result of the chemical's reaction to the leaf.

The client loved it. She said it reminded her of what it was like living in London as a child and watching the rain streak
down a window pane during a storm.

The downturn in the property market has reopened my eyes to other skills I have and should be working on. When I started on the renovations for our house, I had a grand vision to create a door with two entirely different finishes on each side. The door is now finished and thankfully...looks quite good. Or so my friends tell me.

I have a Diploma in Painted Finishes, which along with many different painting styles also includes, gilding and stenciling - using both leaf and powder. I decided that I would gild one side of the door with silver leaf and finish the other with an aged rust look. This was quite an undertaking and it took me considerable time to finish. I also decided that the silver leaf wasn't interesting enough on its own, so I explored the different chemical combination's that can be used to create an entirely different effect.

I used Potassium Sulphide and Cupric Nitrate to patina the door. I decided to spray on the Cupric Nitrate and dab the Potassium Sulphide with furniture upholstery material, to give a rough textured looking finish instead of a fine mist of small droplets. I neutralized the chemical combination with a wet rag to ensure it stopped burning the leaf.

It was so much fun regardless of how long it took, that I'm now focussed on doing a lot more in this area.

Stay tuned for the bed head, screen and a few surprises.

Gilding is back in vogue!

See pic below of finished door.

Just realised how long it's been since I submitted a post.

We've finally finished our renovations and most of the guest area is now complete. We've had a test run with family and all appears to be working well. Except the new LCD screen. It seems to like at least 1/2 an hour to warm up, so it's taken the edge off any spontaneous viewing, that's for sure. A call has now been made to the manufacturer and it seems we have a transformer problem.

Aside from the screen, everything else is in good working order. Only things left to do, are cosmetic, such as the sofa cover, bedside tables and lamps, together with landscaping on the north side. We've had so many visitors these past couple of weeks, I've run out of time to get into that part of the garden. I'm also on the look out for plants that enjoy limited sun, rocky soil and little water. Shouldn't be too hard.

Enjoy the January heat and I'll be back with new photo's soon.

Here is a really cute garden sculpture we found in Sydney on our travels.
It is called 'Luna' and made of sandstone. It sits in the middle of our circular
driveway and is surrounded by pebbles we've collected from Seven Mile Beach,
which is about 9k from our door.

There are a couple of rose bushes either side of the sculpture and it looks
really charming when the roses are in bloom and there is a full moon. It is
something that captures the attention of many visitors to our home.

Robyn Gilbey

Throughout her working life Robyn has been involved in a diverse range of creative endeavours. In the 1980’s she operated her own PR company – with clients such as Billy Joel and Olivia Newton John.  More recently she has worked in DVD production and in between she and her husband renovated and sold houses in Mosman, Paddington, Kirribilli, Bayview, Byron Bay and Mudgee.

She has also travelled extensively in Europe and the USA, which has helped hone her keen eye for colour and design.

A passion for decorating and styling homes led to her undertaking formal tertiary studies in decorating and design. She received a diploma from the Mary Nielson School of Interior Decorating and Design, which has been most useful in helping her provide advice into the use of colour and the context for its use.

Robyn also studied the craft of painted finishes with Jennifer Bennell, one of Australia’s foremost authorities in the field, and author of the book, “Master Strokes”.

She has had extensive experience in the application of techniques such as: gilding, stencilling, marbling, antiquing and liming in conjunction with both houses and furniture. She has also worked as a project manager for commercial clients in Sydney providing quality fit outs that feature specialist traditional techniques juxtaposed with the requirements of modern working and social environments.

Robyn’s experience in PR both in the record business (working in a major record company) and in the broader entertainment industry (working in the computer games industry and with electronic media) have ensured that she has an ability to understand the demands of high profile clients and also mainstream media.

She has a sharp appreciation of the need to generate successful outcomes for her clients in every way.

Robyn lives in the Berry area where she is currently renovating, decorating – and transforming – a house. She is interested in building a real estate portfolio in the area and in helping other people realise increased value from their real estate investments.

Robyn Gilbey

Phone: 0414 223 763
Email: robyn@bestimpressions.info
Web: www.bestimpressions.info

Bathroom, Master Bedroom and Kitchen   more »

I have found it rather strange when I've viewed properties where no expense has been spared with the inside of a house, only to discover there is little to entice one, to venture outside.

In a climate like ours, most people like eating and entertaining outdoors. With little imagination it's easy to integrate the two. Patio's, Pergolas, Bamboo Screens, Canvas Sails are an effective way of shading a courtyard, balcony or veranda whereby bringing the outside experience of a fresh breeze and filtered sunlight indoors. Add a portable BBQ and a small dining setting and you've got it made.

I've recently seen some wonderful screens made from bamboo and reeds that have been imported from Bali. They're decorative and less expensive that wood, provide a natural backdrop, are low maintenance and best of all - environmentally sustainable.

Here's a few things to consider before you start:

1) Designate a BBQ area close to the house. If one already exists, take a long hard look at it to see if it needs new fittings, or a paint job.
2) If there are existing pavers and tiles surrounding the area, ensure they're clean and undamaged. Repair or replace if necessary.
3) Clear garden-beds of overgrowth and weeds. Prune overhanging branches and shrubs.
4) Create an outside dining space, (if one doesn't exist) that is protected from harsh sun and wind and as close as possible to the rear of the house. This makes it easier to transport food and drinks to and from the table.
5) Add a few pots for colour

So when it comes to selling your home, remember to set aside enough funds to include an area specifically designed for outside entertaining and do your research for products that will suit the space and won't cost a fortune.

Storage:

Is there such a thing as enough storage? I don’t think so!

Good storage is one of the key ...   more »

I've spent many years looking at property and still amazed that vendors can't understand why their property isn't selling. The ...   more »

Seven Mile Beach   more »

This is the blog where I share my thoughts about how to best present homes. If you want to sell your house you need to differentiate it. In a town like Berry, on the South Coast of NSW, the cashed up buyers  from Sydney are the target market. To resonate with that market you need for your home to look like something that the target customer will want to live in - now - not after they have renovated.

With financial markets globally entering uncharted waters, if you want to sell, you need to have clarity on what your real price goals are and you need to build your strategy accordingly.

Statistically, houses that have been styled realize 5% more than houses that have not. They also sell faster. This is the goal that I try to help my clients achieve.