Everyone loves a home makeover. It's one part hopes and dreams, one part unlimited shopping and two parts happy ending. While T&W's Head of Styling Jessica Bellef and her team really do work magic in the T&W studio every day, it's rare they have the opportunity to wave their styling wands inside a real home.

Glenn and Danielle won a Temple & Webster makeover in a competition they entered via Ten's The Living Room, and our creative team couldn't wait to get started. Here's how it happened…


Before our makeover (yes, we started the process around Christmas time!).

Step 1 - Before, and the brief
First up, Jessica spent time with Glenn and Danielle to talk about their home, their lifestyle and the changes they'd like to make. Glenn fills us in on how they came to be in their Sydney home. "Danielle (Dee) and I moved to Sydney with our son Jules and Lucy the Great Dane just about a year ago, and we all fell in love with the place: the lifestyle, the parks, our neighbours — everything. Finding the (tiny) place to rent was serendipitous in the first place — I signed the lease without Dee even seeing the place — and within that first month Dee commented that, "she'd never felt more at home, anywhere, ever!"

They looked through some interior magazines together to start refining ideas. "As soon as they started to point out images they were drawn to, I began forming the look in my head,"explains Jess. "They appreciate interesting pieces with character but still wanted a look at was not going to date. They wanted to layer the space with texture and warmth, and have more surface area to create interesting groupings of objects.  There was a hint of retro in their aesthetic but they also were drawn to industrial elements- aged surfaces with patina and wrought iron detailing."


Before our makeover - Glenn & Danielle's work area and outdoor table.

Glenn describes their pre-makeover style as "Confused? Eclectic at best! Our 'stuff' is a combination of items we love, with sentimental value and strong ties to places we've travelled and lived, and 'ugly but practical and we need something now', i.e. IKEA. Before moving to Sydney, we'd owned our own place in the foothills of the Dandenongs in Melbourne, all high ceilings and wood panelling, and so had collected some large pieces of furniture in a kind of 'country house French provincial industrial' style (is that even a style??). Tall bookshelves, a large cast-iron bed-frame, some "found" items from Melbourne's inner suburbs."

Their brief to Jess about their ideal interiors included adding some pieces to bring in a more 'Sydney' feel, and some new styles to challenge their existing ideas. "I mean, this is the kind of stuff we like," Glenn said, "but what do we know? Pick some stuff that's a bit out there, something we will either love or absolutely despise."


Jess's inspiration board, incorporating Glenn & Danielle's existing art (bottom left and top third from right). 

Step 2 - The planning
The best interiors include old, new and sentimental pieces, so part of the challenge was to work with Glenn and Danielle's existing favourites. "Jess did an amazing job of integrating a few items that we love (because of comfort or sentimentality)," says Glenn. As well as the existing sofa and the Edinburgh painting, they love the large travel case that came from the back of Glenn's Dad's 1925 Buick and a range of French prints collected on travels.

"Their existing sofa has a beautiful walnut frame and handsome 1950's shape. The warmth of the walnut was enriched when placed next to the blues and greens of the treasured painting they brought home from Edinburgh, so I used this pairing to direct my colours and materials," says Jess. "All interesting spaces contain contrasts and in this case it was the addition of colourful highlights, with cushions and in cheery yellow and deep orange." Jess created an inspiration board, and after getting the go ahead from Glenn and Daniella, she went ahead and sourced all the products from Temple & Webster suppliers ready for installation day.



Step 3 - Makeover day
Jess, Senior Stylist Adam Powell and stylist Emmaly Stewart spent a whole day in Glenn and Danielle's home, styling new items into their living & dining room, their outdoor area and their bedroom. Like styling fairies, they unpacked, placed all the furniture, styled and cleaned up so that everything was in place when Glenn and Danielle returned from work.



Emmaly Stewart worked outside, styling the new timber table with plants, adding an outdoor rug and shelving unit.



Inside, Senior Stylist Adam Powell spent some time getting the new wall unit just right with colourful ceramics to pick up some of the colours in the new cushions.



Jess styled the bedroom with new bedside tables and lamps, plus luxurious linen by Miss Molly, a throw by Atolyia and cushions by Pony Rider and Ruby Star Traders.



Step 4 - After, and the happy ending
In the final reveal (cue swelling music), Glenn and Danielle were over the moon. The team had created a new dining area on the upper level and created a new workspace near the balcony doors. Their existing sofa was rejuvenated with fresh cushions in bright hues, which were reflected in ceramics on their new geometric wall shelf.

We asked what they love the most. According to Glenn, it's the bedroom. "There's nothing there I don't love. The bedside tables and lamps are so cool, and the grey-blue of the new linen over our big cast-iron bed just looks (and feels) great."


A black and white statement armchair from Ruby Star Traders sits proudly beside colour backed shelves from Loft Furniture, styled with Glenn & Danielle's books and ceramics from Have You Met Miss Jones.

The power of a great makeover is to actually make a positive change to the family's life, and Jess completely nailed this with their new workspace and dining area. "Although we had a big ol' steel-topped table outside, we almost never used it," says Glenn. "Now we're eating dinner together — a little family unit — and Jules is much more likely to try new foods, even if only from our plates.


Cushions by Pony Rider and Cloth Fabric sit below a shelving unit by Loft Furniture styled with colourful ceramics.

He continues: "Even the (relatively simple) act of building a workspace we can actually use (thanks again Jess!), not hidden away upstairs or sitting directly under the baking sun, has meant both of us are angling for more days working from home. And let's not forget the Little Guy coffee machine! Best cup of coffee I've had in Sydney, and I'm a software developer (we know coffee)."


The outdoor area was given a fresh feel with a new rug from Fab Habitat, timber table by Loft Furniture and potted plants from Bunnings.

Just as importantly, Glenn and Danielle say the makeover has changed the way they feel about themselves.

"It's made us feel COOL again," says Glenn. "Having such a great space is reminding us that, although we're parents, we're not OUR parents, and we're not JUST parents. It makes us want to invite friends over, to hang out, chat, drink wine. We live in one of the funkiest cities in the world, and it's like we've gotten back the mojo that was misplaced somewhere between sleepless newborn nights and, well, Canberra."


Glenn kicks back in the new space. He and Danielle have just extended their lease to make the most of it.

The final word goes to Danielle (unfortunately she was at work so we didn't get a shot of her on the day):

"I just wanted to thank you for our amazing makeover!  You can't know what a personal impact this has had on me — you really hit home with a style that I think of as "mine", but really haven't had the confidence to follow through with. For example, when I saw the initial idea-sheets I couldn't imagine including a chair like that, I just couldn't picture it all together. But you know what? It was an exercise in letting go — and I'm so glad I did, because you tied everything together perfectly! I love all the pieces you found, and my only concern now is how we go about not ruining it! I feel liberated, especially with colours, and accessories. On a personal level, I feel like I'm getting some mojo back — I've got such a cool space, I can kind of get my "edge" back. Thank you so much!"


Styling details include a timber star and ceramic vessels by Have You Met Miss Jones.

Makeover and 'after' images by Maya Vidulich. Watch Ten's The Living Room 7.30 Fridays on Ten for more makeovers, or follow them on Pinterest.