Starting Over in a 1940s Home on Budget
With help from family and friends, and a lot of work, Beatty has fashioned a home that reflects her style perfectly: a space that is as much about heart as it is about beauty. “I believe that homes are a labor of love and that they take time to develop,” she says. “Trying to make them perfect only makes them inauthentic. My advice is not to overthink your space. Instead, just follow your instincts and remember that the more happiness your home gives you, the more happiness it gives others.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Beatrice “Bebe” Beatty and her dog, Jimmie Jon
Location: Sydney
Size: 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
It’s easier to stay on budget, though, when you have help from skilled friends and family. Beatty’s mother is very handy with a sewing machine. This feather-patterned pillow is just one of the items she made.“It’s definitely a work in progress — I save money and then I spend it,” she says. “When I had money, projects would be done. We would rip out carpet, and clean and strip and paint boards. It was quite a challenge.”
Beatty finds happiness in cooking favorite family recipes when there’s a get-together at her home. Her bright, light kitchen is welcoming to all. “My house is tiny, but it has an enormous heart,” Beatty says, with a laugh. “There is something about a small house — it often makes for great gatherings. Family parties are often held at my place.”
Beatty says that her most difficult decorating tasks were window treatments and choosing the paint color. To create the color she envisioned, she had a friend mix the paint. “I thought long and hard about the wall color. It is a shade of aqua, but with blue tones,” Beatty says. “I chose it because it’s a very restful and yet warm color. It is really easy to decorate with this color.”
Q