Copy Editor Test 1 — INTERNATIONAL
When a new freedom brought the promise of a fresh start in Beatrice “Bebe” Beatty’s life, it meant starting over in a different house – a1940’s home in suburban Sydney. Participating in full-time coursework in social work and with not much income, her approach to decorating had to be quite thrifty. The 19th-century house needed a lot of TLC.
With a little assistance 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 beauty. “I believe that homes are a labour of love and that they time to develop,” she asserts. “Trying to make them perfect only makes them inauthentic. My advice is not to overthink your space, instead just follow your instinct and remember that the more happiness your home gives you, the more happiness it gives others.”
Houz at a Glance
Who Lives here: Beatrice ‘Bebe’ Beatty and her dog Jimmie Jon
Location: Sydney, Australia Size: 3 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms
With a little assistance 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 beauty. “I believe that homes are a labour of love and that they time to develop,” she asserts. “Trying to make them perfect only makes them inauthentic. My advice is not to overthink your space, instead just follow your instinct and remember that the more happiness your home gives you, the more happiness it gives others.”
Houz at a Glance
Who Lives here: Beatrice ‘Bebe’ Beatty and her dog Jimmie Jon
Location: Sydney, Australia Size: 3 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms
Here as an example of how more costly items can be grouped with inexpensive finds. This antique plate from the Orient sits happily next to a brass lamp that she purchased at a thrift store. Beatty has recieved help on projects from friends and family. “It’s definitely a work in progress – I save money and then I spend it,” she explained. “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 says that her most difficult decorating tasks were window treatments and choosing the paint color. To create the colour she envisaged, the paint was mixed by a friend instead of buying it off the shelves. “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.
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