The Freshwater home of Fiona Chandler and family. Most photos here are courtesy of Cath Muscat – thankyou!
Nothing says cosy ‘beach house’ more than timber wall panelling, and white on white on white!

Love the classic white kitchen and timber panelling throughout…

Fiona Chandler‘s gorgeous weatherboard house in Freshwater on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is a happy home to her large family – the troops include husband Nick, 4 Kids – Noah, Holly, Owen and Oliver… not to mention Chilli the resident cat, chooks Thomas, Rosie, Tiger and Aya, and ‘Fish’ – the fish! As Fiona says, ‘it’s amazing how many fit into a little blue house!’.
Fiona describes her home so beautifully -

‘A white fence and hedges, old stone pavers leading up to the front door…. You won’t knock (no one does) – you can hear the family inside, so follow the wooden verandah around, past the magnolia, and through the side door which says ‘welcome’ to the chaos within! A noisy living room, usually full of children toys & cooking – we love to bake, so imagine peanut butter cookies – that’s our current fave!’

OH don’t you just feel welcome and right at home already!?

Fiona grew up on the Northern Beaches, and her family has lived in Freshwater for the past 5 years. In that time Fiona and Nick have renovated their home in two stages to accommodate their growing family… although of course there is always more to do! There are always changes afoot – next up is a slide alongside the back stairs so the kids can slide or step into the back yard! (and YES that’s in addition to the fireman’s pole inside!)

It’s no surprise that with four young kids under one roof, Kate’s home is super organised! These shots of her home showcase many of the products in her Fiona Kate storage range – from boxes to shopping bags and storage sacks. Before launching her little business, Fiona was I was an art director/ graphic designer for several homewares brands. The Fiona Kate brand was launched almost 3 years ago after an initial year of development, which came in response to Kate’s search for simple, well designed and robust storage for kids rooms – ‘Simple gorgeous storage’ as is now her catch-cry! Initially the range included sturdy storage boxes, letters and chalkboards that were super strong and toddler-proof, but recent additions to the range include soft furnishings which double as storage sacks, and fabulous wire postcard racks / poster grid display boards.

IN addition to sharing these gorgeous pics of her home, Fiona has generously offered a brilliant giveaway for one lucky Design Files reader! The prize consists of not one but two of Fiona’s brand new products – the wire postcard holder and poster grid display case, both in fabulous Fire Engine Red as seen below!

Giveaway ALERT! – Fiona Kate’s wire postcard holder and poster grid display case!

To be in the running for this lovely prize, you know the drill! Please leave a comment here before the end of the day, (midnight Melbourne time, Wednesday June 2nd). A winner will be selected at random and announced tomorrow!

If you subscribe to The Design Files by email, please don’t reply to your daily email – in order to enter the draw please visit thedesignfiles.net and leave your comment! Thanks and good luck!

Huge thanks to Fiona for the fab giveaway, and to the very talented Cath Muscat for the lovely photos of Fiona’s beautiful beachy home!

Outdoor details – including storage sacks/string bags by Fiona Kate!
Love the bold red/white/blue palette… especially effective in the kid’s rooms. *side note – how cute are these kids!? Holly and Noah, I presume? So sweet and playing very nicely together on the bunkbeds!
YES there is a a firemans pole from the secret attic playroom down to the bedroom below!
The stripey cushions seen here double as storage sacksfor stuffing soft toys, old clothes or pyjamas.

Gorgeous painted mural on the wall…

Maximising limited space, Fiona has slotted a tiny home office underneath a loft-style mezzanine bed.
Storage central in Fiona’s study!
Pin It