WINNING A EUROPEAN design tour had interior designer Eileen Middleton’s head spinning with the latest emerging trends. The Kitchen and Bathroom Design Institute awarded her National Bathroom Designer of the
Year for 2010 and sent her to see, as she describes, “everything that’s new in the world”.
bright lights
“Some of the lighting was incredibly different,” Eileen says. A new organic LED light source can cover the ceiling or be integrated with the cabinet finish. “The potential of this product is incredible,” she says. “You can put this film all over the ceiling and the whole ceiling is illuminated. “To make it interesting you could put a perforated mesh that covers the whole ceiling.”
tactile textures
“The big trend is texture in a way we have never seen before,” Eileen says. “This means deeper grooves, so instead of visual texture on laminate or texture on veneers there is more relief.” She says this can be applied to any typeof cabinetry.
timber tones
Neutral palettes are at the forefront for timber. Timber shades are medium to light, such as blonde, medium amber and warm grey. Incorporated in that colour palette is the look of recycled timbers. Eileen says wide-board timber is in and a new product caught her eye called banana-leaf flooring that is being developed and funded by a Danish prince. “It is attractive to look at and has a textural quality that links in with the trend,” she says.
open door
Doors, says Eileen, are more prominently featured with textured finishes and imposing panels. She says the trend is towards a petrified wood or drift wood look that exposes deep grooves in the timber. An applied finish or stain like a charcoal over the top gives this a modern look.
bathroom bliss
“Use texture with tiles, floor and wall finishes, but contrast with simple clean white finishes on cabinetry,” says Eileen. “Try to achieve a natural stone or concrete look. “With tap ware find something simplistic with a point of difference in its design.” She says clever storage ideas for mirror cabinetry and wall hung cabinetry can optimize storage in the vanity unit. Her final advice is to conceal lighting and drainage to achieve a seamless approach to all elements in the space.
indulge in design trends
December 1st, 2011Breathe life into living areas
October 31st, 2011
ADDING personality through the use of interior design can make the difference between a house and a home. A new home will often need warmth. This can be achieved through bold contemporary colours or almost primitive looking bowls and embellishments, such as vases or ottomans that have an unusual shape. I look for items that have a personality as the look can easily become boring if you play it too safe. A lot of people go to a furniture shop and they end up making these safe choices, but once they get their purchases into their home their house looks the same as everyone else’s. Be clever about your selection and create a mood with cushions, ottomans, consuls and dining tables. To create a mood and an environment that you want to live in you need to project your personality.
Before you speak to a designer put together a scrap book to get your message across of what style you are after. If you are a husband and wife and are totally opposite in what you want, as I often see, an interior designer can provide a workable solution that follows both your tastes. You don’t need to spend a huge amount of money to create a distinct mood or atmosphere. Selecting specific walls to feature with paint or wallpaper and purchasing some furniture items or décor items can easily create that mood you are after. You may have some existing art work that needs a consul below it or an impressive vase can attract the eye to a beautiful space. Purchasing another couple of pieces of furniture that make a definite style statement can reinforce what the home owner has set out to do.
Eileen Middleton Wins Trip to Italy
September 22nd, 2011
Trent Spencer, General Manager of Uptiles Strathpine, awards Eileen Middleton, Interior Designer and Director of EM Interiors, the winner of the competition ‘Best Use of Uptiles Strathpine Products in Projects’.
Uptiles Strathpine Congratulates Eileen Middleton of EM Interiors on her deserved win to the Italian Cersaie Fair in Bologna. Eileen looks forward to the trip and is excited to have the opportunity to bring the latest European trends back to Australia again. Since her latest design tour of Germany, France and Austria her designs have flourished and clients are elated with the unique style she has produced for them.
Eileen Middleton – Kitchen Designer of the Year
September 20th, 2011
EILEEN MIDDLETON INTERIORS – KITCHEN DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2011
EM Interiors have a great reputation for their stunning work on the Sunshine Coast. They are recognized highly by industry bodies, having won numerous awards year after year with the Housing Industry Association and the Kitchen & Bathroom Design Institute of Australia. This year Eileen’s highly detailed work on a luxurious renovation project in Coolum has been widely recognized, awarding her with the ‘2011 HIA Sunshine Coast/Wide Bay Kitchen Design of the Year’ award during Friday night’s award ceremony.
LATEST TRENDS
Last year one of Eileen’s awards won her a trip to Europe for an exclusive design tour. With heightened inspiration and a unique insight Eileen and her team continue to bring the latest trends to the Sunshine Coast.
PROFESSIONAL RENOVATION HELP
Don’t let the renovation process overwhelm you. EM Interiors can help to ensure a smooth program and stunning results. They will work with you to get the most out of your property, budget and personal design ideas. Having an Interior Designer onboard removes the stress and risks related to property investment and renovation.
Design Diary
July 12th, 2011Sydney Design Buzz
After my recent national magazine coverage I was lucky enough to have my talents recognised on the Sydney design scene. This gave me the opportunity to get involved in an exciting Coogee Beach project and soak up the inspirational sites that surround the city.
I excitedly made my way through showrooms, boutiques, design stores and art galleries in Paddington and the famous locations on Queens St, Woollahra. I dropped in on Orson and Blake, Cambodia House and Aeria Country Floors, seeing the latest and greatest furniture, accessories, and lighting and absorbed the Sydney culture as I went. Discovering little beauties along the way, like the latest silk cushions, duvet covers, decorative pendants and Persian rugs so intriguing that I couldn’t help but take one home.
This whirl wind tours has left me with a fantastic new design insight and a spice of life that is showing up in all of my current works.
Luxury Kitchen
Coogee Beach, Sydney
Set atop Sydney’s famous seaside village, with breathtaking views of the beaches and headlands this owner builder has found the perfect location for his dream home.
To enhance this tranquil setting casting its way through the glass fronted balconies and into the open plan spaces beyond, a luxury interior was an addition not to be overlooked. With a stunning portfolio of coastal residential interiors, Eileen Middleton was selected for the job.
Strong architectural lines, natural stone and timber, light colour palette and highlighted features have been used to create a striking contemporary design.
Showroom Design
Sunshine Coast, QLD
Incorporating company features, outstanding sales displays and commercial interior strategies to enhance the overall company profile and increase business productivity and marketing power.
High End Residential
Brisbane, QLD
In collaboration with one of Queensland’s most prestigious architects, Eileen has created an awe inspiring environment to complement this stunning Brisbane city home. With a palette of dark veneers contrasting Statuario stone, architecturally defined lines and an array of natural stones and timbers this design has pushed the boundaries of residential design creating an artistically modern executive look.
Commercial Transformation
Gold Coast, QLD
Using commercial design strategies to optimise the existing space and update the fit out, creating an overall uplifting and productive work environment.
Family Kitchen Design
Sunshine Coast, QLD
A modern design incorporating existing features enhanced lighting considerations and smart storage solutions. This contemporary kitchen is warm and considered the “second family room” designed to be practical and aesthetic. Providing a smart user- friendly work environment, ample storage space and great meeting point for the whole family.
Luxury Homes
Sunshine Coast, QLD
Eileen has recently completed a variety of luxury homes on the Sunshine Coast. With custom designer furniture, outstanding finishes and fittings and radiant colour schemes. Each house has its own individual presence, showing off important features of the home and incorporating the essence of the owner’s personality.
Domain Magazine – Find a look to suit your life.
July 12th, 2011
SUNSHINE Coast interior designer Eileen Middleton has a long list of credentials including the prestigious HIA design awards and has mastered the essence of Sunshine Coast style. Living beside the beach, Coast residents can embrace their natural surrounds and incorporate it into their homes. Eileen said although there were so many people out there with different tastes, one trend that seemed to suite the coastal lifestyle was the idea of sustainability. With a new emphasis on sustainable living and environmentally friendly home builds, an eco interior is the new chic. “What is happening right now is a lot of texture, people are looking for something that has a green edge or an environmental tag or tick. “They’re selecting items that have textures like driftwood, textured laminates but sometimes it’s not textured to touch, it could be an image that looks textured, so for lamps we’re seeing a lot of twisted timbers and very natural finishes that have been inspired by the environment,” Eileen explained. She said people tend to want to decorate their environments with what is around them and their surroundings. “So people who live here want their homes to look like they live on the Sunshine Coast because they want to feel a sense of belonging but when you think of Melbourne or inner Sydney it’s a bit different, it’s got more cosmopolitan mix unless you’re living on those coastal areas,” Eileen said. To create an organic, natural and coastal theme within your home Eileen offered a few tips. “Select pieces of driftwood, oak and distressed furniture that is recycled or gives the impression of recycled timbers.” She said the environmental culture of today was embracing the look of furniture pieces made from recycled timber and items that were old yet made new again. “There’s a whole culture out there that likes to reuse something that’s been used before and it reinforces the environmental factors,” Eileen said. Timber adds warmth to a room and it is also versatile, creating a wide range of looks from contemporary to rustic to casual.
Domain Magazine – Feature Walls
July 12th, 2011
Textured ceilings and walls can offer a great indication to the age of a building. Remember back to the days when the bumpy vermiculite textures adorned ceilings throughout the 1970s and ‘80s? And how dust settled on them with ease? Texture has come a long way since then and has more recently made resurgence into many homes. From suede finishes to metallic and pearl paint finishes, walls have suddenly come alive. Wallpaper has even made a comeback with funky murals and classical designs back in fashion and incorporated into many of the display homes around the Sunshine Coast. The trick however is to find a wall finish that is timeless and not just a design trend. Eileen Middleton of Eileen Middleton Interiors said there was an incredible amount of options available for wall features in homes now that needn’t be restricted to paint and wallpaper. “The renovation process is quite expensive now, people want something they don’t have to change five years down the track and they want something that is a little more timeless. “Wallpaper is very subject to fashion trends and paint is just an alternative that can be changed easily so you have to look at it in those terms,” Eileen said. She said do-it-yourself decorators can often act impulsively on the latest trends splashed across magazines covers resulting in disjointed design. However interior designers approach a home as a whole to create a cohesive design element that flows throughout effortlessly. For a recent design project at a modern beach house, Eileen created a several wall features from various materials adding to the home’s overall harmony. “It was not a grungy beach house, it was a more upmarket beach house and it emanated that feel throughout the space which was actually the catalyst to making selections about what we could do on the walls that become part of the architectural structure but also a decorative finish,” Eileen said.
She also mentioned the client wanted to maintain an environmentally friendly approach to the design of the home. “One of the feature walls was done in a clay finish from Rockcote which is an environmental product made of clay. “Because it’s real clay it is cool to touch and has a definite texture without looking like the old suede effects of the past, it looks very natural. “So we’re advocating the environmental decisions which are conscious decisions in an interior that we’re making,” Eileen said. The other feature was a striking wall that added texture and aesthetics to an otherwise plain wall. “It was a timber wall and the interest was made through a variation of the timber sizes accentuating the timber look and having a colour behind the timber to create a contrast,” Eileen said.
“A lot of our decisions stem from the client brief because they are trying to achieve something, but the idea for the stairwell came from what we did on the ceiling of that same house over the dining table. “We used the same materials, so there was a linking of materials throughout the space and by linking those features we created a harmony. “We’ve used different materials in the design to create a contrast so the background finish contrasts with the timber. “Also to avoid looking like a simple timber finish we used a white wash which softened the look rather than having lacquered timber,” Eileen said. With great design and a dedicated team of professional builders, Eileen was able to create a space that not only looks fantastic but met the brief of her clients.
House & Garden – Kitchen Special
March 16th, 2011
Bright and bold hues are the star ingredients in these kitchens
Queensland Homes – Autumn 2011 Issue
March 3rd, 2011
Awards for local designer – September 2010
September 8th, 2010