This document provides tips for simplifying your life. It suggests clearing clutter to reduce stress and realigning priorities to focus on family, friends, and home. Specific suggestions include entertaining guests more casually with brunch or snacks instead of formal dinners, and making your home welcoming with comfortable seating arranged for conversation. Decorating with neutral colors and plants can help create a relaxing space. The document also provides advice for saving money on utilities through energy efficient appliances and solar power, growing your own food, repairing items, and creating a household budget.

1. {simple living} inspire
simplify your life
In today’s busy world, it’s easy to lose sight
of the things that matter: family, friends, your
home...you! With a little effort, you can realign
your priorities and reap rewards in everything
from your home to your hip pocket
Compiled by Jane Parbury
photography john paul urizar, styling melissa heath & sami simper
On sofa: ‘Pauola’ cushions in Yellow, $39.95 each, Kas Australia. ‘Brera Lino’ green cushions, $165 each, Orson & Blake. Bonnie & Neil ‘Gum’
cushion, $120, Koskela. Taupe cushion and throw, both stylist’s own. ‘St Lucia’ sofa, $4725, Coco Republic. On table: ‘O Sauvignon Blanc’
tumbler, $44.95/pair, Riedel. ‘Cam Sise’ glass bottle, $475, Garden Life. ‘Painted Bird’ plate, $20/large, ‘Antwerp’ whitewashed mango
wood coffee table, $750, both Orson & Blake. On deck: Timber post stool, $220, Koskela. ‘Cam Suizahi’ glass bottle, $85; Spathiphyllum
‘Sensation’ plant, $30; ‘Odemis’ coloured urn, $445; Ficus Elastica plant, $135; ‘Sekerci Kazani’ copper pot, $2750, all Garden Life.
Bonnie & Neil ‘Cockatoo’ cushion, $189, Koskela. Stockists, page 195
homebeautiful.com.au {may 2012} 39

2. family & friends
An inviting home – regardless of style or
“Introduce plants and flowers to your home. Indoor
plants can cleanse the air and reduce pollutants,”
says environmental creative Joost Bakker.
size – is one where everyone wants to be.
Try our tips to turn your space into
a cosy, relaxing haven
Make the most of
your kitchen with
a spacious bench
where family or guests can
sit while you’re cooking.
“A well-designed island bench
should be a focal point in
your kitchen and the hub
of your home,” says interior
designer Victoria Waters.
Clear the clutter. Your surroundings Orr of Dulux. “Try Tapestry Beige, Warm
can affect your mood, and a cluttered Neutral and Hog Bristle, or think about
space can make you feel crowded in. “If green, in any shade or tone. They are so
you make the decision to buy less, our relaxing to live with.” For party spaces, go
environment will thank you for it,” says
Helen Butler of Clutter Rescue. “Making
the decision to get on top of your clutter,
bold: “Orange can be a great colour to
add a little zing to your space, while red
adds a sense of drama and romance.”
Integrate
your home office
photography (opposite) lincoln barbour, (this page) kieran scott
whether it’s space- or time-related, gives Be prepared for drop-ins. Invest in into the living
you a sense of control and clarity.” lidded ottomans or chests that double
Take a look at how your family inhabits as occasional tables so you can put area to keep the
your home. If you spend most of your away the kids’ toys quickly. Mount young computer
time in separate areas, create a zone the TV on the wall or conceal it in
addicts in your
where you can congregate by grouping a built-in or freestanding storage
sofas and armchairs around a coffee unit – and keep it switched off family involved
table or a rug, or introducing an adult when you have visitors. – it also allows
seating area to a rumpus room. “Furniture Entertain! You don’t need to host a you to keep an
that faces each other encourages formal sit-down dinner to have more Establish a family rule to eat
conversation,” says Victoria Waters. time with the people you love. Think
eye on their together regularly – research has
Decorate to suit the space. “You can’t Sunday brunch, tea and cake, snags and web-surfing shown that eating together as a
go past a neutral colour palette for a salad. Ask people to bring a bottle or a family may fight off childhood obesity.
activities.
calming backdrop,” says Andrea Lucena- plate, and let the fun begin. Delegate food preparation tasks and
you’ll not only save yourself time,
you’ll be teaching your kids life skills. >
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3. harness your energy
With energy bills going skyward, it makes
sense to cut back on your electricity use, Consider solar. Photovoltaic
and investigate alternatives to the traditional
(PV) panels use light from the
utilities. The earth will love you for it!
sun to generate a current fed
through an inverter and
converted to electricity. The
amount generated depends on
the number of panels and size of
the inverter. A newer alternative
Anne Armansin, energy-
to panels are PV roof tiles, which
efficient advocate for essentially do the same job. For
Origin, shares her tips: details, visit yourhome.gov.au.
“When buying an appliance make
sure it’s not too big for your everyday needs,
as large appliances use more energy,
and buy the best quality you can afford
– cheap appliances don’t last as long.
It’s more energy efficient to wash up
once a day in a dishwasher than three times
a day by hand. Turn off unused appliances
at the wall as some consume standby power.
Don’t overfill your kettle and waste energy
heating the same water more than once.
Fridge motors should only run a few
hours a day – if yours is continually running,
it could need repairing or replacing. Check
the labels on new units – the higher the
star rating, the more you could save.
When using airconditioners,
keep doors to unused areas closed
and thermostat temperatures moderate
– manufacturers recommend settings
of 24°C in summer. Close curtains over
photography (opposite) jacqui way, (solar panels) ilFede/shutterstock, (this page) sue stubbs
large glass areas as you can lose up to
16 per cent of heat transfer through glass.
Front loader washing machines
use about 50 per cent less energy and
42 per cent less water than the average
top loader of similar capacity.”
Off-peak electricity is
typically 50 per cent cheaper than Stephen Cranch of Solahart sums up solar power:
peak. Also, check with your local “With solar hot water, heat is captured directly from the sun through
energy supplier about smart collectors installed on the roof and is transferred to the fluid circulating
meters, which will allow you inside, which is then stored in an insulated tank for future use. A solar
to monitor your own energy system can reduce water-heating energy use by 50 to 90 per cent.”
use; these are being rolled out “A 1.5kW solar power system requires six to eight panels depending on
across Victoria and NSW. Visit panel efficiency and size, and will provide around one third of a household’s
originenergy.com.au/smartmeter. electricity needs, depending on various factors. A 5kW system would take up
most of the suitable roof space and should cover most electricity needs.”
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4. home harvest
Shopping wisely – especially when it comes
to food – can impact upon your health and
wealth, help the environment and support
your local community. What’s not to love?
Drink tap water. “We have some
of the best tap water in the world,” says
environmental creative Joost Bakker.
“Drinking tap water saves on the production
of bottles and freight, plus there’s no need
for the bottles to be picked up and recycled.”
Consider keeping chooks. Not only
will you have a supply of incredibly fresh
eggs with no associated food miles, but
the chooks will eat food scraps, reducing
wastage, keep down the insect population
and produce an endless supply of garden
– er, fertiliser, too! Check with your local
council for regulations on backyard
chicken coops, and have a look at
Rentachook (rentachook.com.au), who sell
everything you need and will even let you
photography (this page, top left) nicky ryan, (top & bottom right) sue stubbs, (opposite) craig wall
try your hand before you commit.
Shop smart to reduce waste. Repair it before you replace it.
“Australians waste over $5 billion worth “Every new thing we purchase has an
of food each year,” says Leyla Acaroglu of entire life of environmental impacts
Eco Innovators. “Take a list to the market locked up inside it,” says Leyla. “Repairing,
and prepare menus in advance so you
only buy the food you need.”
Before you buy, whether it’s an apple
borrowing, sharing and leasing items
before buying something new, and giving
things away or lending them out when
Grow it
yourself. No matter
or an armchair, consider the transport you no longer need them, is a great way
how small your
miles – the distance taken to deliver your to reduce your ecological footprint.”
item, from its production to your home. Store food properly and you’ll waste
space, you can
Buying local is usually the safest bet. less. “Different types of fruit and veg produce something,
Be selective and strategic about require individual storage conditions. even if it’s just
the things that you own and buy, says By storing your produce in optimum
conditions for its breathing type, you can a few herbs. You
Leyla. “Items that are a higher value
are usually longer lasting – warranties keep your greens fresher for longer,” can pick as you
are a good indication of how long explains the team at Tupperware Australia. need, you’ll save
a product might last. Lesser-priced Check out lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au
for more tips on food storage. money, and you
goods are likely to break sooner.”
can’t buy fresher.
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5. money matters
Taking control of your finances is an
essential part of managing your life
and home – and can help reduce the
stress induced by money worries
Andrea Sackson of the Bank
of Queensland shares her
household budget advice:
“Start with the basics. Work out what
you have coming in, for example, salary,
dividends and rental income, and what you
have going out, such as the mortgage, rent,
bills and groceries. To get ahead, you need
to spend less than you earn! Cutting your
spending on ‘nice-to-haves’ like DVDs or
takeaway food can make all the difference.
Decide how much you want to put away
each week and work backwards. Keep nibbling
at your outgoings until the sums work. Lock
it into a spreadsheet and you have your new
household budget. Now for the hard part
– make a commitment to stick to it!
Work out how much you can afford to pay
off your credit cards each month. Set aside
that amount as your ‘credit card kitty’.
Commit to not charging anything to your
cards while you bring that debt under
control. Pay the minimum repayments
every month to avoid missed or late
payment fees, and put whatever is left in
your kitty on the card with the biggest debt.
That credit card debt will disappear like
birthday cake at a kids’ party.”
photography nicky ryan
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