At Home With ... Yen Taylor From She Loves to Make
Tell us what you love about this peaceful apartment for your chance to win a $50 voucher
Emily Hutchinson
7 July 2015
Houzz Australia Editorial Staff. I am always on the lookout for homes with that extra wow-factor to feature. I love hearing all about the design process behind these projects.
Houzz Australia Editorial Staff. I am always on the lookout for homes with that extra... More
After working in a passionless job, interior design enthusiast and DIY guru Yen Taylor decided to make a life change and devote herself to her blog, She Loves to Make. Yen, her husband and their cute dog, Cherry, live in a small one-bedroom apartment in the newly developed suburb Zetland, which Yen says is the most vibrant and friendly community she has ever been a part of. With her keen eye for craft and design, Yen has made a home to nurture her creative side.
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Yen’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Kmart – has now been announced. Well done ziesler!
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Yen’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Kmart – has now been announced. Well done ziesler!
Blogger’s Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Yen Taylor, her husband, Martin, and their dog, Cherry
Location: Zetland, Sydney
Size: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Firstly, what do we need to know about your blog?
For work, I don’t really fit into a traditional job description, and neither does my blog. I write, paint, curate design, illustrate, build websites, blog, host creative workshops, create DIY tutorials and a bunch of other things. So my blog is a creative journal full of design inspiration, illustrations, creative business tips, DIY projects, fashion and home decor. It’s a place where I can photograph and share all the things I’m working on, and it’s evolving.
Who lives here: Yen Taylor, her husband, Martin, and their dog, Cherry
Location: Zetland, Sydney
Size: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Firstly, what do we need to know about your blog?
For work, I don’t really fit into a traditional job description, and neither does my blog. I write, paint, curate design, illustrate, build websites, blog, host creative workshops, create DIY tutorials and a bunch of other things. So my blog is a creative journal full of design inspiration, illustrations, creative business tips, DIY projects, fashion and home decor. It’s a place where I can photograph and share all the things I’m working on, and it’s evolving.
What made you start blogging?
Originally my blog was an art journal in which I shared the watercolours and ink drawings I was sketching while out and about in Sydney. Privately, it was a proactive way to start healing after losing my best friend, Timothy. Tim was incredibly creative and one of the main things we used to do together was draw. I stopped drawing for years after he died, even though it was something that I had enjoyed since I was young. My first blog became a way for me to start connecting with my feelings and creativity again.
I started thinking of committing to my blog full time when I felt stuck in a job I absolutely hated. I needed a space of my own that was creative – that I could slowly build into my own business – and, I did it with She Loves to Make! I quit that job ages ago. I’ve never worked harder, but have also never been happier in my work.
Originally my blog was an art journal in which I shared the watercolours and ink drawings I was sketching while out and about in Sydney. Privately, it was a proactive way to start healing after losing my best friend, Timothy. Tim was incredibly creative and one of the main things we used to do together was draw. I stopped drawing for years after he died, even though it was something that I had enjoyed since I was young. My first blog became a way for me to start connecting with my feelings and creativity again.
I started thinking of committing to my blog full time when I felt stuck in a job I absolutely hated. I needed a space of my own that was creative – that I could slowly build into my own business – and, I did it with She Loves to Make! I quit that job ages ago. I’ve never worked harder, but have also never been happier in my work.
What makes you happiest at home?
For me, it’s those moments when I’m looking around and I feel so lucky to live here. I had one of Oprah’s ‘Aha!’ moments earlier this year. We desperately need more room, but, in this place, I’ve already got everything I want or need and everything that makes me happy. I never thought I’d have such a lovely home and awesome mini family. I think the way I’ve decorated it reflects that gratitude.
For me, it’s those moments when I’m looking around and I feel so lucky to live here. I had one of Oprah’s ‘Aha!’ moments earlier this year. We desperately need more room, but, in this place, I’ve already got everything I want or need and everything that makes me happy. I never thought I’d have such a lovely home and awesome mini family. I think the way I’ve decorated it reflects that gratitude.
How long have you lived in this apartment for and how did you and your apartment meet?
We met our home in the usual Sydney way. We were in one of those horrible rental application phases where you have to run around town every weekend going to open houses desperately applying everywhere. We’ve lived here for three-and-a-half years now. Not that long ago, this area was all warehouses – now, there are cute dogs everywhere, great coffee and a weekly market.
We met our home in the usual Sydney way. We were in one of those horrible rental application phases where you have to run around town every weekend going to open houses desperately applying everywhere. We’ve lived here for three-and-a-half years now. Not that long ago, this area was all warehouses – now, there are cute dogs everywhere, great coffee and a weekly market.
Describe your home in five words.
Creative, chaotic, calm, safe, loving.
Creative, chaotic, calm, safe, loving.
How would you describe your decorating style?
I tend to pick a couple of colours that make me feel good and make sure they are woven throughout each zone in the apartment. At the moment, the colours are based on blue sky and peonies. We only have space to decorate with things that are beautiful, necessary or treasured.
Peony posies fabric: Habitania; lamp: Target; wooden drawers: Ikea; desk: Officeworks; chair: Ikea
I tend to pick a couple of colours that make me feel good and make sure they are woven throughout each zone in the apartment. At the moment, the colours are based on blue sky and peonies. We only have space to decorate with things that are beautiful, necessary or treasured.
Peony posies fabric: Habitania; lamp: Target; wooden drawers: Ikea; desk: Officeworks; chair: Ikea
To me, great design is…
Meaningful, beautiful and lifts the spirit.
Meaningful, beautiful and lifts the spirit.
What’s your next big project? We’re selling our piano and creating a little reading nook that can also be used as a place in which to shoot photos and videos for my blog.
Chrome clock: Kmart; white lantern: Target; mini wooden drawers: Typo
Chrome clock: Kmart; white lantern: Target; mini wooden drawers: Typo
What are your favourite rooms in the apartment and why?
We really only have one room. Even the bedroom is an open mezzanine so it’s all part of one space. My favourite little area is a mat between the kitchen and dining table. I do my stretches and listen to meditation podcasts there. My brain runs too fast so it’s a way for me to slow right down.
We really only have one room. Even the bedroom is an open mezzanine so it’s all part of one space. My favourite little area is a mat between the kitchen and dining table. I do my stretches and listen to meditation podcasts there. My brain runs too fast so it’s a way for me to slow right down.
What do you love to do on Sunday afternoons?
We have to get out of the house. When you work from home, in such a small space, it’s important to go outside on the weekends. If we don’t, it all blurs into one long work week. Last weekend we went to Pyrmont for a picnic – it’s our favourite spot with sweeping views of the harbour and it’s a real winter sun trap.
Where do you love to write and what could you not write without?
I like to write at a local cafe. A lot of people in my suburb work in the cafes, too, and I find being around them motivates me. I think outside the box when I’m away from my desk. I couldn’t write without an almond latte and my Evernote app, which I use to file and edit all my writing work.
Bedhead, base and lamp: Ikea
We have to get out of the house. When you work from home, in such a small space, it’s important to go outside on the weekends. If we don’t, it all blurs into one long work week. Last weekend we went to Pyrmont for a picnic – it’s our favourite spot with sweeping views of the harbour and it’s a real winter sun trap.
Where do you love to write and what could you not write without?
I like to write at a local cafe. A lot of people in my suburb work in the cafes, too, and I find being around them motivates me. I think outside the box when I’m away from my desk. I couldn’t write without an almond latte and my Evernote app, which I use to file and edit all my writing work.
Bedhead, base and lamp: Ikea
You will not see [blank] in any house of mine.
Anything too expensive. We rent and have moved so many times. We don’t want to invest in forever pieces until we’re in our forever home.
The next big decorating trend is…
A mishmash – the last few years have been so marked with purist styles like Nordic, minimalist, pop, industrial, whitewash… With the rise in online communities like Instagram and Houzz, people are getting an insight into real homes. Through these communities, we’re realising that our homes don’t need to look like a magazine shoot or have only one look. Life happens – kids run around, pets sleep on couches, our treasured knick-knacks and souvenirs don’t coordinate and not everything will fit within a theme. Homes feel better when they’re decorated with what’s meaningful to the people that live there. It’s the off-trend imperfections that make a home unique and gorgeous.
Anything too expensive. We rent and have moved so many times. We don’t want to invest in forever pieces until we’re in our forever home.
The next big decorating trend is…
A mishmash – the last few years have been so marked with purist styles like Nordic, minimalist, pop, industrial, whitewash… With the rise in online communities like Instagram and Houzz, people are getting an insight into real homes. Through these communities, we’re realising that our homes don’t need to look like a magazine shoot or have only one look. Life happens – kids run around, pets sleep on couches, our treasured knick-knacks and souvenirs don’t coordinate and not everything will fit within a theme. Homes feel better when they’re decorated with what’s meaningful to the people that live there. It’s the off-trend imperfections that make a home unique and gorgeous.
Your dog, Cherry, is very cute! How did you find her?
Our puppy, Cherry, is the luckiest little dog in the world. She was separated from her brother when we took her home from the pet shop. But, her brother Charlie now lives in our building with his two dads Steve and Lloyd. The dogs have play dates on rainy days or while the grown-ups go out for a glass of wine.
Couch: Ikea; throw: Target
Our puppy, Cherry, is the luckiest little dog in the world. She was separated from her brother when we took her home from the pet shop. But, her brother Charlie now lives in our building with his two dads Steve and Lloyd. The dogs have play dates on rainy days or while the grown-ups go out for a glass of wine.
Couch: Ikea; throw: Target
What’s your proudest DIY achievement?
Creating a home that has a settled, homely and permanent feeling in a very temporary rental apartment.
Can you share your biggest decorating fail with us?
In one of our other apartments, I created an outdoor lounge area with a fire pit in the middle. Let’s just say you can not have a fire pit on an apartment balcony. Three buckets of water later, we swapped it with our friends for a gas heater.
Black and white rug: Kmart
Creating a home that has a settled, homely and permanent feeling in a very temporary rental apartment.
Can you share your biggest decorating fail with us?
In one of our other apartments, I created an outdoor lounge area with a fire pit in the middle. Let’s just say you can not have a fire pit on an apartment balcony. Three buckets of water later, we swapped it with our friends for a gas heater.
Black and white rug: Kmart
Blue bottle and ceramic lamp: Kmart; outdoor table: Ikea
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Yen’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Kmart – has now been announced. Well done ziesler!
If you’d like to submit your blog for this series, follow the instructions found here. For full terms and conditions, click here.
MORE
At Home With … Kristie Castagna From Elements at Home
At Home With … Eva Burgess From Build House Home Blog
At Home With … Stylist and Adventurer Kara Rosenlund
To celebrate our favourite Australian bloggers and their homes, we’ll be asking each blogger in this series to choose a giveaway gift. All you have to do to enter is comment on why you love this house. The winner of Yen’s chosen prize – a $50 voucher from Kmart – has now been announced. Well done ziesler!
If you’d like to submit your blog for this series, follow the instructions found here. For full terms and conditions, click here.
MORE
At Home With … Kristie Castagna From Elements at Home
At Home With … Eva Burgess From Build House Home Blog
At Home With … Stylist and Adventurer Kara Rosenlund
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ziesler I love that you appreciate these things too. I always wonder who stitched the things we find in thrift shops too. How many hours it must have taken and where they were. :) Thank you for your comment :)) So nice
Thanks for all of your comments everyone, I'm so glad you enjoyed taking a look inside Yen's home and getting to know her a little bit better. We've chosen a winner, that's you @ziesler, congratulations! We'll be in touch with you soon to organise the delivery of your prize :)