My Beautiful Abode

Sophie was fantastic to work with. She understood we were just starting out, worked with our budget, and tied all of her ideas in with pieces we already had (and weren’t looking to replace). Even through COVID, Sophie guided us via FaceTime. Thank you Sophie for helping us take a relatively blank canvas and make it feel homely and warm, reflecting our taste and needs.

This is the third time we have used Sophie’s services. She did such a wonderful job helping us set up our living area when we moved house a few years ago, that we rang her again when we wanted to make over teenage boys rooms (one last year and the final room over the past few months). On all 3 occasions she has been such a pleasure to work with and it is the reason we keep coming back. For our latest project we had the added complexity of working through the COVID lockdown and Sophie was wonderful at arranging trades and deliveries and doing remote consultations when necessary. We have been so delighted with the outcome of all 3 projects and had such wonderful feedback from friends and family. I would not hesitate to recommend Sophie.

My father and I cannot thank Sophie enough for her incredible work designing and then helping us achieve such a beautiful look for my father’s new apartment. I rang Sophie on a Friday from interstate with an impossibly short time frame to help my father create a new and inviting space to move into. Within 10 seconds I knew I’d found the right person to help. First and foremost, Sophie really listened to Dad’s requirements so he just loved the beautiful design she created for him. Sophie is both talented and experienced. At the same time she provides the most efficient and professional service. I’ve read reviews before of people saying they 'don’t know what they’d have done without someone’s service'. In this case it’s true. Thank you so much Sophie.

Sophie has helped to transform our home from run down, cluttered, dated and mismatched into a bright, character-filled, cohesive living space that we enjoy every day. Without Sophie's guidance, we would have been paralysed by indecision and would never have achieved the dramatic makeover that she has overseen. I appreciated Sophie's practical and commonsense approach to choosing affordable items that would not only look the part and be comfortable, but also be durable for heavy use in a family with 2 boys. Thank you Sophie for all your help.

Sophie was brilliant. She contacted us almost straight away and came to our house on a public holiday. Her ideas were amazing and she was very patient with us as we went back and forward over decisions. What was really appreciated was the understanding that we could explore different finishes for different rooms at a pace that suited us. Would highly recommend and use Sophie again.

From day 1, Sophie was amazing. As two non-creative professionals, we engaged Sophie to initially help us with colour selections for our new house build. That selection process was seamless thanks to Sophie. From tile, backsplash, benchtop, curtains, flooring, Sophie's ability to understand our likes and wants ensured we ended up with a product that to this day we are so excited about. After engaging Sophie for our initial colour selections we chose to decorate our new home and asked Sophie again to help us with this process. From her contacts in the furniture industry we have ended up with an amazing array of furniture and wooden pieces that we love. Thank you so much Sophie, you have made this process so seamless!

I would recommend Sophie without hesitation. I have engaged Sophie’s services twice in the last 3 years. The first time was for interior design advice and help selecting quite a few furniture pieces and furnishings for a revamp to a hallway, two bedrooms and a lounge room. The end result was beautiful and a look that I would not have been able to achieve on my own. A few months ago after moving into a new home, preparing for a renovation and requiring assistance with the selection of furnishings, I again engaged Sophie and her renovation package. My husband and I spent a day visiting showrooms and stores with Sophie and we selected everything from the kitchen sink to light switches to tiles, honestly you name it we chose it. Before the selections day Sophie and I met to run through my vision and wish list. A mood board from Sophie quickly followed which proved she was spot on with the look and feel I want to achieve. This made the selections day so organised and efficient. Sophie also opened my eyes to certain combinations of colours and textures and looks that I would never have been able to achieve on my own and that I know will look amazing once our reno is done. Once the reno is complete I will be hiring Sophie again to help with finishing touches such as window furnishings.

Sophie helped us turn our house into a home. We had the basics but not the details. Her advice made all the difference. She is easy to talk to and gives great advice. Now we have a house that we love.

After searching on Houzz for an interior designer, I came across Sophie and My Beautiful Abode. I was looking for someone to transform my home from a family home with old functional black furniture into a home where adults could now reside in peace . Sophie certainly met the brief, in no time at all my home was transformed into warm and inviting spaces. I can’t thank Sophie enough for her patience in understanding what we envisioned, the finished product is more than we could have hoped for.

Sophie came into my home like a breath of fresh air. After a major renovation I had kept just the basic pieces in my entry, living room and spare bedroom. Sophie transformed them all into warm and inviting spaces. I found Sophie easy to communicate with and her service was exceptional.

Sophie has done some amazing work with our front room. She has transformed it from a seldom used area into a beautiful and highly functional additional family space. Her knowledge of colour and texture is exceptional and I really enjoyed the entire process. Sophie is very warm and engaging and works in a collaborative manner, so I felt very involved and comfortable at all times. Her budgeting and timing are spot on, and we even managed to save a few dollars here and there! I highly recommend Sophie and would not hesitate to call on her expertise for future projects.

Sophie did an amazing job of transforming our new house to a home we love. She has a talent for capturing the themes and objects you love and integrating them into her selections. Our home has a relaxed beach house modern feel mixed in with our Greek and Egyptian heritage. Most importantly Sophie took away all the stress by managing all aspects of the project and was personally involved at every step always accessible for advise and ideas.. She was fantastic and I would highly recommend her services to others. Georgia and Jim Nanos

Thank you Sophie and My Beautiful Abode for my divine new dining space, the whole family love it, and it's completely transformed our open plan living area. Really appreciate the way you kept me informed about the whole process and delivery and installation was a breeze!

We invited Sophie (following a recommendation from another interior designer) to help us create a home in our newly purchased property. As we had existing furniture etc. we needed Sophie’s advice as to which pieces should be retained and which needed to be replaced to create a harmonious and naturally flowing house. Sophie provided us with a detailed plan of her vision, together with her recommendations to purchase some furniture and accessories. She also designed an entertainment unit for us. Working with Sophie was a pleasure. She is a no-nonsense, kind, hardworking and well organised professional. Sophie’s excellent ability of mixing old and new furnishings and her understanding of colours resulted in an outcome we are delighted with. The whole project turned out to be fun due to Sophie's sense of humour and easy going nature. We particularly liked Sophie’s choice of suppliers and her photographer Lisa. Thank you so much Sophie for you help.

I chose Sophie Kost of My Beautiful Abode by one day simply going on line and searching for interior stylists. My Beautiful Abode popped up and I looked at her work, then that of others over a couple of days, but I kept going back to My Beautiful Abode’s site. Something about Sophie’s warm smile and the photos of her work made me feel very confident that this was the person I wanted to help me “freshen up” my home. I contacted Sophie, we organized a face to face meeting which confirmed what I had sensed, that she was a lovely, punctual, reliable, friendly and talented person. Very soon after our first meeting we started the ball rolling. Sophie styled and sourced all the furniture, lamps, artwork, etc., for the master bedroom, the lounge, the dining area & the courtyard. Sophie also made sure that she was at my home when the various items were delivered, thus ensuring that the delivery people placed everything in the correct “spot”. Sophie 100% captured what I had envisioned but wouldn’t have known how to accomplish it. I wanted a modern Scandinavian look for my home, which is a bigger than average unit. The results have been stunningly beautiful but at the same time warm, practical, and comfortable. My home is indeed a welcoming place to adults and to little people…my precious pre-school grandchildren. Thank you Sophie! you have been amazing and I have no hesitation in recommending you to friends and everyone looking for a stylist. A job magnificently well done! Martha Thomas, Balwyn

I found Sophie by googling interior designers on Houzz (www.houzz.com.au). We were looking for someone to help us decorate our new home that we’d just bought. Essentially we had a blank canvas because we had very few pieces of furniture that we were bringing over from our previous house. I liked the look of Sophie’s work and contacted her for a consultation. From the very start, Sophie was fantastic. She had an initial meeting with us about what we liked and quickly returned a Lookbook that not only captured our ideas, but enhanced them in a way that I could never have done. The front lounge room has a beautiful modern textured theme with bush colours and a stunning photograph of a large gum tree. Everyone comments on it when they walk in. The bedroom is luxurious but not too formal; it is a sanctuary of blues and dusky pinks highlighted with a touch of Moroccan-style that complements the beautiful pictures I have from my travels. The back family room has more vibrant colours which gives it a real energy but remains welcoming and comfortable and perfect for entertaining. Unlike me, my son loves antiques and an old fashioned looks. His area is upstairs and Sophie transitioned the colours up the stairs to beautiful jewel colours using cushions, bedspreads, throws. Sophie also did our curtains throughout the house which included gorgeous linens and simple neutral patterns. Sophie also designed new cabinetry for us and put us in touch with the cabinet maker. Sophie was always really open to the small changes I wanted to make and kept in constant contact with me about when items would arrived. She had the bulk of the furniture including most of the artwork organised for delivery on the day we moved in so on the first day in the house, we walked into a furnished home, complete with lamps, cushions, throws and so on. Most importantly, Sophie worked within our budget. We spent a lot on our house and had to be lean with our spending. She was able to furnish the whole house within budget and it is stunning and cohesive . Sophie would sometimes recommend items for us to buy on sale ourselves which also kept the costs down. We have been in the house for just on six months now and it is a joy to be here every day. We are putting the final touches in the house now including a few more pictures and décor for some of the surfaces. I have no doubt that Sophie and I will have a long relationship as I periodically update things around the house. Overall, I couldn’t recommend Sophie more highly. Using her services saved us a lot of trial and error (and wasted money!) and the whole interior design is so suited to us that it really feels like our family home rather than a display home where everything looks nice but it doesn’t feel like us. Thanks, Sophie. You have made a real difference to our lives and we benefit from your care and style very day.

We bought a house whose original owners had decorated it beautifully. When we moved in with our furniture collected over many years and many moves we realised we needed help to decorate this house in a style that reflected us and in a way that would do this place justice without going overboard. What was once a house is now our home; we're extremely happy with how it looks and feels. We couldn't have achieved this without Sophie's insight, knowledge and experience. And we didn't go over budget either! Thank you Sophie, it was wonderful working with you.

HeShe is just wonderful! I love working with her! Since the moment we contacted her, decorating our home has been an amazing journey. My husband and I have very specific interests and ideas so we needed someone to guide us on our home decoration journey. Sophie has been the best guide we could hope for, she is kind, thoughtful, professional, fair and have an incredible taste. I am constantly impressed how she listens to me and comes with fantastic ideas! She also always takes care of your budget and the quality of the products she recommends. We haven't finished the project but everyone that has come to our house has been very impressed with how beautiful it is. Thanks Sophie, I am looking forward to continuing working with you.

We moved from a federation house to an apartment 3 years ago, and had some space constraint. We had kept some existing furniture and artwork, and bought some new pieces, but the overall effect was a mixture of odd bits of furniture here and there. The open plan lounge dining area and the master bedroom presented us with the biggest challenge. Sophie understood our ‘problem’ and provided us with inspirational concepts and proposed the finishing touches needed to complete our home. We’re very happy with the outcome. She is very responsive and hardworking and we would not hesitate in recommending her services.

After recently moving house, we were feeling unsure about how to update our furniture to suit our new place (which was very different in style from our old place) and style it to make it look and feel like home. We were a bit nervous about the idea of using an interior decorator, but it was the best decision we made. Sophie was so approachable and guided us through the process of selecting furniture, artwork and styling our house. We are absolutely thrilled with the outcome and we have had so much positive feedback from family and friends. Sophie was a delight to deal with, very organised and responsive and I would not hesitate to recommend her services. Thanks Sophie for helping us make our house a home.

Sophie helped us choose the window furnishings for our new house. The curtains that we had made are just stunning and the blinds work in well with the whole house. Thank you.

We highly recommend Sophie, who recently helped us design a parent's retreat/reading room. Sophie provided us with samples, ideas and the confidence to work out what we love, she then used her styling magic to pull all the elements together. We now have a beautiful, relaxing space that allows us some time out. Thank you Sophie!

We recently had Sophie to help with our brand new house, we were not sure what to do with our empty house, and we don't have much old furniture. We had Sophie to design the downstairs living, dining, lounge and study and upstairs rumpus, nursery and master. And the final design theme flow through the whole house, it's amazing! We absolutely enjoyed the whole process, Sophie is very responsive and professional, she took our ideas and turned it to reality. Both myself and my husband very in love with our new home.

We have just recently completed a renovation to the ground floor of our home. Sophie helped be with paint colors (inside and out) and fabrics. Window furnishings were also done by her company and I couldn't be more satisfied with how its all turned out. She was fabulous in providing suggestions, guideline and ideas from design, furniture, decor, right through to lighting ideas and window furnishings. I would not consider doing a renovation or change of color scheme without her advice and help and consulting her first. Thanks so much Sophie!

Sophie did an absolutely amazing job helping us design a concept and find furniture for our new house. She is incredibly responsive and hardworking, and she has a great sense of style. Let me set the scene: my wife and I have only been in Australia for 6 months and are transitioning into a townhouse after being in a long-term rental that was fully furnished. We do not own a single piece of furniture and have no idea where to begin. To complicate things further, we have a 9 week old infant and I was currently on a business trip in the US just 5 days before we were scheduled to move. Not to mention, Christmas is rapidly approaching and all other designers and design firms I have called so far have said that there is no time left in the year to work with us. I found Sophie online and she immediately agreed to help. She came out to our house on a Sunday afternoon to view the space and get an idea of our style and budget. Over the next 2-3 days, Sophie reached out often, first to confirm one or two key pieces and then with a complete, itemized look book detailing both the concept of the house and the cost of each piece of furniture. My wife and I had a few questions and adjustments, and no matter how vague our instructions were ("Can you find some art that features people" or "We love that bookshelf but we need it to be half the price") she came back the next day with the perfect solution. I would highly recommend Sophie to anyone looking to turn their house into a home. Thank you once again!

I have thoroughly enjoyed having Sophie from 'My Beautiful Abode' provide me with expert advice and inspirational ideas for a few rooms in my house. I am currently in the process of implementing Sophie's 'look book' design for my 2 year old daughter's bedroom. She has combined soft pastel colours, modern features and some of our own ideas such as a subtle Disney theme. In my dining area, Sophie has suggested simple yet effective storage solutions that are free-standing, making them portable. I would recommend 'My Beautiful Abode' interior designs for their positive attitude and creativity.

I worked on a photo shoot with Sophie of one of the homes she decorated in Burwood and was blown away by her attention to detail and absolutely beautiful styling. It was wonderful to hear the client praise Sophie for her work, and to hear how much they love living in the spaces she created. I look forward to collaborating with Sophie on many more of her gorgeous projects in the future.

Sophie provided me with the finishing touches and ideas needed to complete my home. I felt she understood my objectives and her research of pieces and items, created beautiful areas I now love.

We moved in 2 years ago to a brand new house. Our guest bedroom was furnished with all the odd bits of furniture, with old curtains from original house. Sophie's suggestions to lighten up the room, keep original artwork and de clutter were spot on. We removed blanket box and modified the end to the bed and already there was more space. Sophie and I went looking for new bedside tables and found 2 different yet complimenting tables. I would never have thought to make them different. The purchase of an armchair and reading lamp gives the main visitors a place to read comfortably. Sophie's attention to detail and creativeness gives you a place to sit and dream of the future possibilities. I thoroughly recommend Sophie to anyone, she will without a doubt make your home a "Beautiful Abode".

None of my furniture or artwork looked right when I moved. Sophie was fantastic at rearranging furniture and regrouping 'things'. She saw colours and combinations that I never would have tried myself. It was really fun to work with her. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and my place looks great. It is finally 'home'.

Sophie is a very talented interior decorater. I have worked with her for the year decorating my house as I was busy and took my time, yet she was so patient. She is versatile in her ability to decorate various styles. The most valuable part of her service is that she understands her customer's personality, respected our budget and style preference. My husband and I had very different expectations when it came to house furnishing, but yet Sophie was able to marry both expectations. When I had ideas in my head about what furniture i wanted, Sophie was able to source it out in shops so quickly. It was amazing. I had an idea, and she would work hard to find it. She is well connected to the industry. I have really enjoyed working with her. Apart from her talent and passion, she was a really kind and wonderful person. I definitely would recommend her to anyone.

I enlisted Sophie's help when it came time to replace my tired pale yellow bedroom curtains. To me this seemed a tricky job as the back drop was a brick wall. Sophie immediately honed in on the splashes of dark oxide in the bricks, suggesting aubergine fabric for curtains. She also suggested large bed cushions to tie the curtains in with the bed. A new quilt cover of 'mushroom gill' colour completes the chic transformation. As well as her artistic skills, Sophie is extremely tactful in ascertaining your likes and dislikes and incorporating these in the designs offered. I look forward to more of Sophie's work.

Sophie enjoys a love of decorating and has wonderful ideas on how to bring a room to life, using colour and texture. These design solutions have transformed the interior of my house, both aesthetically and functionally, while working to a budget. I was very excited to bring Sophie's ideas to life after she left and now have some very beautiful spaces in my home.

Sophie provided an excellent interior design service resulting in the furnishing of all the windows in our new home and a secondary rental property. Sophie's accuracy in finding the exact items briefed is too her credit and shows her experience. Sophie also provides outstanding follow up service and to this day still sends thru new ideas to furnish our home I would highly recommend Interior Decorating by Sophie.