April 02, 2020

At Home with Zoe Gilpin from The DIY Decorator.

Zoe Gilpin is the brains behind The Diy Decorator. A Perth based interior decorator with over 12 years experience in the home decorating and interiors industry.

Over the years Zoe has worked as an in-house decorator & visual merchandiser for furniture and homewares stores, a stylist for a furniture hire & styling company and these days as an Edesigner creating mood boards for clients across Australia as well as sharing content with her uh-may-zing following on social media.

Thank you for being apart of The Cover Collective’s “at home” series Zoe.

The Cover Collective linen bedding Melbourne

What are your top 3 tips for styling a bed?

Make sure you choose bedding which not only looks great, but feels amazing as well! There's no point in having a magazine worthy bed which isn't comfortable to crawl in to each night.
Keep you sheets and quilt cover neutral and add in colour, texture and pattern with cushions and throws. This will help you create a bed which looks amazing and can easily be changed up by simply changing this layering pieces.
Layers layer, layer! Incorporate a valance if you can, as well as your quilt cover, a blanket over the end and a throw draped over the top, as well as using different sized pillows and cushions. This gives a luxe look which really isn't hard or time consuming to create.
.

.

What are some easy ways to instantly make a house feel more homely?

Personalise it. Make sure it includes elements of you and your family so that looks and feels like home. Layering items on beds and couches is a great way to soften a space and making it more appealing. Adding in some greenery via plants, real or artificial, is a great way to make your home more inviting. As is using scented items such as candles or diffusers.

Sometimes the hardest decision is choosing a colour palette, how do you go about choosing colours for your home?

Use the colour(s) you truly love. We often get caught up in wanting what other people have, but will only truly love a space if it's a representation of ourselves. If you aren't sure about using colour, keep your base pieces neutral and try adding in colour via your smaller items such as soft furnishings and decor pieces. If you love colour and are brave enough to use it, jump right it! Splash it around your home, but remember to keep some consistency with the palette to give some order to your home.

Would you say your home has a style? If so, how do you achieve this style?

I would say it's my own style. I have a big love of neutral styling for my own home, with a touch a mid century modern thrown in there too. I love all the different trends that come and go but have always resorted back to the same look; white, timbers and plenty of greenery. To achieve this look, I have kept all our walls white and have used neutral furniture pieces paired with simple decorative items and a whole lot of indoor plants!

3 favourite pieces in your home?

My emerald green scallop occasional chair that I helped design. It puts a smile on my face each time I see!, It's also the the most comfortable chair to sit in and have a scroll on social media or read a good book in.
Our bed. The mattress is pure heaven and I always make sure I have quality bedding on it so that we are getting the best nights sleep! I can't wait to jump in at the end of each day!
Our timber dining table which I picked up second had for just $30! It was black, but I've sanded it back to raw timber and I just love it. It's not perfect but it's right for our home and I don't think I'll ever be able to part with it.

Best DIY job to stay sane in self isolation?

Painting!! Wether it's painting walls to change the entire look of a space, or giving something like a vase that you were going to chuck our a second life by painting it, painting is my all time favorite DIY project! It's such an easy way to update something, and I really enjoy doing it too. It's very relaxing.

Do you have a bedtime routine & how are staying calm & keeping a positive mind at the moment?

At the moment I am finding it a little hard to switch off and fall asleep at night. In recent weeks I've actually being going to bed early and watching few episodes of Sex & The City to keep my mind busy until I'm tired enough to fall asleep. I've also added a diffuser with lavender oil to my bedside to help my with sleeping as well.

Do you have any predictions about upcoming homewares trends and what products/ colours are you hoping to see?

I think we will will start to see more colour used in interiors. I'm sure the whole natural/neutral trend will still be around for a while, but we will see more colour used with it as well. Bold statement colour such as reds, greens and blues paired with metallic elements to give more of a luxe look.

Lastly, favourite product by The Cover Collective and why?

Has to be the French linen quilt cover. Looks absolutely amazing and is so soft to sleep under! I love leaving it un-ironed to create a more relaxed look in our bedroom!

Shop Zoe's favourite linen here.