Style meets substance in this Canberra home

A Canberra-based interior blogger has injected some serious style into her energy efficient, family home.

THE HOME

A contemporary, solar passive family home and granny flat in the Woden suburb of Hughes.

WHO LIVES HERE

Style Curator blogger Gina Ciancio, her husband, owner of Tile Republic, Bruno and baby Patrick.

WHAT WE DID

“We wanted to create a new home for ourselves and a granny flat that could generate an income but privacy from the granny flat was important to us,” Gina said. “Our architect Rob Henry came up with a design that made the best use of our block and offered complete privacy from the granny flat. The north-facing orientation with large windows floods the house with natural light and keeps the cost to a minimum.”

THE INSPIRATION

Gina searched the internet for design inspiration and found plenty of ideas on home renovation site Houzz. Rob helped them translate these ideas into a home that would suit their needs. “Rob also invited us out to his property to see his house which is clad in the same black metal material so we could see how it looked before locking in this selection.”

OUR ADVICE

“Sit with your design for a few weeks before locking it in,” Gina said. “This was a tip Rob gave us and during that time we made some minor tweaks to the design that seemed small at the time but have made a big difference to how we live in and enjoy our home.” Gina also recommends being flexible as unexpected things will pop up during construction.