Unflipping and Essence.
Have you noticed the sameness creeping into our homes? White walls. Beige tiles. A framed print bought online to match the beige couch. Somewhere along the way, we began stripping homes of their quirks and stories, and labeling them “on-trend.”
I stumbled across this article in the Sydney Morning Herald about “unflipping”—the pushback against sterile renovations that erase the character of older homes. It struck a chord.
Because when the bones of a house are strong and worthy, we have the opportunity to embrace rather than erase. But I reckon there’s an extra layer too: the best homes also radiate the essence of the people who live in them.
Take my client Deb. She inherited her parents’ Tuscan-inspired home. It was well-loved, but a little dark and tired. Instead of stripping it back and reinventing it in the ever-popular “Hamptons style,” she leaned in. She embraced its Mediterranean origins, opened it to more light, and then filled it with treasures from her travels, her own stunning artwork, and furniture her dad had crafted by hand. The result? A home that looks, lives, and feels undeniably like Deb. Every corner tells her story, while the house itself pays tribute to its history.
Our homes aren’t meant to be developed off Pinterest boards alone—they’re meant to be reflections of the lives lived inside them and the stories of their past.
Think about the last time you visited someone’s home and just loved being there. Not necessarily for its architectural brilliance or interior styling, but simply because it felt good. I’ve had that experience many times. And I think I know why—it’s because the home felt like the people who lived there. Most often, it wasn’t a home I’d want to replicate for myself, but I loved it because it felt like them.
It doesn’t matter if you’re building new or renovating—your home can reflect the essence of you and your family. But if you are renovating and can lean into the story of a home’s past rather than masking it—that’s when the reno magic really happens.
And here’s the bonus: in a time when renovations are proving more costly than ever, leaning into the attributes of an existing home not only saves money—it creates a house rich with history and story. Add your essence to that, and suddenly you don’t just have a house. You have an incredible home.
Let’s keep more homes soulful, meaningful, and unmistakably theirs.
PS: If you’d like support to shape a renovation or build that honours both the home and the people within it, book a Cuppa with Katie. I’d love to help you uncover the beauty that already exists.