At home with Abby Gilmore.

Discover the story behind Abby Gilmore, the digital creator and mother of three, as we explore the journey in crafting her humble abode in Gisborne.

Words by

dc+b editor

Topic	At Home With
Photography	Kit Haselden
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“As soon as the Blinds and Sheers were put in, it made such a difference. It feels so much more warm and homely. ”

— Abby.

Three words that best describe you?

Excitable, passionate, curious.

What’s your favourite colour?

Orange.

What is your most cherished possession?

My kids baby boxes full of all their memories from birth to now.

Do you live in a house or apartment?

We live in a house, in beautiful Gisborne.

What’s on your interiors wish list right now?

All our cabinetry to be complete and fireplace installed in the living area. Once that’s done we can decorate and it’ll change the whole walk in entry making it super homey and comfortable!!

What’s your interior style?

I would say my interior style is Minimalist and more on the neutral side. The kids rooms do have a splash of colour with their bedding but I prefer the less is more way as it’s less stimulating for me while everything feels very hectic with little ones.

What’s your favourite room and why?

My bedroom. It’s the place I go to feel relaxed as I’ve set it up with neutral tones, throw blankets and included Sheers over the Blockout Blinds to make it feel more soft and relaxing

What are the 3 most important things that make your home feel like a home?

Sheers! They soften the whole house making it feel so cosy and warm. A comfy couch/seating area we can all sit together and watch movies in. Dining table so we can all eat together and chat about our days!

What lesson(s) did you learn when you designed your home?

Get a woman’s opinion! Men don’t think about all the things that we need included like extra storage, extra space for walk in robes, added walls for sound proofing!

When it comes to designing a home, what does your design process look like?
I was fortunate enough to have a partner and father in law who are builders so it didn’t really require much from me as they took care of everything!

What’s the biggest interior design mistake you’ve ever made?

Haven’t made any yet I don’t think!

What are your top 3 design/style tips for building or renovating a house?

For me, I can’t actually visualise the rooms or see what they’ll look like so it was vital to find an interior designer that understood my taste through having lots of conversations. I was fortunate enough to have Mandy from concept designs make the process so easy for me creating a real minimalist, kid friendly but super chic and functional look and feel to the place.

What was your biggest splurge when designing your home?

My couch!! Certainly splurged there but as I said, vital to bring the whole fam together to get close and watch movies

You’re given a limited renovation budget; how would you spend it wisely to transform a home?

A good paint job and some beautiful sheers can do so much for a home so I would start there. If it wasn’t already, I would try and make it open plan living, kitchen, dining and living spaces all open.

What qualities do you look for when choosing materials, furniture and accessories in your designs?

I usually ask my girlfriend Vanessa who owns her own homewares online store. I feel like if you’re not good at it like me, then finding someone who is that knows YOU makes it really fun to get you engaged in the process and not afraid of it. I’m going for good quality as I feel I’ve waited a really long time to splurge on the things. I’ve lived in the house where everything was mis matched, I’ve lived in the unit where everything was old and ready to be chucked and now I’m in the dream home where everything I’ve worked hard for is there bit by bit. It’s certainly not a sprint as we’re yet to find the money tree, but rather a marathon we slowly enjoy.

Are you a Curtains, Blinds or Shutters person?

We love a Sheer Curtain in this house, however we also have beautiful Blockout Blinds for more privacy.

What products did you choose from dc+b?

We have the Motorised Roller blinds through the house in Vamp and the Wave Fold Sheers in Angelo, colour Angora.

How did our products transform your home?

To be honest, before we had the Sheers and Blinds installed it felt quite empty and it just felt like a house. As soon as they were put in, it was such a difference. It feels so much more warm and homely. And the space also feels so much brighter.

Some people find it difficult to decide what to do with their windows, How do you find inspiration?

I went with Blockout Blinds because we love a nice dark room for sleep especially with the little ones and getting them to sleep a little longer in the mornings! The Sheers we chose for the areas we wanted to soften and make a little more lux; Our main bedroom and walk in robes. Lounge and kitchen open living area. They changed everything!!

What design project(s) are you working on at the moment?

We still have so much to do in our home, the front yard, backyard, cinema room, office space the list goes on but we are excited to tackle each job as they come.