At home with Gina Ciancio.

We chat with Gina Ciancio, Interior Designer at ‘Style Curator’, who recently renovated her family home.

Words by

Gina Ciancio

Topic	At Home With
Photography	Gina Ciancio at Style Curator
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“The blinds in our kitchen and dining totally freshened up these spaces, while the large sheer in our living room has added a sense of comfort and softness.”

— Gina

Three words that best describe you?

Caring, creative….and let’s be honest, crazy.

What’s your ideal day?

Anything that involves pampering, the outdoors or quality family time.

What’s your favourite colour?

My kids ask me this every day and I find it so hard to answer. I genuinely love all colour, from muted tones to vibrant shades, in just about every hue. Typically in the home, I’ll gravitate towards more natural colours like sage green, oatmeal or rust.

What is your most cherished possession?
My family… although that’s not technically a possession so I’ll say our home.

What’s on your interiors wish list right now?
It’s a long one, ha ha. Top of the list would be new home décor to freshen up styling arrangements and new dining chairs.

What’s your interior style?
Minimalist, over the top or somewhere in between? Colourful or neutral? Fairly minimalist although I do love pops of colour through artwork.

Do you live in a house or apartment?

House.

What’s your favourite room and why?

Our bedroom, we just gave it a makeover and it feels like a sanctuary.

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

The people in it, a signature fragrance and lots of personalisation through framed photos, artwork and that kind of thing.

What was your biggest splurge when designing your home?

The white polished concrete floors took a bit of convincing and I’m so glad I won that negotiation.

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

Take risks. The things I was most scared about, like the custom joinery I designed or those polished floors, are the things I love most about our home.

When it comes to designing a home, what does your design process look like?

If I’m working with a client, it starts with an initial consult that develops into a brief or understanding of their needs. I’ll then go away and brainstorm, research, collate ideas and start fleshing out my concepts. Once I’ve refined these, I’ll present them to the client and move forward with final selections, scheduling work and getting the project underway.

What are your top 3 design/style tips for building or renovating a house?
Take time to research products and materials. You want your home to be uniquely yours and not a replica of what’s been done before. Develop a mood board so you have a vision for your home. This will help you have some continuity between spaces but for each room to feel distinct. Consult the experts. I’m so glad we engaged an architect to design our home. He helped us to maximise space, take advantage of solar passive gains, get the placement of windows just right and so much more. If you’re undertaking a new build or renovation, engaging an architect or designer is money well spent.

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

I would splurge on the hardest wearing surfaces like quality flooring and benchtops, and save on things I can DIY or renovate myself. Good lighting is an often-overlooked aspect of design that doesn’t cost a fortune but can totally transform a space. And of course, window treatments; they can make your home more comfortable year-round, save you on electricity bills, make your home more private and will totally elevate your interiors.

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

When I first started (and before I studied design) I fell victim to things being overly matchy matchy. Now I’ve got a lot more confidence to mix up materials and create spaces with more depth and interest.

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

Quality and design.

Are you a curtains, blinds or shutters person?

All of the above, I don’t discriminate!

What products did you choose from dc+b?

Light filtering and Blockout Roller Blinds, and Sheer Wave Fold Curtains in the fabric ‘Banksia in colour natural’.

How did our products transform your home?

The blinds in our kitchen and dining totally freshened up these spaces, while the large sheer in our living room has added a sense of comfort and softness.

Some people find it difficult to decide what to do with their windows. Any tips?

Every type of window covering has pros and cons, whether that be level of privacy, price, thermal properties or something else. I suggest starting with functional requirements and this will help you decide on the best type of window covering. Then you can finalise the other details like fabric type and fit.

How do you find inspiration? (dc+b magazine, website, socials, in-store).

I find interiors inspiration all around and am constantly taking photos on my phone of things that inspire me. Often these aren’t interiors related at all, such as a beautiful colour combination I discover in nature. We’re lucky on one hand to have more access to inspiration than ever before but on the other hand, there’s a lot of repetition. I once interviewed an artist for my blog on where she finds inspiration and she says she looks inward. That’s stuck with me and has become part of my process now too.

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

I’m about to get stuck into a big coast house renovation, I can’t wait!