Rural glamour.

Having previously renovated an 1880s terrace in inner-city Melbourne, Carmel and her husband Lance decided to look for something with a little more outdoor space as their two young sons started to grow.

But, after nothing grabbed them in Melbourne, they decided to search further afield, eventually settling on Bendigo, where Carmel had studied some years before.

They found the outdoor space they wanted – and more – when they found a “dirt cheap, whopping, 1800 square metre block” in an already established area.

“The day we saw it, we put in an offer and the next day, it was ours,” remembers Carmel.

The couple decided to build a modern, minimalist family home with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a rumpus and open plan living.

“A simple plan that everyone goes for in a family home but we just designed everything oversized to make it feel more luxe,” explains Carmel.

Room with a view.

As their block is full of mature gum trees, their architect-designed home – dubbed the treehouse – has large windows to make the most of the view.

“Every angle you stand and look out from, you see uninterrupted views of the gum trees,” she explains.

With that in mind, Carmel wanted window coverings that complimented the size of the windows, without taking away from the views they were designed to capture.

Carmel had set her heart on floor-to-ceiling Sheers to soften the modern design of her home. After looking through the dollar curtains + blinds website to shortlist a few styles, she booked an in-home consultation with the team at the Bendigo store.

“They brought out some of the styles I had selected along with a few that are popular for the type of house we had built,” Carmel remembers.

“The Sheers I thought I’d like turned out to be too white against the white walls and threw the wrong colour around the walls. I guess this shows that, while online research is helpful, an in-home consultation is also very important and shouldn’t be skipped.”

“The wall to wall coverage of the Sheers in the living space takes everyone’s breath away.”

— Carmel

Layer up.

Floor-to-ceiling Wave Fold Sheer Curtains in dc+b designs Breeze, colour pearl, were eventually chosen for multiple windows throughout the house, including the living area, which features more than 10 metres of Sheers.

They are layered behind with white Blockout Roller Blinds in dc+b designs Evolve, colour white. For practical reasons, these were also used on their own in the children’s bedrooms.

In the master bedroom, the oversized three-metre by 2.7-metre high window is dressed with the same Sheers and paired with white Blockout Double Pleat Curtains at the back in dc+b designs Sierra, colour white. Double Curtains combine all the practical and visual benefits of both Blockout and Sheer Curtains.

“This window is a huge feature for the front of our home and I didn’t want something within the sill space obstructing the view of the exterior box sheath that frames it,” says Carmel on why she chose Double Curtains.

She couldn’t be happier with what the Sheers, in particular, bring to her stunning new home.

“The wall to wall coverage of the Sheers in the living space takes everyone’s breath away. Combined with the oak floors and the wall-to-ceiling stone in the kitchen, they add another layer of texture and make the space feel warm and homely,” she says.

“They bring in enough light while still allowing us to see all the wonderful trees that surround us as well as offering privacy from outside.”