into my window || bio picture
  • Hello!

    into my window is a blog that features the homes of some lovely people. i am a wedding and portrait photographer, but one of the things i really love doing is peaking 'into the windows' of a person's home to see what treasures lie within. i am curious about the stories that dwell in the walls and the furniture.

    this blog is an exploration of what actually makes a home.

    take the time to have a look around - and if you want to see your home featured, i'm more than happy to have a chat.

    (photo by the lovely tracy lee)

the home of bianca todd

Bianca is a photographer and who lives in Dunsborough with her husband, son and pet dog. Over the last couple of months we have become good friends and, when i asked, she happily let me enter her home to photograph it. I love Bianca’s home. It is light and fresh, yet at the same time emits a warmth makes you smile – a bit like Bianca herself, actually.

Rather than buying or building a new house, Bianca and her husband decided to renovate an existing property, nestled among the tall trees in old Dunsborough. “We liked the fact that our house had a story long before we moved in, and that we would be able to add to it and grow with it over the coming years”, Bianca says.

Bianca’s favourite thing about their home is that it “is light and airy and that you can see bush through all our windows.” She also loves the fact that they are so close to town, so on the weekends they can walk or ride their bikes.

Bianca has some lovely pieces in her home, and confesses to being a little obsessed with cushions. “I’ve always loved homewares, and yes, I have a cushion addiction!” Bianca has collected many of the things she owns from their travels around Australia and overseas, so they all have special meaning. Her background in interior design has meant that she is “always inspired by creative spaces” and “loves to play around with the items we have at home.”

There is a variety of lovely art pieces gracing the walls of Bianca’s home. Bianca says she loves art and began collected it at a young age. “My parents always collected beautiful artwork, so I guess they inspired me.” I love how all the pieces have little stories about where they are from. The painting hanging above Oscar’s cot was an engagement present from Bianca’s brother from Peru. The piece by the bottom of the stairs, created by Ian Dickinson of the Australian landscape, was a birthday gift. For Christmas she received the “Mother & Son” painting by Margaret River artist Rebecca Cool. “This is so special to me as it’s a reflection of my relationship with Oscar”.

Bianca says she is drawn to blue and green things, and loves to add a splash of pink into the mix.


The piece that Bianca holds most dear, however, is the metal plaque of the Virgin Mary that belonged to her grandmother. Bianca says that her grandmother “carried it with her through the Second World War, where she, as a Ukrainian woman was escaping from the Nazi regime. The plaque has stayed with her virtually her whole life and was one of her most favourite posessions, which she carried with her at all times. She gave it to me in my last teens as a gift, perhaps the most important item that I own”

Bianca says that her appreciation of the arts and the world around her has been the biggest influence on the renovation of their home. She describes their home as “light, white and fresh” and hopes that, if someone were to look ‘into her window’, that they would feel calm and refreshed, as “that’s the way our home makes me feel”.

To Bianca, what makes her house a home are her husband Dion, their Son Oscar and Kirra, the family dog. “We have beautiful things in our house, but at the end of the day they are just that, things. It’s the people in your life that make a house a home – they allow you to cherish all the special things you have”

Bianca, I could not have said it better myself – thank you so much for letting me ‘into your window’!

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dear musketeer

today i have the pleasure of featuring the home of mandy – this is a long time coming, and i don’t know how many times we’ve talked about making this happen.  i’m so happy that her home is the first to be featured on my shiny new site!

mandy is a graphic designer who  runs the blog ‘dear muskeeter’.  it’s full of awesome etsy finds and cool typography. this is not the first time that mandy and i have collaborated – she is the talent behind my photography branding. i’ve been wanting to photograph her house for some time now, and i’m so glad i did. it’s amazing how much character a little flat can have.

Mandy describes her home as ‘relaxed, bright and quirky’, and says she is influenced by the design, colours and aesthetics that she loves.

Mandy has managed to fill her small space with colour and liveliness, partly due to her collection of gifts she has received from her friends and family. ‘So many of the pretty pieces are presents from loves ones’, she says, ‘like many of my teapots, cute wall hangings made by my nieces, a knitted cushion from my mum and moustache print from a friend.’  Not just an art collector, Mandy is also an art maker, the painting featured in these photographs being one of her own.

 

What Mandy likes best about her home is the balcony, where the afternoon sun streams in, creating dappled light, and she can relax on the couch outside. She also loves the character that the retro kitchen feel of an older apartment gives, as well as the white walls. ‘I will forever adore the blank canvas they give.’

 

 

Mandy says she is inspired by ‘anything and everything’ and that she always has her ‘designer eyes’ on. ‘I may see a great pattern on clothing, or be inspired by the colours in a sunset, or influenced by great street art. I’m also inspired by a lot of creative people I know.’

One question that I always ask my lovely home dwellers is ‘what makes your house a home?’  It’s a question that is central to the whole purpose of this project. For Mandy, it’s that her home is what she calls her ‘little sanctuary’. ‘I walk in after a long day at work and it feels inviting and homely.’

 

 

thank you so much for letting me photograph your home – it was a delightful afternoon!

you can read mandy’s blog here

and shop at her shop here

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October 17, 2012 - 9:56 am

Melinda - Great dreamy pics! Love how you play with colours, Mandy. What a lovely home! x

the home of melissa mills


melissa mills
is a photographer with a love for all things vintage. she kindly let me into her home to photograph the beautiful spaces within. i shot on film, hence the grain and imperfections.
melissa and her husband shaun built their house, and therein lay the challenge to create something modern, yet incorporate melissa’s love of “antiques and things with character”. The high ceilings, recycled floorboards and ornate cornices lend themselves to a vintage style home – not to mention the twin wooden front doors, sourced from Egypt.
Melissa’s favourite part of their house is the living room, “because of the beautiful light i get all day and the fact that its spacious and the hub of the family.”
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The house is filled with little treasures – I had so much fun spooking around and looking at all the awesome finds in this house. Melissa finds her vintage delights “everywhere and anywhere” from the side of the road to ebay to second hand shops. “My mum is an avid collector”, says Melissa, “and when I was little I used to get mad as she dragged me into yet another antique store. I could never understand why she liked all this old ‘crap’, but now I’m just like her, although our tastes do differ.”
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In three words, Melissa has described her home as comfortable, functional and unique, and a “well thought out space that allows us to be together as a family”.
I think they’ve done a wonderful job of merging the old with the new and creating a home that feels modern yet hints at a vintage past. Thank you so much for letting me into your home, melissa. With your pieces of inspiration artfully positioned on unassuming shelves and walls, it was hard not to feel inspired.
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August 22, 2012 - 1:06 am

SJ Grundy - Yay another ‘into my window’, I have been waiting for this day haha :) Love the photos aimee, and what a lovely home xo

August 22, 2012 - 3:48 am

Melissa Mills - Wow Aimme, great job. Its so different seeing your home in pictures, I think I love it even more now LOL!

August 23, 2012 - 1:55 am

aimee - hopefully more to come SJ! I’ve neglected it for far too long :) thanks for your lovely comments :)x

August 23, 2012 - 1:56 am

aimee - Thanks melissa! so glad you like them :)

August 23, 2012 - 12:03 pm

samm - love! :)

margaret river bakery

Although a bakery might not seem like a “home” to those who visit, it can be for those who work there day in and day out. Lyndon and Marcelle have been working at the Margaret River Bakery for many years now. Not just a humble bread producing business, the bakery also acts as a cute cafe and serves breakfast and lunch (try the french toast – yum!)

I love the way that Marcelle has decorated the interior of the bakery. The decor is made up of vintage finds, from the couches to the drinking glasses to the spoons placed carefully in antique tea cups. If I ever owned a bakery, I have a feeling it would look a little like this one:)

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September 12, 2010 - 8:29 pm

Carolyn Carter [apali post] - Love the tones in your pictures.

September 13, 2010 - 12:40 am

Melinda - My mouth is watering. Amazing pictures once again- beautiful light and warmth. I want bread!!

September 17, 2010 - 4:10 pm

L i a n a - I love, love, LOVE this bakery, I want to go back!!! You did an awesome job of the photos aimee xx

September 19, 2010 - 12:04 pm

katie lauren - yes this is definately more than “just a bakery” – it has a stunning vintage feel. and i’m soo hungry right now! will definately be checking it out when next we are down there! and well done marcelle :)

September 20, 2010 - 5:21 am

NicoleBosveld - Kewt!
Love Nicole

September 21, 2010 - 1:01 pm

Chantelle - Beautiful work Aimmee – you’ve captured it well – I’m off to visit the bakery tommorow. Will have to try the french toast. x

the home of tea for two!

when i went to tasmania, quite a few months ago now, i had the priviledge of photographing my sister katie and her husband ben’s little home. i love their place. all the little things just seem to come together in a way that gives this home such a cute personality.
Katie’s design style is all about symmetry, clean lines and cute things. She has made these three elements work well together by creating a space where organised piles of fabric, rows of magazines and books and stacks of square t2 boxes complement the cute little things she has placed on the shelves of her bookcase.

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lemon water

What Katie (and Ben) love most about their home is its functionality. “Despite the fact that the whole house is so small, each area is very functional and not a single cubic metre is wasted. My husband lives and breathes functionality. If something is not practical then why use it. Better to throw it away and design something better! (I tend to favour form over function most of the time, much to his disagreement). At the end of the day we have a functional house with the added touches of a home (thanks to me) to give it that aesthetic appeal.”

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” Our space is very well designed (by Ben’s uncle/architect!). It catches the sun in winter through a high north facing window. This same window is positioned so that very minimal sun beats through in summer, keeping the house cooler. Its height means that it allows optimal light, keeping the place nice and bright and airy, without compromising privacy – no need for curtains or blinds!”

“The living spaces flow easily from one area to the next: living to dining to kitchen. Anyone who has been around to our place would easily notice this. It is nice and open and each area has its own function.”

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Creating a space that is unique and reflects the people who live there can be challenging when room is limited.

“Working with the limited room has been an ongoing challenge from the day we first set foot in this place. As our needs have changed, so has the way in which we have organised our home. First it was sorting/organising and storing our wedding gifts when we first moved in. Deciding which items to display and which to store away was tricky, as we wanted to show it all. About a year later it was finding a place to store all our newly acquired bushwalking gear (we had fallen in love with the pastime). In the last few months we have been busy re-arranging upstairs and downstairs to make room for our beautiful new addition to the family, our baby boy.”

“Luckily, the house was designed with storage in mind. There are lots of ‘hiding’ spots for our things. We’ve also used clever ways of tucking clutter and things out of sight – pretty storage boxes that hide stuff but are appealing enough to be placed in visual areas. Every now and then we have a ‘blitz’ and change an area of storage to make it more functional/practical (usually instigated by Ben!)”

“It becomes a unique space when you add all the things that reflect me and my style…clean lines, symmetrical displays and all the things I love – fresh flowers, tea (+ lots of it!), teapots, books and photos. All these things make it ‘ours.’”

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Katie’s house is made a home because, as she says, “all the things I love are in it and on display. I just wish I had more space to express myself sometimes! I guess because there’s only a limited space for our bits and pieces we have to be careful that we don’t end up “cluttering” it up too much.”

“My favourite place is upstairs – the coziness of our big bed…my craft table which contains piles of yummy fabric just waiting to be crafted into something…my clothesline of cards and other things I’ve made or kept, hanging by little wooden pegs above my craft table. I love to sit downstairs on the couch whilst I’m feeding my little boy and admire the upstairs area I can see. I think the beautiful plywood tree Ben made last Christmas really fits in with this area nicely.
All of Eamon’s things have made our house very homely as well – mobiles, his owl wall decal, white cot and change-table and the shelves above containing so many of his ‘baby’ things.”

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This won’t be home for Katie and Ben forever – they have plans to build a new house. Will the same design features carry over into the new house?

“I think we will continue this design in some ways in that our next house will also be functional. We are functional people so we would like to plan for each of our living spaces to be practical. The same architect who designed our unit has also had input into our new house so once again it will have some clever features, with some more modern touches as well. It will continue to be an open living theme but hopefully will reflect more of our personal styles and what we would like out of our house – I can’t wait!”

We can’t wait either to come visit you either, Katie and Ben! Thank you so much for letting me ‘into your window’!

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April 6, 2010 - 1:39 pm

Chris - A nice little write-up, Aimee!

One little mistake; it’s spelled “privilege”.

April 6, 2010 - 2:10 pm

Anonymous - I really love the shot of the purple and white flowers. ‘Tis wonderful indeed!

Love Nicole

July 27, 2010 - 2:26 am

lauren carney - oh my my your blog is a bit on the lovely side of things!
i enjoy your gazing at the pretty pictures ever so much.