Painting’s not so bad, it’s the clean-up that’s annoying, right? Well, not any more if you use this nifty trick of lining your paint roller tray with alfoil.

See this and other clever painting hacks at Martha Stewart.

My latest guest post is up on Houzz and it’s all about lanterns. Take a look!

Can you believe it’s only three days until Christmas?! Sheesh.

The fact that I have no idea where this entire year went is my excuse for not having given you an update on this project since, um, April. Oops.

So, at long last, here is the famous blue buffet in situ in my office. (Sorry for the odd cropping, it was impossible to get the whole thing in without the filing cabinet creeping in the foreground. Note to self: get wide-angle lens.)

For the first few months it was looking great (so much decorating potential!)… until my printer died. Yes, the one that was hidden oh-so-neatly inside the desk cupboard had to be replaced by this absolute monster. It’s an awesome printer, but see how it’s so enormous it hangs over the edges? And that’s not even fully extended. Here is the beast in all its glory:

Ack! Anyway, ugly techno-stuff aside, let’s talk decorating. I decided to reuse the clipboards that held our wedding menus to display new designs while I mull them over. Thing is, I haven’t really been using them in that way so now they just look boring. I could easily find some cute pieces to pin up, but this is a very hardworking room and I can’t justify a whole wall of impractical prettiness!

The type drawer is another piece reused from our wedding (kindly ignore the awkwardly high hanging – I just used the existing hooks). This time last year I used it as an advent calendar but apart from that I’ve been struggling to find a use for it.

I’m still in love with the awesome colour pop and much-needed storage and workspace that the sideboard offers, but I’m not loving the overall look of that area. I have a few ideas in mind that I need to consider and I’ll let you know how I go!

This framed art came free with my issue of Real Living a couple of months ago, but I was immediately told in no uncertain terms that such a girly item would never see the light of day in our home. I figured the frame and the print would pass The Man’s test if used invidually but it was the combination of both that was unacceptable.

I removed the sweet print and gave the wooden backing a few coats of blackboard paint that I already had on hand. Now I have a cute mini message board that cost me a grand total of zero dollars.

Does anyone else have to pass the man test when bringing home new decor?

We recently ticked off a project that’s been on our to-do list for the last four years. Namely, the closet in the study.

From looking at this photo, you could be forgiven for thinking that the problem was with the interior fit-out but that the doors could be kept, but it was actually the other way around. Those doors look innocent enough: neutral and perhaps even nice and modern. In reality, it had a huge pelmet meaning the top 40cm was unusable, the temporary paint job that we applied during the office makeover to cover up the shoddy doors was easily chipped, each door was two-thirds of the width of the closet making the centre third inaccessible and the doors had dropped so that every attempt to open them required a fair amount of upper body strength and was accompanied by a high-pitched ‘SCCRRRRRWWWWWWOOOOOOAAAAAAR’ noise.

Time to get rid of the chipboard shelving, contact paper and scuffed walls.

Tip of the day: Demolition is always a good way to get your fella interested in helping you with a home renovation project.

Here you can see the cream paint that originally featured in the rest of this room, as well as the same light blue that was in the kitchen and laundry when we moved in.

The back of the pelmet was a tad overengineered…

…or perhaps not.

The new robe didn’t require the panels of wood either side so out they came. Unfortunately half the wall came with it and it was right back to the brick so that, plus all the holes and removing the corner round, meant we went through a serious amount of putty.

Ah, what a difference a bit of a tidy up and a fresh coat of paint can do.

The new interior fit-out and doors are done, but I have done zero organising so far, so I’ll be back with part 2 next time!

You guys! I’m so excited about my first ever market which is happening this weekend! Called Mathilda’s Market, it’ll be chock full of the funkiest kids’ gear around, just in time for Christmas shopping for your own little ones or perhaps some lucky nieces and nephews.

It has free entry and parking, so no excuses – I’ll see you there!

I’m pretty damn excited to watch the list of Akimbo stockists keep growing.

The latest is a real life bricks and mortar store in Hawthorn, Victoria. Kids Style Hub is the Melbourne destintation for stylish kids’ fashion and lifestyle accessories, all by independent Australian and New Zealand designers. It’s more than just shopping though, there’s also a cafe, gallery and party room.

Pop in and say hello to Nicole and the team and get some help with your Christmas shopping. But if you’re not in Melbourne, never fear! The online shop is launching soon.

Light fittings are often overlooked but they really can take a good room and make it look a lot more resolved. We have been sloooooowwwwly replacing these shoddy light fittings in our joint. We’ve just done the lounge and dining and here’s what it looks like now:

Cool huh? I love the texture and warmth they add.

I love low-hanging lights but because of our low ceilings, this is actually as low as we could hang the pendant in the lounge area without The Man’s head banging into it. But if we hung the one in the dining area at the same height it would sit awkwardly between the laundry door the ceiling beam. I wanted to hang it low and centred over the table, but it wasn’t worth the expense of moving the socket, so we looped the cords and hung it from the beam instead.

We were wracking our brains for weeks trying to figure out a way to loop it through so that it would stay there. The guy at the hardware store suggested adhesive cord managers but that was complete fail. I don’t know why it took me so long but I finally I worked out that we could use fishing line to attach the pendant’s inner metal frame to the cup hook in the beam. Success!

Here are the before and afters, starting with the dining area:

And the lounge…

I’d had my eye on these babies for the longest time but never quite had the budget for them, then I spotted them for like 60% off at Beacon so I quickly snapped them up. You’ve gotta love a project like that!

Today I have an exciting first for Atypical Type A: we have a guest blogger! Without further ado, please welcome Susi from Arcadian Lighting.

Hi, I’m Susi, a writer from Arcadian Lighting, a website and blog about décor and lighting fixture trends. I’m so lucky to be a guest blogger here at Atypical Type A today. I’m writing about unexpected decorative accessories that can add charm and style to any room. Whether the accessory is unexpected or the location is unexpected, unique decorative objects and accessories make a space feel personal. Enjoy!

Framing a single beautiful object, like a feather, can be an unexpected decorative accessory for the wall.

Love the unexpected mix of rustic and contemporary in this stool. The top converts to a deep tray that could work as an ice bucket as well—now that’s unexpected!

Adding natural elements is a popular design tip. A few driftwood votive candle holders that look like bundles of white asparagus would be unexpected replacement for a lamp on a bookshelf or bedside table.

Animals are another big trend in design accessories right now. Look for animals from unexpected materials like driftwood for something more unique and rustic.

Sometimes the accessory is traditional but the placement is unexpected. A vintage portrait in the kitchen or bathroom is charming but atypical.

Wall art that doubles as coat hooks or coat hooks that double as wall art? These leaves are charming for a mudroom or foyer wall.

An unexpected accessory in the kitchen is a large mirror, but it works well in the room. Mirrors expand whatever space they are in, and in a kitchen they add a nice reflective sparkle. Reflected in that mirror is an unexpected kitchen light, a swing arm lamp, attached to the wall above the sink.

Vintage toys and collectibles are unexpected decorative accessories outside a kid’s room or a playroom. They add a bit of whimsy and make for great conversation starters. And this table lamp looks like it’s one-of-a-kind!

Unexpected accessories are the perfect way to give your home an eclectic, personal touch. Discover more interesting design ideas and unique lighting fixtures to add to your home today at Arcadian Lighting! (Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

I almost fell off my chair when I saw how beautiful the first shot is. Thanks, Susi, for inspiring us to look outside the conventional decor ideas.

Have you ever seen a more sweet print perfect for your crafting nook? What if I told you it was free?!

It was available to download here but seems to have been taken down.