Sunshine Coast interior designer Eileen Middleton has a long list of credentials including the prestigious HIA design awards and has mastered the essence of Sunshine Coast style. Living beside the beach, Coast residents can embrace their natural surrounds and incorporate it into their homes. Eileen said although there were so many people out there with different tastes, one trend that seemed to suite the coastal lifestyle was the idea of sustainability. With a new emphasis on sustainable living and environmentally friendly home builds, an eco interior is the new chic. “What is happening right now is a lot of texture, people are looking for something that has a green edge or an environmental tag or tick. “They’re selecting items that have textures like driftwood, textured laminates but sometimes it’s not textured to touch, it could be an image that looks textured, so for lamps we’re seeing a lot of twisted timbers and very natural finishes that have been inspired by the environment,” Eileen explained. She said people tend to want to decorate their environments with what is around them and their surroundings. “So people who live here want their homes to look like they live on the Sunshine Coast because they want to feel a sense of belonging but when you think of Melbourne or inner Sydney it’s a bit different, it’s got more cosmopolitan mix unless you’re living on those coastal areas,” Eileen said. To create an organic, natural and coastal theme within your home Eileen offered a few tips. “Select pieces of driftwood, oak and distressed furniture that is recycled or gives the impression of recycled timbers.” She said the environmental culture of today was embracing the look of furniture pieces made from recycled timber and items that were old yet made new again. “There’s a whole culture out there that likes to reuse something that’s been used before and it reinforces the environmental factors,” Eileen said. Timber adds warmth to a room and it is also versatile, creating a wide range of looks from contemporary to rustic to casual.
