Join award winning interior designer, author and Forever Home expert, Frances, as she takes you on the journey to create the Forever Home of your dreams.
Frances will help you navigate all the big ticket items, and all the little details that get lost along with way when renovating or building a new home.
Focusing on sharing key information to ensure you're planned and prepared for the journey, she'll share how to ensure your home is functional, sustainable, durable, and aesthetically beautiful.
Guests will also join Frances to share their insight and expertise on various topics, so you're getting well rounded information from a wide source of specialists.
Frances has helped hundreds of people create Forever Homes that are designed for their lifestyles and reflects who they are, and is super passionate about you getting your Forever Home right. She's also built her home Forever Home, so she knows first hand what it takes, and what you need to know.
Share the journey, and let Frances guide you along the way.
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E163 - How to Reduce Decision Fatigue During Your Home Renovation
Episode 163
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 • Duration 34:08
Decision fatigue is one of the biggest challenges homeowners face during a renovation or new build. In this episode, Frances breaks down why the constant stream of choices becomes so overwhelming, the impact it can have on your project, and the practical steps you can take to reduce stress, stay focused, and make confident decisions for your Forever Home™.
E162 - Christmas Decorating: How to Create a Beautiful, Cohesive Theme for Your Home
Episode 162
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 • Duration 27:20
In this festive episode of the My Forever Home™ Podcast, Frances walks you through how to create a Christmas theme that flows beautifully from your tree, to your table, and throughout your home. She shares how she designed her own Australian botanical Christmas and offers practical ideas to help you personalise your festive décorations, whether you love a minimalist nature-inspired look or full-on maximalist Christmas magic.
E154 - The Power of Holiday Reflection to Find Clarity for Your Home
Episode 154
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 • Duration 18:41
In this episode, Frances reflects on how the quiet of the holidays gives us the perfect opportunity to assess what isn't working in our homes. She shares personal experiences of the things that have bugged her, how it's easy to live with them, and how holiday time is the best time to make a change.
Listen in for helpful insights on finding clarity for your home and how to finally tackle those lingering issues.
E64 - My Forever Home Live – Kitchen and Dining pendant lights
Episode 2
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 • Duration 09:01
In this Forever Home Live Frances has come straight from site! She discusses the impact of having dining and island bench lights too close together and how less can often be more. Coming from site, so also references the impact of not deciding your floor material before the build starts, and shaver cabinets recessed into walls.
E63 – Season Summary and Overview - Kitchen Design Essentials
Episode 63
Thursday, November 12, 2020 • Duration 32:13
In this episode, Frances provides a summary of each episode of the Kitchen Design Essentials Season and how each episode adds another dimension to your overall kitchen design and outcome. From budgets to materials, from flatpacks to splashbacks, she outlines all episodes, providing a handy reference on what will be the episode to listen to next as part of the season.
This episode is about working out what you need in the kitchen. Frances talked about the importance of doing a kitchen needs assessment- analysis of your lifestyle, type of cook, storage requirements and the number of people working into that space. Ideally using the Clear Clarity Design Worksheet from the Beautiful Kitchen Design Made Easy course.
In this episode of the podcast, as part of the Kitchen Design Essentials Season, Frances outlines considerations for an outdoor kitchen. She emphasises the need to plan it upfront as it may impact internal kitchen decisions. She runs through suitable materials, and those that are not suitable for outdoors, and options with regards to necessities for the outdoor kitchen space.
SHOWNOTES:
Our warm climate in Australia, and the tradition of entertaining friends and family at home are two major reasons why Outdoor Kitchens are becoming increasingly popular. When completing a renovation or new build, we should consider the natural flow between indoors and outdoors, and how those spaces need to work together. Which is where thinking about outdoor cooking requirements as part of your outdoor entertaining space needs to be factored in.
Requirements and Design for an Outdoor kitchen
Think about your needs
How do you entertain outside?
What are the things that you would like to have in your outdoor kitchen?
What do you need access to outside?
Amenities that are going to make your life easier when entertaining outside.
Space perspective vs Budget perspective
What do you need outside? Start with what is critical for the space (must have Vs nice to have)
Smoker,
BBQ
Teppanyaki grill
Spit roast
Running water
Fridge
Drawers and cabinetry for cutlery and crockery
Hotplate
Pizza oven
Sink for running water & cleaning up as you go
You may not need everything! Every component will add to the cost.
Think about the space, as it is premium. What is going to add the most value to the space (not capitalisation value but lifestyle value)?
It is best to purchase items that you are going to have in your outdoor kitchen prior to it being designed so it's designed around your appliances
E61 – Budgeting - Kitchen Design Essentials
Episode 61
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • Duration 33:54
In this episode of Your Forever Home, as part of the Kitchen Design Essentials Season, Frances walks through what needs to be considered when planning the budget for your kitchen, including items that are often forgotten. She also runs through what you can expect to be able to do at certain budget levels.
SHOWNOTES:
Determine your goals and objectives when creating your kitchen.
Are you doing a makeover, some basic cosmetic changes to freshen it up?
Is it going to be a renovation?
Basic Renovation- replacing what's already there and not changing the actual layout
Full Rip out- Changing the layout, creating a different space.
Brand new kitchen
Kitchen to flip- short term fix
Forever Home Mindset- a kitchen that would last for 10+ years
In doing so:
You will be able to work out on a realistic budget.
You will be able to identify what you need to invest for the best outcome.
It will guide you on choosing the type of materials, finishes appliances that sit within your budget.
The kitchen is one the most important spaces in a home, so compromising elsewhere could be well worth it.
If part of the bigger project, some areas can be delayed allowing you to allocate more on the kitchen..
For instance, delay builtin cabinetry or an ensuite renovation.
It may be worth waiting a little to get it right because it is such an important space.
Not utilising the space in the best way possible- In the Episode of , Jeremy from Gaia Constructions highlighted one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when creating a new kitchen.
E60 - My Forever Home LIVE- Carpet or timber stairs
Episode 60
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 • Duration 13:59
In this Forever Home Live Frances highlights the need to understand the various aspects of stairs before making a decision to have carpet, timber or concrete. The aesthetic is often the leading reason for people to choose their stair type without taking into consideration noise, budget, slip resistance and storage requirements, which are the areas Frances chats through in this episode.
In this Kitchen Design Essentials episode Frances runs through the critical element of lighting in your kitchen. She discusses the need for task, ambient and decorative lighting for different scenarios, particularly for kitchens in an open plan space. She also discusses the many different alternatives available to using downlights, and why it's important to use a combination of light sources.
SHOWNOTES:
Lighting affects your mood and your ability to work in a space. It is a key component to the overall functionality of your kitchen.
Task Lighting
Provides specific and increased light to accomplish specific task (E.g reading, working, or cooking). Task lighting is critical in the kitchen, as it is in a bathroom. Proper task lighting enables work surfaces to be illuminated such as island benches, under overhead cupboards, and corners.
A good artificial light is required regardless of what natural light is available
Natural Lighting – Nothing beats good natural light How much natural light you have depends on orientation of the kitchen and the kitchen location in the home.
Skylights- Can be openable which allows hot air to be released. Ambient/Mood Lighting
Kitchens are often placed in an open plan area where it's open to lounge and dining. To avoid only having task lighting, ambient lighting is needed to create mood and atmosphere in the whole open plan space, including your kitchen.
Dimmers- an important way to create ambient lighting
Downlights- Choose a downlight that is good quality
LED
Has broad beam which reach more space
Decorative Lighting
Decorative lighting plays a big part of interior design Pendant lights- serves as a decorative element but can also be used as an ambient light.
If selected well, and is over an Island bench it will function as task lighting, ambient and decorative lighting.
Allows for soft lighting to be used in the overall open plan
Alternatives to downlights
E58 - My Forever Home LIVE – White Kitchens
Episode 58
Thursday, October 22, 2020 • Duration 08:59
In this Forever Home Live, Frances chats about things you can do to ensure an all-white kitchen is not clinical and soulless, with a few ideas about material selections and also decorating tips to add pops of colour.
This Kitchen Design Essentials episode had special guest, Jeremy Gates from Gaia Construction, who provided the builder's insight on mistakes people make when creating a new kitchen. He focused on setting a budget, and avoiding mistakes such as undercapitalising being worse than overcapitalising by not utilising the space the best way possible. He felt homeowners esigning their kitchen was a mistake too as it held to a whole heap of issues.
This episode brings back our guest Fabieli Fontana, where she and Frances spoke about key kitchen design mistakes. They chat about experiences with clients and errors caught early enough to be reflect a better overall design- window placement, size & height, structural constraints.
Frances and her guest Laura Neville from Cosentino discussed the various products available from Cosentino, namely natural stone, reconstituted stone, and Dekton.
Frances talked about benchtop criteria in terms of you and your family's needs. She also mentioned other benchtop materials such as timber, porcelain, recycled glass, stainless steel, paperock, concrete, laminate, and solid acrylic surface.
Being a self-confessed fan of splashbacks, Frances outlined several splashback materials including glass, stone, windows, mirror and porcelain, including her favourite – tiles. She also pointed out how splashbacks can determine the entire selection for your kitchen. Lastly, she talked about the considerations from a regulation perspective- gas or induction stove tops
In this episode, Frances spoke about cabinetry materials and the advantages and disadvantages of each materials- 2Pac, thermal wrap, laminate, timber, and Dekton. She also talked about kickers, sizes and material options.
Frances walks through the differences between flat pack and custom designed kitchens. She shared considerations that you need to think about when choosing between flatpack and custom kitchens such as design and materials constraints, constraints and possible compromises on layout.
In this episode, Frances discussed Internal Elevations and Joinery Design and why it is important in your kitchen design, why it is worth the investment and what could go wrong if you don't have them in terms of cost and design considerations.
She referenced the blog too Why Internal Elevations are Critical for your Home, which you can read here.
Frances outlined the key kitchen measurements to make sure that your kitchen is functional and workable. She ran through key metrics for kitchen planning such as gaps between rear-bench and island bench, the ideal length for island benches, depths of cupboards and other space considerations for fridges.
This episode talked about Butler's pantries and pantries and the difference between the two. She also debunked the concept that pantries are critical in every home and presented other options such as appliance cupboards, step-in pantries and pantry drawer systems
In this episode, Frances and her podcast guest Trisha Narde from Reece Bathrooms talked about kitchen taps and sinks. They discussed the different types of sinks and taps available and buying considerations for both. What makes a good quality tap and sink? What makes a cost-effective tap and what are some of the issues that pose?
And if you planning to incorporate Billy and Zip taps in your kitchen, don't miss this episode as Frances and Trisha gave an in-depth review about it. Lastly, they talked about the very controversial black tap and black sink. Should you or shouldn't you?
We featured another guest in this episode- Rob Sinclair, the managing director of e&s Trading. This episode focused on fridge, dishwasher, oven or steam ovens, the buying criteria for each and great brands to look out for. He also suggested that when choosing appliances, it's important to assess your needs, lifestyle and cooking requirement.
Rob and Frances also talked about integrated, semi and freestanding options for your appliances.
Part 2 of the Appliances Episode with Rob Sinclair talked about stove tops and rangehoods- the best range hood and why it's worth spending the extra money. Other appliances like built-in coffee machines were also discussed in the episode. Rob also shared the latest kitchen appliances to look out for
Frances talked about how handles and hardware affects your kitchen's design and functionality. She also talked about the advantages and disadvantages of handles and knobs, material considerations such as shapes, sizes and types (leather, timber, metal finishes). Lastly, she touched on the different types of cabinetry internal hardware like runners and other proprietary systems.
In this episode of the Kitchen Design Essentials Season, Frances chats through how to choose colours for your kitchen. When choosing for your colour scheme, floors would be a good starting point, as well as your leading material (I.e splashback). Most importantly, Frances said that continuity and flow is essential in your design, so make sure that you are using the same tones, whether they are cool or warm colours throughout the home
Frances ran through the different types of kitchen lighting- task, ambient and decorative lighting and how you can incorporate all of it into your kitchen. She also opposed only using downlights in the kitchen and suggested different combinations of light sources to be able to dial your lighting up or down accordingly.
Frances walked us through creating budgets. She outlined what needs to be considered and items that should go into it. She also ran through what you can expect to be able to do at certain budget levels ($5,000 vs $20,000 vs $40,000 vs $80,000 budget). And once again, she put emphasis on undercapitalising being an issue when not using the space to its optimum
The final episode of the season talked about the growing popularity of Outdoor Kitchen. She ran through the different types of suitable materials and options Lastly, she talked about the location for your outdoor kitchen- separate to the house or added as an extension to your home.
Services Available:
Beautiful Kitchen Design Made Easy Course
Access the 'Beautiful Kitchen Design Made Easy' Course for only $99. It has over 21 lessons and transcripts from the Kitchen Design Essential Podcast and professionally designed downloadable resources including Top 12 Must-Do's Planner, All-In Appliances Checklist, Clear Clarity Design Worksheet, All-Inclusive Kitchen Materials and Fittings Template (including WIP) and Kitchen Budget Template.
This simple to follow short course will leave you feeling confident that you have information at hand to help you navigate your own kitchen design with ease. Click here if you are ready to build your beautiful kitchen.
Online course - $99 with over 21 lessons and transcripts from podcast, PLUS downloadable resources.
Top 5 Tips for Designing your Forever Home Webinar
Obtain key information to prepare you for your Forever Home with the 'Top 5 Tips for Designing your Forever Home' Webinar on 26th November 2020 at 7:00pm (AEDT)via zoom.
In this webinar, we will cover the following topics- Assessing for floorplan flexibility, How to get your kitchen design right, Why internal elevations are critical, How to create zones in the home and Creating different lighting options. Sign up now!
Book A Chat
Ready to renovate or create your kitchen but not sure where to start?
Get the help of a property expert and save yourself from making costly mistakes with a free Forever Home chat. Click here to get access to Frances' calendar;
Kitchen Bliss Package
Overwhelmed by the amount of decisions that need to be made when creating a stylish, functional and durable kitchen? What materials to select, what colours will co-ordinate together, what design is going to best suit the space, and your requirements.
We offer kitchen design packages that include joinery design and material selections for a complete kitchen design. Click the link here to find more.
Thank you so much for listening to Kitchen Design Essentials Series. We are working hard to provide you high-quality contents and your review could greatly help us to continue doing so.
We appreciate you taking out the time to help us improve our podcast!
Also consider that things will get dirty easily outside – even if under cover - rain, dust and wind .
Location - It can either be a continuation of your indoor kitchen or a separate area in the garden.
Consider flow of materials to create flow and continuity is continuation of indoor kitchen
Located separately from the home can create more flexibility with material choices
If under cover may need an exhaust fan or have more open where cooking is.
Think about smoke, marking ceiling etc.
You may need to consider having a separate firewall to meet safety regulations
Get someone to help with the design so it's maximising the space for what you need.
Materials
Check with your local state regulations about materials
Benchtops – not all materials are equal
Reconstituted stone is not suitable for outdoors. The warranty will be voided if you're using materials that are not allowed outside.
Other options;
Dekton
Natural Stone
Concrete
Porcelain
Marine grade Stainless steel
Terrazzo
Cabinetry – standard cabinetry materials is not suitable for outside.
You cannot use standard laminate or melamine
Look at Marine grade ply, other natural timbers – be mindful they will weather
Solid timber cabinetry
Compact laminate- block colours or timber look
Stainless steel
If you can't have a complete custom-made outdoor kitchen, you can buy complete 'outdoor kitchens' from BBQ suppliers. These may not fit the space perfectly, and there may be compromises, but may end up more cost effective.
Available Services;
Beautiful Kitchen Design Made Easy Online Course
Ready to design and create your own beautiful kitchen? Get all the interior designer insider knowledge in this online course to create your dream kitchen. Find out more and join here
Book A Chat
Ready to renovate or create your kitchen but not sure where to start?
Get the help of a property expert and save yourself from making costly mistakes with a free Forever Home chat. Click here to get access to Frances' calendar;
Kitchen Bliss Package
Overwhelmed by the amount of decisions that need to be made when creating a stylish, functional and durable kitchen? What materials to select, what colours will co-ordinate together, what design is going to best suit the space, and your requirements.
We offer kitchen design packages that include joinery design and material selections for a complete kitchen design. Click the link here to find more:
Engaging with experts (eg, interior designer, engineer) will save you money and minimise regrets that you are going to have.
Compromising on design as you don't want to spend getting the design drawings done is a compromise on the space- cabinetry to fit a space rather than it being properly designed.
We were able to achieve things for clients what they never thought possible - Walk in pantries, appliance cupboards, servery windows – all because we have a different expert eye that can see things you may not. It's what we're trained to do. It's what you pay us for.
How to set your budget
What do you need to spend your money on?
Design and consultants
Interior Designer- Elevations and layouts
Engineers- Removing walls
Products & materials
Demolition Cost – If you are not doing it yourself.
Rubbish removal
Lighting designer
Different tradespeople (if managing yourself)
Freight- getting resources and materials from different locations
Other costs to consider;-
Plumber
Electrician
Tiler
Plasterer
Painting
Flooring
Handles
Caulking
Sealing
Opportunity cost- taking the time off work to manage all the trades, which means you need to consider;
Insurance
Warranty on workmanship
Your skillset and confidence to manage all grey areas that may come up when a builder is not involved.
How much do you want to spend?
If part of a larger home, you may want to get advice on where to spend and where to save.
Are there materials that you can re-use or upcycle?
Are there any things that you can do yourself, without compromising the outcome? I.e Painting – be mindful of building regulation for complicated tasks.
What budget can you afford?
Validate what you can afford with the real costs, so you can determine what you can feasibly achieve.
Allocate 15% for contingency
Particularly relevant for renovations – come up against unknowns.
Let's talk figures – what can you do – indications only (2020)
These estimations will depend on the finishes, extent of cabinetry, benchtops, and WIP.
Remember that one material/ fitting maybe important than the other, so this is not saying you can't have it! Compromise may be required.
If you want your pendant lights to provide task lighting over the bench, need to consider the light illuminated from the fitting.
Need a number of pendants to match the size of the bench. Scale is important.
Pendant lights allow you to add your personality into the kitchen but make sure that it coordinated back to the cabinetry material.
Have a combination of task lighting, ambient/mood lighting, and decorative lighting so you have the ability to dial your lighting up or down as required.
Directional spots
Sit in the ceiling just like a downlight
Can move around so you can get light exactly where you need it.
Track Lighting
Can be mounted on the ceiling and offers multiple lights from one track
You can point them where you need them to be.
LED Strip Lighting – multiple types
Strip under the front of the island bench for ambient/decorative effect.
Under the overhead cabinetry to illuminate bench under the overhead cupboards.
On the top of the overhead cabinetry pointing up to the ceiling to reflect light off the ceiling.
Uplights
Provides excellent task lighting, good ambient lighting and is also
Available in different styles
Ideal for homes with high ceilings
Wall Washes
Installed in the ceiling like a downlight
Points to the wall and bounces light off the wall.
Beautiful for highlighting artwork.
Cove lighting
Sits above the overhead cabinetry.
It creates a strip of light that pushes lights down into space. It can be built into the bulkhead.
Under cabinetry lighting
Instead of strip LED, you may want to consider smaller lights (i.e circular or square) that sits in the overhead cabinetry.
Light from your rangehood
A good light source
Illuminate your stovetop
It is worth investing in getting your lighting design for your kitchen (or your whole house). Engage either a lighting designer or an interior designer that is able to do a lighting plan for you. It is only when you live with poor lighting, that you understand the value of having really good light and the impact on how it makes you work and feel in space
Available Services;
Beautiful Kitchen Design Made Easy Online Course
Ready to design and create your own beautiful kitchen? Get all the interior designer insider knowledge in this online course to create your dream kitchen. Find out more and join here
Book A Chat
Ready to renovate or create your kitchen but not sure where to start?
Get the help of a property expert and save yourself from making costly mistakes with a free Forever Home chat. Click here to get access to Frances' calendar;
Kitchen Bliss Package
Overwhelmed by the amount of decisions that need to be made when creating a stylish, functional and durable kitchen? What materials to select, what colours will co-ordinate together, what design is going to best suit the space, and your requirements.
We offer kitchen design packages that include joinery design and material selections for a complete kitchen design. Click the link here to find more:
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