My Forever Home
302 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★ - 3 ratingsJoin 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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Episodes
E141 - Choosing External Colours
April 17, 2024 21:00 - 24 minutes - 21.9 MBUnderstand what to consider when selecting external colours for your home. Frances outlines the significance of lighter-coloured roofs as well. You will uncover the essential principle of "less is more" in colour and material selection, alongside practical guidance to achieve a home with ‘street appeal’. Frances emphasises the substantial energy-saving potential of ‘cool roofs’ and offers expert advice on colour and material coordination.
E140 - Creating an Emotional Return (ROI) on your Forever Home™
March 27, 2024 20:00 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBIn this insightful episode of the My Forever Home podcast, Frances delves into the concept of “Emotional ROI”. She explores the significance of emotional investment when creating a Forever Home™, emphasising its distinction from financial ROI typically associated with property development. Through personal anecdotes and client interactions, Frances outlines the importance of forging a deep emotional connection with design choices, materials, and the overall feeling the home you're creating...
E139 - Insights into Renovating or Building a New Home with James Treble
March 06, 2024 20:00 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBIn this insightful episode, fellow interior designer James Treble joins Frances to discuss the art of creating timeless and functional homes. Covering topics such as budgeting, future-proofing design principles, and how to get ideas, Treble shares valuable insights for both renovation and new home projects. Whether you're embarking on a home improvement journey or planning your dream home, this conversation offers practical tips to help you maximise value and enhance your quality of livi...
E138 - Alternatives to Engineered Stone
February 14, 2024 20:00 - 30 minutes - 18.5 MBFrances delves into the engineered stone ban in Australia and explores alternative options for homeowners. From porcelain to laminate, Frances discusses factors such as durability, aesthetics, and budget, advising listeners on many alternatives available and why you may choose one material over another for your benchtops.
E137 - Exploring the New French Look
February 01, 2024 00:00 - 53 minutes - 32.5 MBFrances sits down with Lauren Li, author of ‘The New French Look’, to discuss the French approach to design and decorating. They explore the core components of the "New French Look," along with regional variations, along with what sets French design apart from the Australian approach. A fabulous episode on the intricacies of lifetsyle and the impact it has on design, along with discovering how to infuse a touch of France into your own home.
E136 - Furniture Layout and Why It's Critical Before You Start Building
January 17, 2024 20:00 - 28 minutes - 24.8 MBFrances outlines why it's so important to create a furniture layout at floorplan stage in this episode. This is essential listening to avoid big mistakes! She outlines the implications that can occur when a furniture layout is not done before building starts, using a real life example and the compromises made because there was no plan.
E135 - 2023 Reflections and Wrap Up
December 20, 2023 20:00 - 29 minutes - 25.9 MBFrances reflects on 2023 on a personal and design perspective and shares highlights of the year including finished homes, awards, media coverage and what's in store for 2024.
E134 - Client Case Study - Renovating a Federation Forever Home
December 11, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 30.5 MBFrances is joined by her client, Bernadette, in this special case study episode. Bernadette shares her renovation journey, from when she first set eyes on the home 20 years ago, through to creating her project team and the joys and frustrations of her extensive renovation. This is an honest 'warts and all' account of what a renovation project can be like, including pitfalls to avoid and how your team can support you throughout. She alos outlines how having an interior designer on the team ...
E133 - Decluttering Made Simple: Before your Renovation or New Build
November 22, 2023 20:00 - 1 hour - 39.9 MBIf you've ever felt overwhelmed by the thought of clearing out years and years worth of 'stuff', then this is the episode for you. Frances is joined by decluttering expert, Amy Revell, who shares her wisdom on how to prepare to pack up and move for a renovation or new build. How to create a vision and create a home you'll love. This is a super fun and jammed packed episode on what to declutter and decide what to keep for your new home.
E132 - Thermal Wrap Cabinetry - What You Need to Know
October 25, 2023 20:00 - 47 minutes - 28.4 MBFrances outlines exactly what thermal wrap is in this episode, and why it's a great product to consider for cabinetry in your home. With guests from Albedor Industries, she also delves into the myths surrounding thermal wrap, how it is made and the sustainability measures Albedor are undertaking to make a low VOC product. A great episode if you're wanting to understand cabinetry materials that could be used for your renovation or new home.
E131 - Mudroom Design Considerations
October 11, 2023 21:00 - 24 minutes - 34.3 MBFrances discusses what to consider when designing a mudroom. How it needs to function, and be designed around what you need to store in it. She also discusses other considerations for where items can go in the home if the mudroom is not large enough for everything. Finally, she outlines the ideal location of a mudroom in a home. A must listen if you're thinking for having a mudroom in your home.
E130 - Renovating your Forever Home Vs Renovating for Profit
September 27, 2023 21:00 - 1 hour - 47.2 MBFrances is joined by Peter Karaolganis from Presenting Homes Australia to discuss the different decisions made when renovating your Forever Home compared to renovating to flip and make a profit. Peter and Frances discuss materials, build quality, flexible floorplans and multigenerational living for both types of renovations and how they differ.
E129 - Doing Something Creative. Just for You.
September 13, 2023 22:00 - 15 minutes - 14.8 MBFrances shares her experience doing something creative. Just because. And the creative has nothing to do with interior design, renovating or building. She got inspiried after reading 'Big Magic', which explores the notion of doing something for no other reason than for your own enjoyment. Frances shares her experience on this principle in this episode of the podcast.
E128: The Block - Design Goals and Commentary
August 16, 2023 21:00 - 20 minutes - 19.6 MBFrances is watching The Block this season and viewing it with multiple lenses. In this episode she shares her observations about the 50's theme, the impact sponsors have on material choices, following a brief for the right outcome, orientation, plus design meeting the target audience, and how different that is to a Forever Home.
E127: The Influence of Travel on Interiors
July 26, 2023 20:00 - 40 minutes - 30.4 MBHaving just come back from a 5 week European holiday, Frances discusses how travel can provide inspiration and influence on your interiors back home. Frances shares her key takeaways from each city she went to (London, Paris, Amsterdam and Baku) and what to notice and look for when you're on holiday that can personalise your space at home.
E126: Orientation and Why It's Important
June 08, 2023 00:00 - 22 minutes - 20 MBThe orientation of your home and the direction each room faces, impacts livability and the comfort levels in your home. The ability to naturally warm your home in winter and keep it cool in summer are achievable by managing the sun and using it to your advantage at design stage. Frances shares her insights in this podcast episode on things to consider to maximise the potential of creating a home that is comfortable all year round along with design flaws to avoid. Full of tips and ways to g...
E125 - Renovating: Solid timber floor considerations
May 17, 2023 21:00 - 19 minutes - 18.8 MBIf you are renovating, and not sure what to do with the original timber floors, Frances outlines what some floor options are, in this episode. They may not need to replaced, and Frances discusses some choices and considerations you can explore to understand the best outcome for your home.
E124 - Bathroom Layout Considerations
May 03, 2023 21:00 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBFrances shares her top tips on bathroom layout considerations and what to keep in mind for optimum functionality.
E123 - The Paris Agreement and the Building Industry - Sustainable Homes and Living Season E13
March 15, 2023 20:00 - 54 minutes - 44.1 MBIn this episode Frances is joined by Richard Earp, who is super passionate about the environment and all things sustainability. He has been leading his company, Earp Bros, for years in meeting strict sustainability criteria, so he knows a thing or two. Together they discuss the impact of the Paris Agreement and NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) and the impact this will have on Australians and the materials they choose for their homes, for Australia to meet their NDC commitment by 20...
E122 - Choosing Sustainable Tapwear - Sustainable Homes and Living Season E12
March 01, 2023 22:00 - 50 minutes - 37.2 MBIn this episode of the podcast Frances is joined by Tim Sellars from Faucet Strommen. They chat about what makes a sustainable tap different, and what to look for when choosing a tap made to last, along with the qualities of Australian Made tapwear.
E121 - What Clients are Wanting More of - Sustainable Homes and Living Season E11
February 16, 2023 01:25 - 25 minutes - 22.3 MBFrances outlines the changes she's seeing in what clients and people are wanting for their homes. The shift in mindset and how this is impacting material choices, homes design and what's important for people when creating their Forever Homes. This this a summary of her observations with working with clients all over Australia, and how the sustainable and energy efficient movement is changing in a positive way.
E120 - Building and Renovating Sustainably - Sustainable Homes and Living Season E10
January 11, 2023 22:00 - 1 hour - 48 MBIn this episode of the podcast Frances welcomes back Jeremy Gates from Gaia Construction to talk all things building and renovating sustainably. Jeremy highlights his top 5 ways that you can make your home more energy efficient, along with how to choose a sustainable builder. He discusses passive house principles that can be used to create a more comfortable home and mistakes to avoid.
E119 - Sustainable Wood Based Products - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
December 14, 2022 22:00 - 47 minutes - 34.1 MBFrances welcomes John Dalla Via from Egger to the podcast this week to talk about sustainable wood based on products. As market leaders in the creation of chipboard with the highest percentage of post-consumer and post-industrial waste, it’s great to understand how leading companies are creating sustainable products across all industries. John outlines what to ask when considering cabinetry and laminate products when sustainability is a core objective. John also shares how Egger as a comp...
E118 - Sustainable Interiors - What to Consider - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
November 30, 2022 22:00 - 42 minutes - 34.6 MBIn this episode of the podcast Frances outlines what to consider for your interiors from a sustainability perspective. From floorplans, hard materials, soft furnishings, window treatments and lighting, she outlines ways to perhaps think differently about what you can do to make better sustainable choices for your home.
E117 - Top Approaches to Create a Low Energy Home - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
November 23, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBLearn the best ways to create or improve the energy load in your home in this practical and informative episode of the podcast with Anna Cumming, Editor of Sanctuary Magazine. Frances and Anna discuss how you can design, improve, renovate or build a home to create a low impact, sustainable and low energy home that doesn't have to break the bank. From the 7 star Naters ratings, how to brief your designer and go shopping for an energy efficient home, right through to the reasons for ...
E116 - Eco-Friendly Hard Materials from Cosentino - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
November 09, 2022 22:00 - 57 minutes - 38.1 MBAs part of the Sustainable Homes and Living Season, Frances welcomes Itay Shimony from Cosentino to chat through the environmental credentials of their hard surface materials produced in Spain. In particular, they chat about the Circular economy Cosentino has created in the company, and the production of minimal silica in their reconstituted stone products, along with carbon neutral Dekton. As a family business, Cosentino are also strong contributors to their local community in Spain, cre...
E115 - What is Green Tag and Why You Should Know About It - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
November 02, 2022 22:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBIn this episode of the podcast for the Sustainablity Series, Frances chats with guest David Baggs, CEO and Co-Founder of Green Tag - an international creditation for all types of eco products. David explains how products are able to be acceditated using their third party creditation process, that covers a diverse and wide range of products. This assists consumers to select healthier and more environmentally and sustainable products for their home.
E114 - My Own Sustainable Home and How We Created It - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
October 26, 2022 22:00 - 56 minutes - 46.8 MBIn this episode of the podcast, Frances is joined by her partner, Neil, as they chat about how they went about designing and building their Award Winning, Sustainable Forever Home. They discuss the challenges, the things they didn't compromise on, and how the whole project came together. This is an information rich episode on how to get started and what to keep in mind when considering a sustainable and energy efficient home.
E113 - Conscious Consuming and Changing Buying Habits - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
October 19, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 37.5 MBIn this episode of the podcast, Frances welcomes back Sally Flower from Home Sanctuary to chat about buying in a more conscious manner. We discuss the changes in consumer buying behaviour in a world full of advertising and messages to consume and want more, when actually it's not necessary. There are plenty of tips and ways that we can buy in a more conscious way, that will not only save our wallet, but also add to our overall happiness. Sally and I talk about how this can be achieved in ...
E112 - Sustainable Decluttering - Sustainable Homes and Living Season
October 12, 2022 22:00 - 52 minutes - 35.4 MBFrances welcomes Sally Flower from Home Sanctuary as her guest in this episode of the podcast to discuss how to declutter in a mindful and sustainable way, and minimise stress in your life! How to choose what to discard from your home, but also how to discard items in a sustainable way. Learn the simple process to start decluttering and being mindful of the journey, before you set out. The end result will be a calm home that you can relax in, while being surrounded by things you love ...
E111 - Season Overview - Sustainable Homes and Living Season E1
October 05, 2022 22:00 - 17 minutes - 14.2 MBFrances runs through what will be coming up in the Sustainability Season, highlighting some of her guests, as well as who the Season has been created for and what topics she's going to be covering.
E110 - My Forever Home Live - Getting the Details Right Before You Build
September 08, 2022 01:35 - 22 minutes - 30 MBIn this Facebook Forever Home Live Frances discusses some key functionality points to consider in your home design before the build starts. She outlines small details that are often missed that affect the functionality of your home, and lead to disappointment when not picked up in time to rectify.
Episode 110: My Forever Home Live - Getting the Details Right Before You Build
September 08, 2022 01:35 - 22 minutes - 30 MBIn this Facebook Forever Home Live Frances discusses some key functionality points to consider in your home design before the build starts. She outlines small details that are often missed that affect the functionality of your home, and lead to disappointment when not picked up in time to rectify.
Episode 109: Beautiful Home Design Made Easy Online Course
March 10, 2022 01:44 - 5 minutes - 4.89 MBDoors Close 8pm TODAY! Be your own interior designer and create a home you truly love with my Beautiful Home Design Made Easy Online Course. The proven step-by-step formula to create your Dream Home, based on my 15 years of experience as an interior designer. In this course, you’ll go from feeling overwhelmed and unsure to feeling confident of making the right decisions while experiencing the satisfaction of creating a home you’ll love. What's Included: ✔️19 lessons of learning to ...
E109 - Beautiful Home Design Made Easy Online Course
March 10, 2022 01:44 - 5 minutes - 4.89 MBDoors Close 8pm TODAY! Be your own interior designer and create a home you truly love with my Beautiful Home Design Made Easy Online Course. The proven step-by-step formula to create your Dream Home, based on my 15 years of experience as an interior designer. In this course, you’ll go from feeling overwhelmed and unsure to feeling confident of making the right decisions while experiencing the satisfaction of creating a home you’ll love. What's Included: ✔️19 lessons of learning to ...
Episode 108: Floorplans – Preventing Under-Utilised Spaces
February 24, 2022 01:10 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBIn this episode of the My Forever Home podcast, Frances discusses how to prevent having under utilised spaces in your home. She outlines the common areas that often appear on floorplans, which are not well utilised and what you need to think about to ensure all space is maximised in your home. This is to save money now, but for the duration of your time in the home. SHOWNOTES: Sometimes, homeowners can rush with getting their floor plans completed as they are so keen to get their home b...
E108 - Floorplans – Preventing Under-Utilised Spaces
February 24, 2022 01:10 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBIn this episode of the My Forever Home podcast, Frances discusses how to prevent having under utilised spaces in your home. She outlines the common areas that often appear on floorplans, which are not well utilised and what you need to think about to ensure all space is maximised in your home. This is to save money now, but for the duration of your time in the home. SHOWNOTES: Sometimes, homeowners can rush with getting their floor plans completed as they are so keen to get their home b...
Episode 107: Creating a Vision for Your Home
February 17, 2022 04:56 - 15 minutes - 14 MBIn this episode of the podcast, Frances outlines how important it is to create a vision for your home, and that a vision is not just about the way you want your home to look. She outlines what a vision is for your home, what you should think about when creating it, and how to go about it to make it about aesthetics as well as functionality.
E107 - Creating a Vision for Your Home
February 17, 2022 04:56 - 15 minutes - 14 MBIn this episode of the podcast, Frances outlines how important it is to create a vision for your home, and that a vision is not just about the way you want your home to look. She outlines what a vision is for your home, what you should think about when creating it, and how to go about it to make it about aesthetics as well as functionality.
E106 - How to Choose the Right Floor
February 10, 2022 00:48 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBIn this episode of My Forever Home, Frances runs through key considerations when deciding on your flooring type. She outlines 10 buying criteria for choosing the right floor for your home along with key mistakes people can make when deciding on their floor, and how best to avoid those mistakes. The floor in your home makes a big impact and has to work really hard for you, so it’s important to be informed about different flooring available, choose carefully, and buy the best you can afford.
Episode 106: How to Choose the Right Floor
February 10, 2022 00:48 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBIn this episode of My Forever Home, Frances runs through key considerations when deciding on your flooring type. She outlines 10 buying criteria for choosing the right floor for your home along with key mistakes people can make when deciding on their floor, and how best to avoid those mistakes. The floor in your home makes a big impact and has to work really hard for you, so it’s important to be informed about different flooring available, choose carefully, and buy the best you can afford.
Episode 105: Engaging Key Specialists for your renovation or new build
February 02, 2022 01:22 - 20 minutes - 19 MBIn this episode of My Forever Home, Frances outlines what she terms the ‘Key 4’ specialists you’ll need on your team for your renovation or new build. She outlines the benefits of engaging your key team early on, along with how they can each save you money and lots of time, as well as mitigate expensive mistakes. She outlines what each of them brings to the equation for a successful outcome for your home project.
E105 - Engaging Key Specialists for your renovation or new build
February 02, 2022 01:22 - 20 minutes - 19 MBIn this episode of My Forever Home, Frances outlines what she terms the ‘Key 4’ specialists you’ll need on your team for your renovation or new build. She outlines the benefits of engaging your key team early on, along with how they can each save you money and lots of time, as well as mitigate expensive mistakes. She outlines what each of them brings to the equation for a successful outcome for your home project.
Episode 104: Designing and Building My Forever Home – Part 3 - How I Managed the Build
January 21, 2022 00:25 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBIn this episode of the podcast, part 3 of this three-part series on how Frances designed and built her Forever Home, this episode explores how Frances managed the build of her home. She outlines how she did it, what she’d do differently, and the opportunity cost of project managing your own build. Shownotes : Tender process Usually, building designers will manage the tendering process. This means that they are responsible for engaging with the builders, sending out all the tender doc...
E104 - How I Managed the Build - Designing and Building My Forever Home Part 3
January 21, 2022 00:25 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBIn this episode of the podcast, part 3 of this three-part series on how Frances designed and built her Forever Home, this episode explores how Frances managed the build of her home. She outlines how she did it, what she’d do differently, and the opportunity cost of project managing your own build. Shownotes : Tender process Usually, building designers will manage the tendering process. This means that they are responsible for engaging with the builders, sending out all the tender doc...
Epidode 103: Designing and Building my Forever Home Part 2 – Interiors
January 14, 2022 13:19 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBIn this episode of this 3 part series on how Frances created her Forever Home, Frances outlines how she specified the interior materials and finishes for her own home. She walks through her vision for the home, her decision making criteria, things she would do differently now, and how she stayed true to herself when selecting items for her home. Shownotes The interiors are often regarded as the exciting part of building a home, but with so many options available, it can also be t...
E103 - Interiors - Designing and Building my Forever Home Part 2
January 14, 2022 13:19 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBIn this episode of this 3 part series on how Frances created her Forever Home, Frances outlines how she specified the interior materials and finishes for her own home. She walks through her vision for the home, her decision making criteria, things she would do differently now, and how she stayed true to herself when selecting items for her home. Shownotes The interiors are often regarded as the exciting part of building a home, but with so many options available, it can also be t...
E102 - The Vision and Finding an Architect - Designing and Building my Forever Home Part 1
January 06, 2022 01:26 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBIn this special 3 part series 'Designing and Building my Own Forever Home', Frances will take you on her own Forever Home Journey. In this episode, Part 1 of the series, Frances outlines how she created the vision for her home along with how she researched and found her architect to design the home. This series is a wonderful insight, and personal story, warts and all, of how Frances designed and built her own Forever Home.
Episode 102: Designing and Building my Forever Home Part 1- The Vision and Finding an Architect
January 06, 2022 01:26 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBIn this special 3 part series 'Designing and Building my Own Forever Home', Frances will take you on her own Forever Home Journey. In this episode, Part 1 of the series, Frances outlines how she created the vision for her home along with how she researched and found her architect to design the home. This series is a wonderful insight, and personal story, warts and all, of how Frances designed and built her own Forever Home.
Episode 101: A week in a life of an Interior Designer
December 08, 2021 02:21 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBIn this podcast episode, Frances lets you into a week of her life of being an interior designer and running her own business. She outlines each day, what typically goes on and what curve balls she has to tackle when it doesn’t all go according to plan. It’s a great insight into the world of an open and upfront interior designer, who tells it like it is, and is raw and real in this episode. You’ll get to see, it’s not all as glamourous as you may think! Welcome to a week in the li...