Again Victorians are looking forward to their annual Summer Holidays this year with huge enthusiasm after many months of lockdowns and restrictions now being lifted in time for Christmas and the New Year. Now is the time to prepare for a relaxing break and ensure your holiday home or beach retreat is refreshed and comfortable. Why not select a superb new sofa, armchairs and Dining chairs from our stunning Wills Bisgrove Collection in time for the family festivities? Comfort ,quality and design .Pure luxury – its from Wills Bisgrove!
For some it could be time for simple repairs and maintenance. Perhaps there’s a need to to re-cover and refurbish the older classic sofa and armchairs, the dining chairs or the occasional chairs. The Wills team will repair and restore your treasured furniture and return it to you in peak condition – refreshed and renewed with on-trend or classic fabrics and leathers as you desire.
Or it may simply be time to replace the older with something more comfortable, stylish, something that will delight you, your family and guests. It’s the perfect time to introduce the Wills Collection, stunning upholstered furniture in both Contemporary and Classic designs.
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Sofa Range offers a superb selection for the discerning client and is the preferred choice for many Interior Designers and Interior Decorators for both primary and holiday residences.
The Wills Collection provides a unique opportunity for Interior Designers and Decorators to demonstrate real flair and innovation utilising upholstered furniture of the highest quality.
Selected Sofas and Chairs may be teamed with Ottomans, Dining Chairs and Stools.
The Wills Team can adapt furniture listed with modifications as required to ensure project needs are met and fulfilled.
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Sofa Range
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Armchair Range
Please visit our showroom at 6 Guest St Hawthorn and view the Wills Furniture Collection in person. Call 03 9815 0111 now and make an appointment with our friendly and experienced staff or leave your contact details on our website here and we will contact you promptly to make a time suitable and convenient for you.
At Wills, we work closely with a range of Interior Designers and Interior Decorators. If you require assistance in finding such a suitable professional for selecting and dressing furniture items for your home we are pleased to provide referrals for your consideration.
Wills Furniture provide a full range of services including restoration and reupholstering of traditional and classical furniture.
With the mini-lockdown now over, it’s a good time to consider engaging an Interior Designer to assist you in redecorating and refurbishing your home. Naturally you have decided to select your new lounge suite, occasional chairs, dining chairs and accessories from the fabulous Wills Collection, but the intermediate step is to ensure you have a well crafted Interior Design plan to work to, ensuring a fabulous result.
In determining and selecting your preferred Interior Designer, the choice you make may come through a personal reference. Or it may simply be admiration of the work done by a particular designer. Ultimately it’s a very important consideration – you are selecting a professional to renovate or redecorate your home.
Lisa Frederick, a US contributor to Houzz provided some insights in her article and we hope it can assist you in choosing a Designer who is right for you.
Interior designers do much more than make a home pretty — they turn it into a harmonious haven that’s uniquely yours.
When most people think about hiring an interior designer, they zero in on aesthetics: wall colours, window treatments, pillow patterns. But that’s just scratching the surface of what a designer can add to a home. These pros go beyond cosmetic concerns to ensure that a space feels harmonious through and through, from its floor plan and architectural envelope to the last nailhead, tassel and tuft.
What an interior designer does: A designer envisions, plans and outfits spaces in a way that makes them both beautiful and functional. He or she balances aesthetic considerations with structural planning to reflect the clients’ lifestyle, set the desired mood, complement the home’s architectural features, and ensure that less glamorous details (like electrical outlets and air vents) fit into the scheme. An interior designer also cultivates relationships with trusted artisans, vendors and others who execute the design.
When to hire one: You may have a clear vision for your home, but an interior designer can help you bring it to life while making sure it satisfies nitty-gritty considerations such as space planning. A trained eye and a creative mind-set allow for devising solutions that you might never have imagined, and attention to the tiniest details will transform your space into a haven that looks polished and complete.
What it will cost: Interior designers have various fee structures. They might charge an hourly rate, a flat fee or a percentage of total project costs. You may also be asked to pay a retainer before work begins.
If you’re on a set budget, don’t assume that hiring a designer is beyond reach. Many will be happy to arrange a few hours of consulting or will help you source furnishings and decorative accents.
Where to find one: The directory of interior designers on houzz.com.au is a good starting place, where you can find designers in your area and beyond and view their portfolios.
If you spot a room you love when browsing Houzz photos and ideabooks, take note of the designer’s name. (You’ll see a link to professionals’ profiles in the lower-right corner of their photos.) Some designers will work with clients who are based in other cities, though travel time and expenses can add up.
Friends with fabulous houses are another likely source. You can also visit show houses and home tours to see which spaces strike your fancy.
Be sure the designer is a good match for your style. No two clients are alike, and good interior designers are nimble enough to hop from urban pied-à-terre to rustic farmhouse to beachside getaway without missing a beat. However, almost all of them have a fundamental aesthetic that remains consistent throughout their work. For example, if you want pure whites and pale neutrals, don’t choose a designer whose signature is bold colour palettes. When interviewing designers, look for parallels between their previous work and the design you want.
Collect samples. Even if you have trouble articulating your desired look, pictures of rooms you love can instantly give the designer a sense of what you crave. He or she will ask you about specific points of the design that resonate with you and use those as guidelines. Fabric swatches, paint chips, furniture catalogs and your own Houzz ideabooks are other good sources for showing items you like. On the flip side, pull examples of colours, motifs and furniture styles that turn you off, which can be equally helpful.
Decide in advance which pieces must stay. Not willing to get rid of your Biedermeier sideboard or your majolica collection? The process will go more smoothly if you share that information with your designer during the initial site visit and consultation. That way, he or she can plan around the items that you don’t want to give up.
Involve the designer as early as possible in the building process. If you’re remodelling or building from scratch, include the designer in the planning stages with your architect and contractor. This way, the pros involved will all be on the same page and can iron out any potential discrepancies — particularly those that involve the bones of a home, such as doorways, ceiling beams or interior columns. It’s one thing to reorient a window on paper; it’s another entirely to move it after installation.
Try to have all household members present at the outset. Having everyone’s input from the get-go helps to avoid potential conflicts down the road. If a spouse or loved one objects to a certain colour or reveals that he or she just can’t part with Granny’s antique dining table, it’s easiest to work out those issues right away.
Ask the designer to clarify billing procedures. Find out at the beginning when you’ll be charged and what for. In addition to the design itself, you may be billed for travel time, site visits, shopping, phone conversations and more. This way, you’ll be able to anticipate fairly closely what and when to pay.
Keep an open mind. It’s a rare client who loves 100 percent of a designer’s suggestions right off the bat. Your designer might recommend a piece of furniture or a wallpaper pattern that you’re iffy about, but don’t say no without giving the idea some time to sink in. Chances are that when you ask your designer why he or she chose it, and when you take a little time to live with it, you’ll appreciate the reason it works.
Look toward refreshing down the road. Even the best design doesn’t stay current forever. Ask your designer if tune-up visits in the future are an option, whether they involve simply swapping out a few accessories, reupholstering furniture or choosing new paint colours.
Source: houzz.com
For further assistance in selecting an Interior Designer or Decorator, please call us on 03 9815 0111 and ask for Mr John Sharkey, our manager. At Wills we work with many of Melbourne’s, indeed Australia’s most talented Designers and we would be happy to assist you in your search.
Email us at willsfurniture@bigpond.com or call our telephone number above and leave us a message. Alternatively, leave your details here.
For many years now, Wills Furniture have had the pleasure of working with some of Australia’s best Interior Designers. Developing new bespoke pieces, creating exquisite upholstered furniture that is unique yet addresses their client’s tastes and preferences. The Wills Collection provides the perfect palette for Interior Designers and Decorators with a brilliant range of Sofas, Armchairs, Dining Chairs, Ottomans, Bedheads and Occasional Pieces – Classic or Contemporary.
For further information on our Wills Collection, please visit our website here or again call 03 9815 0111 and schedule a time for a consultation.
[Wills Furniture provide a Covid safe and compliant environment for all clients and visitors.]
Choose Wills Furniture for Design, Luxury and Comfort.
At Wills Furniture all clients have the ability and the freedom to select their fabrics, leathers, colours and accessories with their new upholstered furniture. When choosing premium handcrafted, hand built furniture, you and your designer can select from the fabrics and leathers available through Wills from Australia’s and the world’s leading suppliers.
So let’s discuss fabrics. Interior Designers consider a number of factors when determining the right fabric to suit your selection from our exclusive Wills Collection.
For a designer its often somewhat imperious to select a wafting silk or a pure white linen. However good designers realise their clients must live with the fabric selected and it may be the fabric is determined by the potential use of the furniture, its location and the degree of traffic a room may experience. Often choosing an easy to maintain fabric and be a better long term choice.
Here is a list of fabrics, both Natural and Synthetic reprinted from the Houzz.com.au website. It is a useful guide and at Wills Furniture we consider it reasonably accurate and useful.
Cotton is durable and resistant to wear and fading, but not as resistant to dirt and wrinkling. Cotton can go from casual to formal depending on the weave.
Cotton blends are slightly more durable than cotton due to the mix of additional fibres.
Leather is durable and functional. It wears well and gets better with age.
Linen is resistant to pilling and fading. It provides a crisp and casual look to furniture. However, it wrinkles and shows dirt easily.
Silk is elegant and adds a sophisticated and formal touch to furniture. Due to its delicacy, it’s best for light use and requires professional cleaning.
Wool blends with synthetic fibre for easier maintenance. It’s durable while also being resistant to pilling, fading, wrinkling and soil.
Acetate is developed as imitation silk, and is resistant to pilling and shrinking; however, it doesn’t hold up well for everyday use due to its tendency to wear, wrinkle and fade in the sun.
Acrylic is developed as imitation wool and may pill easily if not of high quality. However, it’s softer than natural wool, and is resistant to wear, wrinkling, dirt and fading.
Microfibre fabric is made from polyester fibres, is similar to suede, and easy to maintain.
Nylon is often blended with other fibres, creating a durable fabric that won’t wrinkle or soil but may fade and pill.
Polyester is usually found in a blend with other fibres, and is resistant to wrinkling and fading.
Rayon, though prone to wrinkling, is durable and affordable.
Vinyl is durable and a more affordable option compared to leather.
A clever designer will select fabric that not only looks superb but also wears well, is easy to maintain yet synchronises well with the style of the furniture and the decor and feel of the room you have selected.
Houzz advises:
Neutral tones and floral prints work well in a traditional space, while bright colours and bold patterns give off a more contemporary vibe. Your lifestyle also dictates your design. Here are four quick questions to ask while browsing upholstery fabric online:
• How long is this upholstery meant to last?
• How often will you clean and iron it?
• Where do you plan to use it – indoors or outdoors?
• Which style furniture pieces is this upholstery meant for?
At Wills Furniture we always advise our designers on fabrics and their properties , recommending the best in looks, appearance, quality and maintenance, ensuring the longevity and durability matches the appearances of the fabrics selected.
The choice is yours. Let it reflect your personality, your home and your vision.
For further information please contact us at Wills Furniture on 03 9815 0111 during business hours. Alternatively please utilise the contact us page on our website for a prompt reply.
The Wills Furniture Showrooms are expected to re-open in mid-September. Stay safe and stay healthy. Always choose Wills Furniture – It’s simply the very best.
With the next stage of Lockdown in place, most of us are confined to our homes. It’s a good time to be productive and start on those projects we’ve neglected for too long. With modern technology, there’s no reason why you can’t consider using an interior designer to assist you in your planned refit and refreshment of your living spaces.
For many years now, Wills Furniture have had the pleasure of working with some of Australia’s best Interior Designers. Developing new bespoke pieces, creating exquisite upholstered furniture that is unique yet addresses their client’s tastes and preferences. The Wills Collection provides the perfect palette for Interior Designers and Decorators with a brilliant range of Sofas, Armchairs, Dining Chairs, Ottomans, Bedheads and Occasional Pieces – Classic or Contemporary.
In determining and selecting your preferred Interior Designer, the choice you make may come through a personal reference. Or it may simply be admiration of the work done by a particular designer. Ultimately it’s a very important consideration – you are selecting a professional to renovate or redecorate your home.
Lisa Frederick, a US contributor to Houzz provided some insights in her article and we hope it can assist you in choosing a Designer who is right for you.
Interior designers do much more than make a home pretty — they turn it into a harmonious haven that’s uniquely yours.
When most people think about hiring an interior designer, they zero in on aesthetics: wall colours, window treatments, pillow patterns. But that’s just scratching the surface of what a designer can add to a home. These pros go beyond cosmetic concerns to ensure that a space feels harmonious through and through, from its floor plan and architectural envelope to the last nailhead, tassel and tuft.
What an interior designer does: A designer envisions, plans and outfits spaces in a way that makes them both beautiful and functional. He or she balances aesthetic considerations with structural planning to reflect the clients’ lifestyle, set the desired mood, complement the home’s architectural features, and ensure that less glamorous details (like electrical outlets and air vents) fit into the scheme. An interior designer also cultivates relationships with trusted artisans, vendors and others who execute the design.
When to hire one: You may have a clear vision for your home, but an interior designer can help you bring it to life while making sure it satisfies nitty-gritty considerations such as space planning. A trained eye and a creative mind-set allow for devising solutions that you might never have imagined, and attention to the tiniest details will transform your space into a haven that looks polished and complete.
What it will cost: Interior designers have various fee structures. They might charge an hourly rate, a flat fee or a percentage of total project costs. You may also be asked to pay a retainer before work begins.
If you’re on a set budget, don’t assume that hiring a designer is beyond reach. Many will be happy to arrange a few hours of consulting or will help you source furnishings and decorative accents.
Where to find one: The directory of interior designers on houzz.com.au is a good starting place, where you can find designers in your area and beyond and view their portfolios.
If you spot a room you love when browsing Houzz photos and ideabooks, take note of the designer’s name. (You’ll see a link to professionals’ profiles in the lower-right corner of their photos.) Some designers will work with clients who are based in other cities, though travel time and expenses can add up.
Friends with fabulous houses are another likely source. You can also visit show houses and home tours to see which spaces strike your fancy.
Be sure the designer is a good match for your style. No two clients are alike, and good interior designers are nimble enough to hop from urban pied-à-terre to rustic farmhouse to beachside getaway without missing a beat. However, almost all of them have a fundamental aesthetic that remains consistent throughout their work. For example, if you want pure whites and pale neutrals, don’t choose a designer whose signature is bold colour palettes. When interviewing designers, look for parallels between their previous work and the design you want.
Collect samples. Even if you have trouble articulating your desired look, pictures of rooms you love can instantly give the designer a sense of what you crave. He or she will ask you about specific points of the design that resonate with you and use those as guidelines. Fabric swatches, paint chips, furniture catalogs and your own Houzz ideabooks are other good sources for showing items you like. On the flip side, pull examples of colours, motifs and furniture styles that turn you off, which can be equally helpful.
Decide in advance which pieces must stay. Not willing to get rid of your Biedermeier sideboard or your majolica collection? The process will go more smoothly if you share that information with your designer during the initial site visit and consultation. That way, he or she can plan around the items that you don’t want to give up.
Involve the designer as early as possible in the building process. If you’re remodelling or building from scratch, include the designer in the planning stages with your architect and contractor. This way, the pros involved will all be on the same page and can iron out any potential discrepancies — particularly those that involve the bones of a home, such as doorways, ceiling beams or interior columns. It’s one thing to reorient a window on paper; it’s another entirely to move it after installation.
Try to have all household members present at the outset. Having everyone’s input from the get-go helps to avoid potential conflicts down the road. If a spouse or loved one objects to a certain colour or reveals that he or she just can’t part with Granny’s antique dining table, it’s easiest to work out those issues right away.
Ask the designer to clarify billing procedures. Find out at the beginning when you’ll be charged and what for. In addition to the design itself, you may be billed for travel time, site visits, shopping, phone conversations and more. This way, you’ll be able to anticipate fairly closely what and when to pay.
Keep an open mind. It’s a rare client who loves 100 percent of a designer’s suggestions right off the bat. Your designer might recommend a piece of furniture or a wallpaper pattern that you’re iffy about, but don’t say no without giving the idea some time to sink in. Chances are that when you ask your designer why he or she chose it, and when you take a little time to live with it, you’ll appreciate the reason it works.
Look toward refreshing down the road. Even the best design doesn’t stay current forever. Ask your designer if tune-up visits in the future are an option, whether they involve simply swapping out a few accessories, reupholstering furniture or choosing new paint colours.
For further assistance in selecting an Interior Designer or Decorator, please call us on 03 9815 0111 and ask for Mr John Sharkey, our manager. At Wills we work with many of Melbourne’s, indeed Australia’s most talented Designers and we would be happy to assist you in your search.
Currently under the Victorian Government Lockdown restrictions, our showrooms, studio and workshop are closed for 6 weeks. Our Sales and Design teams however are available to take your orders. Email us at willsfurniture@bigpond.com or call our telephone number above and leave us a message. Alternatively, leave your details here.
For further information on our Wills Collection, please visit our website here or again call 03 9815 0111 and schedule a time for a consultation.
Choose Wills Furniture for Design, Luxury and Comfort.
There comes a time when fresh ideas are required. The family home has become ‘tired’, the children have moved out and it’s really your opportunity to re-decorate and create a new level of both style and comfort. It’s the perfect time to engage an Interior Designer or Decorator. And the base of good interior Design is fine furniture – classic or contemporary – from the Wills Collection of course.
Really, why not engage an Interior Designer? An Interior Designer is trained to view not just the items of furniture, but the entire living areas, the layout and how it best compliments the architecture and design of your home, yet pays homage to both your taste and your sense of style.
At Wills we work closely with a number of highly skilled and well renowned Interior Designers and Decorators. Experienced Interior Designers and Decorators will select from the Wills Collection the most appropriate upholstered furniture pieces – Sofas, Armchairs, Dining Chairs, Tub Chairs, Occasional Chairs and Ottomans. They will then select from our extensive range of fabrics, leathers and materials from the world’s leading suppliers. If required, your selected Designer will suggest modifications to suit the requirements of your home.
Some of our more popular Sofas used frequently by many well known Interior Designers include the following selections.
The Adelaide Sofa
This classic sofa is a traditional English design, featuring hand polished, turned legs in Beech timber with solid brass castors. It is available in either eight way hand tied hourglass, steel coil springs or contemporary sprung, with steel no-sag springs and fitted back, also sprung with steel coil springs. Superb quality and strength with Australian hardwood timbers in the frame, blocked and doweled for strength and rigidity. Cushion inserts are a luxuriant blend of feather fibre, casing covering a combination of memory foam core, unique to Wills Furniture. The Adelaide Sofa [LINK] can be made to any sizing required and we welcome modifications to suit your seating requirements. It can be a two seater with two legs or a three seater with three legs, also available as a chair. You select the fabric or leather to suit your design needs.
The Charlbury Sofa
This sofa exhibits the largest scroll arms in the Wills Furniture collection. Its strong Australian hardwood timber frame is one of the many quality features in Wills Furniture designs. It has handsome turned legs that come with or without castors. Divine comfort is assured with its coil sprung seats and coil sprung back. The Charlbury Sofa [LINK] can also be made to any sizing you desire and can be adapted as a two seater or three seater, also as a chair. Whichever fabric or leather fits your interior design project can be selected.
The Barrington Sofa
The Barrington [LINK] is comfortable sofa that looks impressive in executive offices or specialist medical rooms. It speaks of quality, featuring higher club arms and a fully upholstered coil-sprung back for solid, comfortable support. The hardwood frame with coil springs ensures a solid yet attractive unit. A three seater measuring 2300mm in width as well as a two seater measuring 2000mm are both available and quite suitable for commercial purposes. Matching armchairs and ottomans are also available.
The Houston Sofa
The Houston [LINK] is an elegant sofa yet it lends itself to utilitarian purposes in business settings, medical rooms or executive offices. It features a coil sprung fitted back with split piped division and large feather wrapped cushions. The cushion materials can be adjusted to suit the expected usage. A large, solid, sleek profile with polished feet in detail and patina polished finish. The sofa is available as a three seater, two and a half or two seater as well as in an armchair.
Take the time to discover the Interior Designer who can best interpret both your wishes and create a stunning design that will compliment your beautiful home with elegance and style.
If you require assistance in selecting a Designer or Decorator, please call us at Wills on 03 9815 0111. We can suggest a wide range of professionals that can and will assist you in your renovations, refurnishing or redesign.
Make a time to inspect the Wills Collection at our showrooms at 6 Guest St Hawthorn. Or simply leave your details here [LINK] and one of our staff will contact you to assist with your enquiries.
As Summer rolls on and we move towards Autumn, the time we start to spend indoors will increase. What with the football, the Grand Prix and the Autumn Racing Carnival, there will be plenty of reasons to relax, sit back and turn on the television. Add to that the harvest season with long family dinners and the coming Easter celebrations – it may well be time to upgrade your current Lounge Suite to something more modern and contemporary – from the Wills Collection.
The Wills Collection provides a unique opportunity for Interior Designers and Decorators to demonstrate real flair and innovation utilising upholstered furniture of the highest quality.
Selected Sofas and Chairs may be teamed with Ottomans, Dining Chairs and Stools.
The Wills Team can adapt furniture listed with modifications as required to ensure project needs are met and fulfilled.
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Sofa Range
Avalon Sofa
Baltimore Sofa
Barrington Sofa
Batmann Sofa
Benidorm Sofa
Burnley Sofa
Cayman Sofa
Clarendon Sofa
Elwood Sofa
Geneva Sofa
Houston Sofa
Iluka Sofa
Laguno Sofa
Lyon Sofa
Monterey Sofa
Saville Sofa
Seattle Sofa
Stratford Sofa
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Armchair Range
Barrington Chair
Avoca Chair
Chicago Chair
Florida Chair
Kerferd Chair
Madrid Chair
Tecoma Chair
Rialto Chair
Siena Chair
You’re welcome to visit our showroom at 6 Guest St Hawthorn and view the Wills Furniture Collection in person. Call 03 9815 0111 now and make an appointment with our friendly staff or leave your contact details on our website here and we will contact you promptly to make a time suitable and convenient for you.
At Wills, we work closely with a range of Interior Designers and Interior Decorators. If you require assistance in finding such a suitable professional for selecting and dressing furniture items for your home we are pleased to provide referrals for your consideration.
Victorians are looking forward to their annual Summer Holidays this year with much greater enthusiasm after nearly 8 months of lockdown during 2020. Now is the time to get ready and ensure your holiday home or beach retreat is spruced up and repairs and replacements are taken care of prior to the Christmas/New Year break.
For some it could be simple repairs and maintenance. Perhaps it’s time to re-cover and refurbish the older classic sofa and armchairs, the dining chairs or the occasional chairs. The Wills team will repair and restore your treasured furniture and return it to you in peak condition – refreshed and renewed with on-trend or classic fabrics and leathers as you desire.
Or it may simply be time to replace the older with something more comfortable, stylish, something that will delight you, your family and guests. It’s the perfect introduction for the Wills Collection, stunning upholstered furniture in both Contemporary and Classic designs.
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Sofa Range offers a superb selection for the discerning client and is the preferred choice for many Interior Designers and Interior Decorators for both primary and holiday residences.
The Wills Collection provides a unique opportunity for Interior Designers and Decorators to demonstrate real flair and innovation utilising upholstered furniture of the highest quality.
Selected Sofas and Chairs may be teamed with Ottomans, Dining Chairs and Stools.
The Wills Team can adapt furniture listed with modifications as required to ensure project needs are met and fulfilled.
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Sofa Range
The Wills Furniture Contemporary Armchair Range
Please visit our showroom at 6 Guest St Hawthorn and view the Wills Furniture Collection in person. Call 03 9815 0111 now and make an appointment with our friendly and experienced staff or leave your contact details on our website here and we will contact you promptly to make a time suitable and convenient for you.
At Wills, we work closely with a range of Interior Designers and Interior Decorators. If you require assistance in finding such a suitable professional for selecting and dressing furniture items for your home we are pleased to provide referrals for your consideration.
Wills Furniture provide a full range of services including restoration and reupholstering of traditional and classical furniture.
Each year in Great Britain there are a number of exhibitions, expo’s and shows featuring the very best in innovation, traditional and contemporary upholstered furniture, lighting, flooring and other aspects of Interior Design.
Two of the more interesting shows scheduled annually are the Long Eaton’s Guild of Furniture Manufacturers Spring and Autumn Shows, named ‘Spring Long Point’ and ‘Autumn Long Point’. These shows present the works of a cluster of furniture manufacturers in the East Midlands of the UK. Click here to visit the website
The guild is designed and operated to present the works of local manufacturers, sharing their knowledge, experiences and the heritage behind their endeavours. The furniture speaks for itself in its craftsmanship and excellence. Both shows also feature ‘online’ virtual shows where the manufacturer’s websites are profiled in succession during the show.
The furniture profiled is traditional or traditional with contemporary interpretations. Here in Australia, Wills Furniture continues this fine tradition in producing hand crafted, artisan finished furniture utilising a broad range of fabrics and leathers from recognised suppliers such as Boyac, Dempsey Group (Domestic Textiles), Warwick and Tigger Hall Design.
We applaud the Guild and its traditions and here we endeavour to maintain the same industry standards with every piece we manufacture. The Wills Furniture Collection is the result of 80 years interaction with Craftsmen, Artisans, Interior Designers and Decorators.
Each Wills Collection item is immaculately finished, providing comfort, luxury and eye catching style and beauty.
When choosing to refurnish, to redesign or redecorate, please view the Wills Furniture Collection for inspiration and real choice. At Wills, our upholsterers and artisans are familiar with the requirements of Interior Designers, Decorators and Architects. All Wills Collection pieces can be modified to suit individual needs and requirements. You can click here to review our extensive range and make your selection.
Or alternatively call us on 9815 0111 and book an appointment to visit us at our Showroom and Factory at 6 Guest St Hawthorn. If it’s more convenient just leave your contact details on our website contact page here. Remember, with Wills your comfort is our responsibility.
Natalie Sharkey took over the family Newham Interiors business in 1987, the third generation in her family to fill the role. She completed her Interior Design qualifications at RMIT and with her broad skillset and creative flair has been adding a personal touch to the business ever since. Here are Natalie’s tips on making your home look good to a valuer.
1. Refresh with paint
Painting the interior can lift the mood of your house and it’s inexpensive if you’re willing to do the work. If your budget allows, tackle walls yourself and get professionals in to do the ceilings, as these can be hard going on the neck.
You might be able to get away with giving skirting boards, doors and window and door frames a good clean with sugar soap or a natural alternative such as washing soda.
2. Revamp the entrance
First impressions count, particularly if you’re about to put your house on the market. By painting the front door in a strong colour, such as red or blue, updating doorway furniture and the entrance mat, you’re sending a message that your home is up-to-date and well maintained before anyone even crosses the threshold. Give the area around the entrance the once-over by cleaning the path, removing cobwebs and trimming plants. Check the letterbox isn’t shabby and fix any loose pavers or fence palings.
3. Update flooring
Getting carpets cleaned can make a huge amount of difference to the look (and smell) of a home, so calling in the professionals is well worth considering. However, no amount of cleaning is going to lift a floor covering beyond its use-by date, so it may be time to replace what you’ve got.
If floorboards are showing a little too much wear and tear, have them re-sanded, which opens up myriad options as you could have them lime washed, stained, painted or simply resealed.
4. Quick kitchen fixes
New cupboard doors and handles update a kitchen in a budget-friendly way. “For a pre-made cupboard door off the shelf, the cheapest option is a laminated door for around $15,” says Amanda Falconer, author of The Renovator‘s Survival Guide (Penguin).
“The typical cupboard door is about 600 by 720 millimetres and you should be able to get a two pack polyurethane finish for around $50 a door.”
Another option is to replace the bench top, but consider what will work with your floor, says Judy Dymond, a colour consultant for The Laminex Group. “As your floor is probably the largest area of singular finish, ensure you take the colour and pattern into consideration.”
5. Makeover the bathroom
“You can get a quick lift by replacing the toilet, sink and tapware,” says Amanda Falconer. “A new toilet gives the impression of cleanliness and a new sink and taps can also help turn an ordinary or tired bathroom into something more modern. There are sinks of almost any shape and colour available, but more organic shapes are the current trend.”
If you want to go purely down the DIY route, think about painting the existing tiles. White Knight makes high-gloss tile paint as well as a nifty little Grout Pen, for painting over discoloured grout. Plasti-kote produces spray-on tile paint that provides two square metres of coverage per can in either white, cream or black.
6. Change the light switches
Often, it’s the details that count and standard white light switches tend to look yellow over time. Getting an electrician to replace them isn’t a costly exercise and you can often pick up everything you need at a big hardware store, so the major cost will be labour.
7. Rethink window treatments
Sometimes, you don’t realise how grubby a window is until it’s obvious. In the meantime, the dirt is building up and affecting the quality of light. Get the glass sparkling, check latches are working correctly and contact a glazier if any panes are cracked or need replacing. “Putting up a new blind or curtain can be a great start to adding or changing the style of a room,” says Shaynna Blaze, interior designer on The Lifestyle Channel’s ‘Selling Houses Australia.’
8. Replace splashback
Sometimes making one major change in the kitchen is enough to lift the whole room, so if you don’t want to mess with the cabinetry, cast an objective eye over the splashback as it’s a way to inject some personality into the room without going over the top.
9. Fit new taps
If the bathroom and kitchen are basically in good shape but just in need of a little updating, look at the taps. By fitting new, good-looking, matching taps, or taps that link aesthetically, you’re bringing a sense of cohesion to the house. Good taps also suggest good plumbing.
10. Groom the garden
Winter is the perfect time to pull on the garden gloves and get stuck into the back yard. After a general tidy up, look at any gaps in planting that need to be dealt with. If you’re putting the house up for sale, gather reasonably established potted plants to fill up these holes as you can take them with you when you go. Get hold of a high-pressure hose and give paths and paintwork the once-over.
11. Furniture
Does your current furniture really do justice to your home? Does it need to be professionally cleaned and prepped? It should fill the room and be proportional to the room size. Are your home’s rooms furnished serviceably to suit the market you’re aiming for? (e.g. Family, empty nester, investor…) Does it allow enough space? Does it give purpose? Think about it carefully. It may well be advisable to visit a furniture hire business, put your current furniture in storage and utilise some contemporary or traditional furniture to achieve the effect more appealing to your targeted market.
Natalie Sharkey took over the family Newham Interiors business in 1987, the third generation in her family to fill the role. She completed her Interior Design qualifications at RMIT and with her broad skillset and creative flair has been adding a personal touch to the business ever since. Here are Natalie’s tips on making your home look good to a valuer.
Wills Bisgrove 