Businesses of Banyule presents Leeder Interiors
Colour, light and proportion the key to stylish interiors
Alison Leeder has been styling interiors, in one way or another, for over a decade. With a background in property styling and hotel interior design for a global design firm, the Banyule local now runs her own residential styling, design and decoration business (Leeder Interiors), revamping interior spaces for clients in and around Banyule.
“I’ve been running Leeder interiors for about two and a half years now,” she says.
“I just love being creative on my own terms, which is why I opened my own business.”
Alison’s typical client often shares a similar conundrum:
“They may have been living with the same furniture for 15-20 years, or they’ve inherited something unique, and need advice on mixing old and new…”
Alison is passionate about mixing styles such as an antique chair with a more modern sofa, for example.
“A mix of old and new gives a bit of a story to a home, as opposed to sourcing everything from the same furniture floor,” she says.
While Alison works with private clients looking to restyle their interiors, she also does a lot of work with real estate agencies in the area, either furnishing the empty property or partially-styling the property if the owners are still occupying it when trying to sell.
“What most people don’t know is that personal effects can have a negative effect when you’re selling the home,” she says.
“Buyers can be distracted by really over-the-top furniture, or anything too personal. You want them to focus on the house and feel good in the space, not think about your life there. Little tweaks can make a world of difference – and particularly to the photos which will be used to see the space on the internet.”
So what little tweaks does she recommend for people looking to refresh their living space – either to sell it, or just to feel cosier at home?
“I’m a big believer in paint being the cheapest way to invigorate a house. I think we often forget that there’s a whole world of colour, your walls don’t need to be white. The difference painting the walls can make is massive. That’s one of my biggest passions, is to make people a bit more daring and bring a bit of colour into their lives.”
Another of her favourite little tweaks in the winter months, particularly, is to add lamps and to soften the lighting.
“There’s nothing worse than sitting in a room watching TV with bright blaring lights over the top of you…You could add a couple of lamps, and I also recommend adding dimmers to your light switches. It makes the room more intimate and cosy.”
Alison, who grew up in Eltham North and has lived in Heidelberg and Macleod for most of her life, says she “couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“I love the trees and the greenery in this area.”
Home designs in the Banyule area also inspire her creatively, another reason she working in the area.
“You get a real mix of homes in Banyule, from new builds to beautiful heritage style homes in Heidelberg to the 1970s timber, brick and stone homes in Eltham…I’ve always got different things to factor in with my styling work. I just love it.”