Experienced renovator Kendall Macdowell's projects are not just about improving how her home looks, but about shaping how it feels to live in every day.
Kendall’s top tip for renovators is to live in a home for at least a year before picking up the tools. "Work out how you use different rooms, how the sun moves seasonally, and figure out which views to embrace and which to block," she says.
Then "ask yourself how you want to feel when you’re in a space". "You’ll be spending time in and looking at it every day, so… change it up!”
Known in the Bunnings Workshop community as @kendallmac, Kendall lives in Queensland's stunning Noosa hinterlands with partner Adam. Kendall reckons she’s the "practical one who picks furnishings that look good but also work for the family," while Adam is the "visionary" who sketches designs based on Kendall's ideas.
One of their most popular projects on Workshop is their Mediterranean-inspired laundry makeover, which was the winner of best bathroom or laundry makeover in our 2023 search for Australia's best D.I.Y. projects. The transformation brought beauty, calm and practicality to one of the hardest-working rooms in the house.
The laundry was the last room they renovated, helping tie the whole house together after earlier updates had already shifted the home away from its original 1990s colonial look.
Rather than treat it as a purely practical space, Kendall approached the laundry with the same care as a kitchen or living area, saying she likes the rooms she spends time in to feel joyful. That mindset helped shape a room that is both hard-working and full of character.
A big part of the room’s appeal is the way style and planning come together. Reclaimed European roof tiles laid in a herringbone pattern, Kaboodle cabinetry, VJ and shiplap panelling, and an Oak benchtop all help create the Mediterranean farmhouse look, while careful attention to sightlines and natural light makes the room feel connected to the rest of the home.
Kendall took on much of the physical work herself while Adam recovered from bilateral hip replacement surgery, a reminder that polished results often come from persistence as much as planning. Kendall says renovation videos can make projects “look easy”, but the reality in between demolition and the final reveal is “hard yakka!”
Kendall's Workshop profile shows the same eye for warm, character-filled design across other projects too, including an upcycled farmhouse cabinet, tween study makeover, antique farmhouse sideboard upcycle and a Mediterranean farmhouse-style barbecue trolley.
Read more on the Bunnings website: A laundry to love: style meets practicality in this Mediterranean-inspired makeover.
