Loop Living, on behalf of Manningham City Council, facilitates group gardening sessions at Doncaster Hill Community Garden. This garden operates on an inclusive cooperative model, focusing on growing food for Doncare, a charity aiding those facing hardship. Sessions, held fortnightly, offer volunteers the opportunity to gather crops, care for the garden, forge new friendships, and enhance their gardening skills and knowledge. Lasting two hours, these gatherings frequently feature mini-workshops where participants can experiment with innovative gardening techniques or share their own ideas, including building potato towers, starting a kitchen scrap garden, trying straw bale gardening, exploring companion planting, showcasing gardening tools, and learning about herb pruning. In addition to these activities, Loop Living oversees the garden's Facebook page and compiles a monthly newsletter, which is sent to over 150 local residents interested in the garden's initiatives.

Walls and windows were causing frustration for this homeowner. Despite possessing an array of exquisite, captivating artworks and cherished family heirlooms, the client struggled to know what should go where. Following a home walkthrough and rifle through the collection of art treasures, Loop Living embarked on a mission to procure blinds material for the family dining area. The task presented a challenge: finding a fabric that would infuse the space with vibrant, fresh autumnal hues. Fortunately, the selection process proved effortless, as the client immediately fell in love with the chosen fabric.

With the fabric secured, Loop Living then created a art arrangement plan, assigning specific pieces to designated spaces. The first decision was to hang the Japanese Koi Carp artwork next to the newly decorated window, as its bold wave patterns made the pieces effortlessly work. The art plan included a captivating eclectic hallway gallery, blending family photographs with intriguing curiosities that narrated their tales. Equipped with the plan, the client confidently undertook a DIY installation, assured of what should go where.

Growing your own

With their garden expanding to grow vegetables, Loop Living was asked to help with redesigning the kitchen and laundry areas to deal with the need to clean, process, pickle, jam and store home grown produce. With a very relaxed vibe, the family where completely open to adjusting the way they ‘do things’ to rearrange space to undertake these new tasks.

With the laundry off the kitchen, this practical space was reconfigured. No major works were undertaken, an extra slimline, practially invisable cupboard was installed to provide space for lots of jars and tubs without compromising the already small space. Light, white and snug, the new cupboard even has a towel rail on the underside to dry herbs!!!

In addition, a small area by the back door was put together to house all things gardening, such as gardening books, tools, seeds, gloves and gum boots.

All materials used were reclaimed or upcycled from previous projects or sourced from Gumtree and Ebay to work with the clients priority of upcycling and reusing and buying nothing new. The result might be light on the environment, but heavy on functionality. Neat. Organised. Simple.

Busy Hands, Happy Minds

From microgreens to seed bombs; making bee hotels to propagating plants, Teresa runs garden focussed workshops in community gardens, aged care facilities, neighbourhood houses, disability support providers and even businesses and corporations. Theres nothing like busy hands to create great conversations about gardening and life in general. One off sessions and workshops series, Teresa arrives with all the equipment and materials needed to offer a real calm, engaging hands on experience for all those attending.

Previous projects include Ascot Vale Church of Christ; Community Pathways, Parks Victoria, Keeping Victoria Beautiful, Butler Street Community Garden,

It’s what you do with it

Every once in a while, you get a client who breaks the mould and wants to do something different. Living in a heritage property that has been renovated and decorated to be classic but minimal, the final project left to do was to incorporate a shower in the laundry for guests.

Using the existing cabinetry and floor substrate, as well as needing to keep the existing toilet in the same position were the only design parameters put down. Loop Living was left to come up with something that ‘would make their guests smile’ and highly encouraged to be bold and have fun. So we did. We designed the new space to include a bold but classic moody green wall (on opposite side) and matched it with a tartan tile pattern detail. This created a visual balance but also a sense of depth and detail in the space. With no tartan tiles to be had, we decided to make our own from three simple tiles, one grey, one white, one black. I’m sure the tiler loved the job!

Using simple products differently can create very unique and timeless looks. Like they say, it’s not what you have, it’s what you do with it.