Jess Rae King: 80s Apartment Renovation

Today, we are chatting with Jess Rae King, a model and content creator who recently completed her gorgeous 80s apartment renovation. Follow along with us as we discuss the ins and outs of renovating, Jess’s tips and tricks for a smooth-sailing renovation, and, of course, some behind-the-scenes moments when things didn’t go exactly as planned.

Jess purchased her apartment three years ago and always knew she wanted to renovate the space. “My apartment is a small 80s era build and was in desperate need of a freshen up!  I wanted to open it up to allow for more light and a better use of space. This is my first home and I want it to look its best to eventually rent it out.”

Jess is a solo home-owner which means for better or for worse (she admits it was a little daunting) all of the decisions were on her at the end of the day. We for one, think that turned out just fine with an amazing end result.

Apartment Renovation Planning

Every home renovator has a different process for how they go about making plans and drawing inspiration. We love hearing about everyone's different renovation journeys so of course we asked Jess to shine a light on what planning her unit renovation looked like. “I did a bit of research and sought some quotes. I found this part really difficult as there doesn’t seem to be a lot of assistance out there for first homeowners wanting to hire builders for apartment renovations in particular. I asked around ALOT. Got lots of second opinions, informed my body corporate, made a few Pinterest boards, and spent hours on the TileCloud website..!”

Leaving Her Apartment Renovation to The Experts

Jess chose to move out of her apartment during the renovation period and bunk in with her parents. “It was a total mess for at least four months, so I was very lucky.” Apart from a few Bunnings trips and paint selections, she mostly stayed out of the way, letting the professionals do what they do best. The renovation took about 6 weeks longer than expected, totalling 4 months to complete.

Overcoming Renovation Challenges

Is it really a renovation project without some challenges? Despite Jess’s relatively small apartment renovation project, it didn’t come without challenges. We asked Jess if anything went wrong and how she adapted. 

“My property is on the second floor without a lift, which was quite difficult during the demolition stage. My builders organised a rubbish shoot which solved the problem of lugging everything up and down the stairs but still proved to be quite messy and noisy. 

Dealing with body corporate and neighbours in close proximity to mess and noise was a challenge. I just tried to keep communication lines as open as possible to update anyone involved on every aspect of the build. I found this part the most stressful, I was always very concerned about potentially inconveniencing anyone else in my building. Most people were very understanding!”

A Transformational Apartment Kitchen Renovation

Jess chose to renovate her bathroom and kitchen, redo the flooring, and completely tear down a wall between the kitchen and lounge to open up the space. We can’t get enough of the kitchen glow-up. Despite keeping the “bones” of the kitchen, the new cupboard doors and benchtop have made all the difference to the space. 

While we are tempted to toot our own horn on the tile front, we will leave it to Jess. Jess took to Instagram to share her experience with TileCloud saying “Tiles from @tilecloud and I think they are PERFECT”.

The TileCloud Touch

In addition to the beautiful tile display in the kitchen, TileCloud has also made its way into the bathroom. Jess’s apartment bathroom renovation has a hotel-like clean aesthetic, complete with minimalist tiles from TileCloud. 

Jess raves about the convenience of the TileCloud online experience: “I am in Melbourne, so we did everything online. I ordered some samples, which came super quickly, and I organised a session with Courtney over Zoom. She was SO helpful. Her knowledge is unmatched, and her ability to imagine a space before it’s even started is incredible.” 

“The website is easy to use and I loved that you could shop by style. There was so much inspo on the website to past projects which made it so easy and also exciting to visualise my space. Their social media contains SO much inspiration and I found myself scrolling for hours stalking past projects! 

We asked Jess if she had any final advice for other people planning a small apartment renovation. “Get lots of advice but remember everyone will have an opinion/ think they know better. At the end of the day, it’s your space to do what you love with it!” 

We couldn’t agree more and we can’t wait to watch Jess’s journey as she continues to make her space her own. 

Jess opted for our Seaforth Travertine Look Beige Matte Pattern Tile, Newport Matte Square & Subway Pattern Tile and the Newport Matte Subway White Tile in her space. Check out our products to replicate the look in your home. Don’t forget to match your tiles with our gorgeous Brushed Brass Tapware for a modern and clean finish.