byhayleyjohnston

Directions Website

byhayleyjohnston Hi, I’m Hayley - Interior Designer & Founder.

I work with busy professionals undertaking full-home renovations who want a clear, considered outcome, without managing the process themselves.

18/10/2026

Come for a little walkthrough of our Victorian terrace before the renovation begins!

Starting with the front living room and where our new staircase will go!

I’ve overlaid a few of our design renders so you can get a better idea of how we’re planning to transform the space, because I know it’s not always easy to visualise from an empty room 😂

So excited to finally bring these plans to life. What do you think?

03/10/2026

We’re about to start renovating our 150 year old Victorian terrace in Sydney and apparently demolition has already started.

We went to the house to do our tree protection and somehow I ended up ripping up the entire laundry floor instead.

30/09/2026

Making the mundane a little nicer 🤍

After a year avoiding our backyard because it’s a pile of dirt, I’ve genuinely missed something as simple as hanging the washing outside on a sunny day.

I’m never going to be someone who loves doing laundry, but I am a big believer that the things we use every day can be both practical and beautiful and sometimes that’s enough to make the boring jobs feel a little bit nicer.

These burgundy laundry baskets from By DESIGNSTUFF have already found their place in our temporary home, and I’m very happy to have something this good looking holding the never-ending pile of washing.

THE BHJ EDIT 01Vases I’d buy right nowFive vases that are just as good without flowers 🌷 One of these has finally made i...
25/09/2026

THE BHJ EDIT 01
Vases I’d buy right now

Five vases that are just as good without flowers 🌷

One of these has finally made it way into my home last week!

The full edit including a little more on the designers and stories behind each piece is now on the Journal at Byhayleyjohnston.com

Which one are you choosing?

Soft, colourful and slightly strange… somewhere between a vase, sculpture and design object

Corsi Design Factory

Part jewellery, part sculpture, technically a vase. This one is 7kg, she’s not going anywhere.

PANCONESI

A simple and classic form that lets the marble do all the work

Black Blaze Home

One of my favourites from the edit. I love how bold and architectural the vase feels. The solid geometric aluminium form is almost the opposite of what you traditionally expect from a vase and I love the contrast of something so structured holding something as delicate and organic as flowers.

HATTIE

Hand blown Muranese glass that looks like it might have been pulled straight from the ocean

Dana Yolanda Arbib

21/09/2026

4 weeks until we start pulling this place apart 🥲

After a year of living here, designing, documenting, working through approvals and wondering when we’d actually get to start… we’ve officially moved out and the countdown is on.

Tapware and timber flooring are ordered, I’m finishing off our construction documentation and we’re locking in windows, doors, tiles and stone.

First up will be removing the fireplace and getting stuck into the attic! New dormer windows, roof works, levelling floors and all the very unglamorous things that eventually make the pretty things possible.

It feels slightly surreal that after talking about this renovation for so long, we’re finally only weeks away from actually doing it.
Let’s see how this goes 🫠

14/09/2026

And so it begins!!

A year ago we bought our very rundown Victorian terrace in Sydney. We’ve spent the last year living in it, figuring out how we actually want the house to work, designing, documenting and very patiently working through approvals.

And now we’re finally about to start the proper renovation.

I’ll be sharing it all as we go. The design decisions, materials, costs, construction, things that inevitably go wrong and, hopefully, eventually… a finished house.

5 weeks until we start on site. Here we go 🙌🏼

Darlington Terrace - Living RoomThe design for one of the first spaces you’ll experience when you enter our home.We’re r...
11/08/2026

Darlington Terrace - Living Room

The design for one of the first spaces you’ll experience when you enter our home.

We’re removing the existing fireplace, opening up the room and introducing a new staircase, then layering back in the detail through high gloss walls and joinery, wall mouldings, decorative cornices, natural stone, warm timber and aged metal.

I wanted this room to feel sophisticated and collected, with a mix of vintage references and more contemporary pieces. Not overly perfect or matched, but considered.

Swipe through for the concept, finishes, samples and where we’re starting from.

So, what can you actually make a benchtop out of?Natural stone is only one of the options.From stainless steel and timbe...
11/08/2026

So, what can you actually make a benchtop out of?

Natural stone is only one of the options.

From stainless steel and timber to terrazzo, porcelain, tile, concrete, solid surface and laminate. The material you choose can completely change the way a kitchen looks, feels and performs.

There’s no one “best” benchtop material. It comes down to the look you’re trying to achieve, how you use your kitchen, maintenance, fabrication and budget.

Save this one for your kitchen reno.

Hashtags:

10/08/2026

There are SO many more benchtop options than just stone.

Before we get into thicknesses, profiles and all the fun details, I’m starting with the basics, the different materials you can actually use for a kitchen benchtop.

Because the material you choose influences pretty much every decision that comes after it.

What are you choosing for your kitchen?

What our DA actually cost usOne of those renovation costs that can be easy to underestimate, so I’m sharing exactly what...
09/08/2026

What our DA actually cost us

One of those renovation costs that can be easy to underestimate, so I’m sharing exactly what we spent getting our DA approved.

Worth noting, I did the drawings and shadow diagrams myself, so we didn’t have to pay for those. Perks of being an interior designer!

DA approved ✅

Now onto the Construction Certificate… and plenty more spending, I’m sure

Address

Rosebery, NSW
2018

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when byhayleyjohnston posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category