Fashioning room

Converting the existing garage made the most sense when stylist Gayle Rinkoff’s family started to expand. The space now offers her the perfect office to work from, meaning she has no commute nor extra rental charges.

‘After being just me and my twin daughters, my family situation changed to include my husband, Karsten, plus another child on the way,’ says Gayle.

‘It became apparent that our then home wasn’t going to accommodate the five of us. Karsten took it upon himself to start a house search and found one, which he told me I would hate, but to look beyond the décor and visualise the space and its potential.

‘I love pattern and colour – and the house, to me, felt very sterile. Aside from this, we needed an extra bedroom so that the girls could have their own spaces. Being a fashion stylist, I also needed an office with a large area for things like clothing rails and storage – all of these issues needed to be addressed. ‘We initially went up into the loft to create two extra bedrooms and an en suite bathroom for my teenage twins, Marni and Sienna. When it came to meeting my needs, because we also had a large garage, we decided to convert it into a multifunctional office that I could use as a styling space and utility room.

‘The garage was a very unusual shape, with angled walls and different levelled flooring. Our interior designer, Emma Gurner of Folds Inside, had the vision to transform this space to create different functions within the one open-plan area. She also injected gorgeous colours and patterns to give the room character.

‘It’s changed the way we live in a huge way – we now all have our own space, which has brought about harmony in the home. It’s a very happy home that works for us and our busy lifestyles.’