Earthborne By Design - Interior Design & Decoration Services

Earthborne By Design - Interior Design & Decoration Services Award Winning Interior Design-Decorate-Style. HIA Greensmart Professional. Member: HIA, IDA, KBDi Award Winning Interior Design - Decorate - Style.

Specialising in residential renovation projects.

☆ Kitchen, laundry and bathroom design.

☆ Spatial design and Planning.

☆ Pre-purchase Design Consultation.

☆ Colour Consultation.

☆ New Build and Renovation Selections & Specifications. Member: HIA, IDA, KBDi. Brisbane/Gold Coast.

Heading into spring - the season most renovation planning quietly begins.We're joining the Tradies Network at the Brisba...
28/08/2026

Heading into spring - the season most renovation planning quietly begins.

We're joining the Tradies Network at the Brisbane Home Show - three days of talking renovations, kitchens, bathrooms and styling with people who are right at the start of the process, or already underway and needing a hand.

If you've been circling a new build or a renovation project for a while, or you're in the middle of one and it's not going how you hoped, this is the easiest possible way to start.

Just come and have the conversation.

📅 Fri 11 – Sun 13 September, 9am–5pm daily

📍 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

🎟️ Free entry if you register online in advance (link in bio)

Find us on Stand K19, alongside the Tradies Network on K21.

Come say hello.

I’m Paul Coulson, Interior Designer and Founder of Earthborne By Design.Eleven years into this particular chapter and I ...
28/08/2026

I’m Paul Coulson, Interior Designer and Founder of Earthborne By Design.

Eleven years into this particular chapter and I still believe much the same thing I did when I started: good interior design shouldn’t be mysterious, intimidating or about imposing a designer’s taste on someone else’s home.

It should make life feel and work better.

I’m the designer who will probably question why the room is where it is, move a doorway, relocate a laundry, obsess over where the vacuum cleaner lives and ask far too many questions before we talk about how anything looks.

Because before we design how it looks, we need to resolve how it works.

I love natural materials, things with texture and character, and homes that are actually lived in. If something is so precious that you’re frightened to touch it, I’m probably going to question whether it belongs there.

I’m still uncomfortable in front of a camera. Still not doing TikTok dances. Have a snake and dentist phobia. Still incapable of preventing my facial expressions from revealing what I’m thinking approximately three seconds before I say it.

Some things apparently don’t improve with maturity.

Outside the studio, I’m also studying towards a Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy, which has reinforced something design has taught me for years: listening properly is often more important than having the answer immediately.

So this is me now.

A little older. Hopefully a little wiser. Still curious. Still questioning things. Still moving walls...and am team chop (Kelly Hoppen is scowling at me right now and I ain't caring).

And apparently wearing black knitwear for professional photographs makes me look more distinguished.

Progress. 😂

THE 3RD F OF DESIGNPerhaps the most underestimated one.We all know the first two.Form. Function.Two words designers like...
27/08/2026

THE 3RD F OF DESIGN
Perhaps the most underestimated one.

We all know the first two.

Form. Function.

Two words designers like to throw around with great authority, as though everyone immediately knows what we're talking about.

In slightly more human terms:

Does it look good?
Does it work?

But there is a third F in design that doesn't get nearly enough attention.

Feeling.

And yes, this is where I risk wandering slightly into the woo woo.

Don't worry. I'm not suggesting we light seventeen candles, burn some incense and wait for the room to reveal its energy to us.

Although... never say never.

Because sometimes you walk into a room and it just feels right.

The light is softer.
The proportions feel comfortable.
The materials make you want to touch them.
The acoustics are quieter.
There is somewhere instinctively inviting to sit...oh and a sunset sky over the ocean helps if you have one...

You exhale.

That isn't accidental.

We don't experience our homes through our eyes alone.

We see light and colour. We feel texture and temperature. We hear how sound behaves within a room. Scent can evoke memory before we've consciously registered it.

Our senses are constantly reading a space.

And that's why a beautifully designed room can still feel cold. A perfectly functional kitchen can still feel uncomfortable. A home can photograph spectacularly and somehow not feel particularly good to live in.

Feeling doesn't appear neatly on a floor plan.

You can't dimension it.

And I haven't yet found the button in the design software labelled "make this room feel wonderful."

But we can design for it.

Through light. Scale. Texture. Materiality. Sound. Connection. Restraint. And an understanding of the people who will actually inhabit the space.

Maybe that's the slightly woo woo part of what we do.

Or perhaps it's simply recognising that we don't just see the spaces we inhabit.

We experience them.

Form matters.
Function matters.
And never underestimate Feeling.

CAN IT MAKE IT THREE?Some lovely news to wake up to.The Manor House Primary Ensuite has been named a finalist in the 202...
26/08/2026

CAN IT MAKE IT THREE?

Some lovely news to wake up to.

The Manor House Primary Ensuite has been named a finalist in the 2026 HIA Gold Coast & Northern Rivers Bathroom Design of the Year.

This beautiful space has already received two wonderful acknowledgements at the recent KBDi Awards, and to now have it recognised by HIA feels particularly special.

Awards are never why we design a space.

The real measure will always be how well it works for the people who live with it every day. But when a project is independently recognised by our industry for the thinking, functionality and design behind it, it is certainly something worth celebrating.

And, as always, a project like this is never the work of one person.

My sincere thanks to our wonderful clients for trusting the process, and to the trades, makers and suppliers whose skill, craftsmanship and care helped bring the design to life. This recognition belongs to all of us.

So, can The Manor House make it three?

We'll find out on 18 September.

For now, I'm very happy simply to see this beautiful room recognised once again.

25/08/2026

APARTMENT RENOVATIONS REQUIRE A DIFFERENT KIND OF THINKING.

There is rarely the luxury of simply adding more space.

Instead, we look carefully at the space that already exists and ask how it can work harder, feel better and respond more closely to the way our clients actually live.

That starts with spatial planning.

We consider circulation, storage, sightlines, natural light and how rooms connect. We look for opportunities to reconfigure underused areas, improve kitchens and bathrooms, integrate joinery and create storage without unnecessarily consuming valuable floor area.

Then we consider the layers that make the apartment feel like a home. Materials, lighting, furniture, window treatments, art and styling are resolved as part of the whole rather than as a series of separate decisions.

Apartment renovations also come with their own practical constraints. Existing services, structural limitations, body corporate requirements, access and construction logistics all influence what is possible.

Our role is to work within those parameters without allowing them to dictate the outcome.

Because good apartment design isn't necessarily about having more space.

It's about making considerably more of the space you already have.

WHEN BUDGETS TIGHTEN, GOOD DECISIONS MATTER MORE.When you're planning a renovation, it's completely understandable to lo...
25/08/2026

WHEN BUDGETS TIGHTEN, GOOD DECISIONS MATTER MORE.

When you're planning a renovation, it's completely understandable to look at the budget and ask:

Where can we save?

And professional design can sometimes look like one of the easier costs to remove.

But before you spend money building anything, there are hundreds of decisions to make.

Does the existing floor plan work as hard as it could?

Are you investing in the areas that will make the greatest difference?

Does something actually need to move, be replaced or even be built?

Have the kitchen, bathrooms, joinery, lighting, electrical, storage and materials been considered as parts of one home rather than individual decisions?

This is where good design earns its place.

Not by promising to save you money.

And not by simply adding beautiful things.

A designer's role is to question, resolve, prioritise and help you make informed decisions before significant money is committed to construction.

Sometimes that means identifying where you don't need to spend.

Sometimes it means recognising where spending more will create a substantially better outcome.

And sometimes it's simply finding a better solution.

Because the goal isn't necessarily to spend less.

It's to spend well.

When budgets are tighter, that thinking doesn't become less valuable.

Arguably, it becomes more important.

Thinking about renovating next year?It might feel early to start now. In reality, now is exactly when the work should be...
24/08/2026

Thinking about renovating next year?

It might feel early to start now. In reality, now is exactly when the work should begin.

A successful renovation starts long before a trade walks through the door.

There are conversations to have.

Ideas to explore.

Spaces to resolve.

Design decisions to make.

Drawings and documentation to prepare.

Pricing to establish.

Approvals to navigate.

And products, materials and finishes to order.

That work isn't delaying the renovation. It is what makes the renovation possible.

Good planning gives builders something accurate to price. It identifies problems before they become expensive ones. It allows time for considered decisions rather than rushed compromises. And it creates a far smoother path once construction begins.

So if renovating is somewhere in your plans for 2027, don't wait until you're ready to pick up the sledgehammer.

Start with a conversation.

Let's talk.

WHAT IF THE LAUNDRY WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE?Sometimes creating a more functional home isn’t about making a room bigger.It...
22/08/2026

WHAT IF THE LAUNDRY WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE?

Sometimes creating a more functional home isn’t about making a room bigger.

It’s about questioning whether that room is in the right place to begin with.

For this family of five, the brief was for a larger, more functional laundry with significantly more storage and a generous linen press.

The existing laundry offered limited storage and was located a long way from the children’s and guest bedrooms, while that entire wing of the home was serviced by just a small hallway linen cupboard.

So rather than simply redesigning the existing laundry, we reconsidered the spatial planning of the home.

The laundry was relocated into the children’s and guest wing, putting washing, linen and storage much closer to where they are actually used.

The new space gave us room for extensive full-height storage, a substantial linen press, generous bench space, overhead cabinetry and dedicated washer and dryer zones.

And relocating it created another opportunity.

The former laundry could now become a dedicated home office (will share that one later).

One design decision solved several problems at once.

✅️ More storage.
✅️ Better functionality.
✅️ Better proximity.
✅️ And an entirely new room created from an existing space.

That’s the value of looking at a renovation as a whole home rather than a collection of individual rooms.

Sometimes the best solution isn’t improving what’s there.

It’s moving it.

THE ART OF THE EDITNot every home needs reinventing.Sometimes good design is simply knowing what to change, what to keep...
20/08/2026

THE ART OF THE EDIT

Not every home needs reinventing.

Sometimes good design is simply knowing what to change, what to keep, and how a series of considered decisions can shift the entire character of a space.

This almost ten-year-old Hamptons-inspired home has a predominantly cool palette of whites, greys and chrome. Still beautiful, but an opportunity exists to give it greater warmth, depth and sophistication without undertaking a major renovation.

So, we edit.

Chrome cabinetry hardware gives way to aged and antique brass. Door hardware is being updated to introduce a richer, more considered finish throughout the home. Wainscoting will add architectural detail and another layer of character to otherwise simple walls.

The existing whites and cool stone aren't being discarded. Instead, warmer timber tones, tactile textures and patinated metals are being introduced to sit alongside them.

And the edit won't stop with the finishes.

Furniture, furnishings, artwork, lighting and decor will become part of the same conversation, allowing us to layer warmth, texture, personality and a more sophisticated sense of cohesion throughout the home.

The intention isn't to make the home feel new.

It is to allow it to evolve.

Because sometimes the most successful design decision isn't adding more or starting again.

It is understanding what deserves to stay, what needs to change, what is missing — and having the restraint to know the difference.

The Art of the Edit.

Watch this space!

SPATIAL PLANNING | MAKING THE SPACE WORK HARDERGood bathroom design starts long before tiles, tapware or cabinetry.It st...
19/08/2026

SPATIAL PLANNING | MAKING THE SPACE WORK HARDER

Good bathroom design starts long before tiles, tapware or cabinetry.

It starts with the floor plan.

This main bathroom services three children, yet the original layout simply wasn't working hard enough. An oversized corner bath dominated the room, the toilet sat within the bathroom, storage was limited and circulation was awkward.

So rather than simply renovating what was there, we questioned the layout itself.

The new concept completely reconfigures the space.

The corner bath makes way for a freestanding bath. The toilet becomes a separate powder room with its own handbasin and storage, allowing both spaces to be used independently.

The bathroom entry has been relocated closer to the bedrooms it services, creating a more logical circulation path. Storage has been significantly increased with a generous double vanity and mirrored storage cabinet, and the shower repositioned to improve movement through the room.

The important part?

We haven't made the overall footprint bigger. We've simply made the space work better.

Renovation isn't always about adding square metres. Sometimes the greatest opportunity already exists within the footprint you have.

Because good design isn't simply about how a space looks.

It's about how intelligently it lives.

Address

Unit 5/507 Olsen Avenue Southport
Gold Coast, QLD
4209

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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