When Kate Murname and her husband Rick moved into their home in 2021 they knew they wanted to create a forever home that could accommodate their growing family, now including sons Rikki, Archie and Elliot and two dogs.
By removing a few walls and adding a small connecting extension, their home now flows effortlessly from the front door right through to wide sliding patio doors into the garden and features an open plan kitchen and living room, an adjoining utility room and Kate’s home office, where she runs her lifestyle, fashion and homestyle business Murae. Kate can be found on YouTube @KateMurnane and Instagram @katebowbow where she offers heaps of fashion tips, home styling advice and parenting hacks.
Kate explained: “To make the most of the new layout’s feeling of space and light, I knew that it needed to be decorated as a single room.
Floor installed: Canadian Urban Oak
“I’d describe my style as a modern interpretation of rustic farmhouse. I love interiors that are natural and calming so I’ve used lots of warm wood with neutral off-whites and soft grey-beiges. Then I’ve introduced plenty of texture and interest with cosy throws, a large rug and open shelving for my ever changing collection of vintage art prints, rustic vases and pots with greenery.
“We really wanted to get the flooring right because this forms the foundation of the whole scheme and would help the different activity areas flow seamlessly. We looked at so many options but decided on Canadian Urban Oak from the Korlok range with its neutral light colouring and lightly brushed effect. It’s the perfect natural oak colour.”
Opting for the convenience of Korlok’s rigid core format meant that Kate and Rick could install their floor in super quick time with less disruption to their family routine, something that was important to them with three energetic boys running around.
With a convenient click-locking mechanism, the planks simply slot together for a hard wearing floor even over uneven surfaces such as existing tiles or floorboards. It's also good to know that Korlok is suitable for installation over new floors that are still drying and that each design comes with a colour matched scotia to cover the required 5mm expansion gap and give a clean finish.
Kate told us: “I love finding the perfect pieces to incorporate into my home. There’s not much I love more than faffing around with shelves and little bits and bobs, moving them a million times until they finally feel right. All the bits I’ve collected over the years have really brought our home to life.
“This new family room has exceeded our expectations and has totally transformed our home. The floor is highly realistic and we love the fact that Palio Express flooring is so child and pet friendly, being hardwearing, scratch resistant and easy to keep clean. I am beyond happy with the way our home has turned out. I can’t believe it’s ours to be honest.”