Renovate w/ Gilly's - An Interview with Tara Pooley from Our Neutral Abode

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Tara.

I’m a primary school teacher in NSW and absolutely love it. I also love styling my home and sharing organisation hacks and styling tips with others. I live with my fiancé James and our spoilt Bordoodle Bernie. 

Did you always know you wanted to style homes? 

Not really! When I was much younger, I would always be rearranging my bedroom at every chance I had and loved constantly changing up all my bedroom décor though (you wouldn’t believe some of the décor phases I went through!). I did say I wanted to be an interior designer at that stage but I was very young!

How did you get into it?

I’ve kind of always been interested in organisation – growing up it was more through stationery and organising my school belongings though. Then a few years ago, I bought my Cricut and I started labelling – that’s where I really got into kitchen organisation etc. Not long after, we bought our apartment and my desire to style and organise really grew as we began furnishing and styling the home. 

I love your videos on organisation, DIY - I’m a huge fan of the alphabetised spiced rack and the under the sink. Have you always been super organised? 

I must say, I had to refrain myself from jumping in the car and going to Kmart to reorganise my entire house, haha!

Thank you! It is always so nice to hear when you inspire others to do things! I wouldn’t say I have always been super organised but I have always had “my way” of liking or wanting to do things. I do have to disclose that not everything is as it seems on Instagram and there are always days where the house is a huge mess! But if you have a designated space for everything it is much easier to reduce the havoc.  

Have you always been into neutral tones or has your style changed over time?

My style has definitely changed so much over my lifetime. When I was younger I even convinced my mum to let me paint my bedroom walls fluro pink and fluro green! (can you believe she actually let me?!) I also went through the classic “French style” phase with the iconic Eiffel tower canvas hanging in my bedroom and black and white doona covers.

5 best tips and tricks for anyone wanting to get into styling? 

1. Have fun with it – mix it up with tones you wouldn’t normally put together and try it out. 
2. Shop your own home – avoid wasting money by trying to put things together using items you have around the home and you can more easily swap things out and switch things up without breaking the bank. 
3. Upcycle! Colour of that vase doesn’t go with your vibe anymore? Paint it! The power of paint is amazing!
4. Style in threes. If you ever get stuck – go with the easy 3 – candle, vase & book!
5. Create a vision board. You can use Instagram or Pinterest to start saving pictures that you’re drawn to. This way if you aren’t sure what your style is or what you are after – you will know soon enough just by scrolling and saving ☺

What's been your greatest lesson on this journey so far?

Comparison is the thief of joy! Do not compare yourself to others, take your own journey and style or do things the way you want to. Squares (or even reels) on Instagram aren’t always the whole picture so make sure you do you and stay happy ☺ 

How did you find using Gilly's Products?  

I loved how smooth the oil is to apply. The bottle is easy to pour directly out of and its aesthetic don’t hurt either! It has totally rejuvenated my wooden utensils and boards in the kitchen.

What was your favourite product? 

The lemon scented chopping board oil! Smells delicious and completely brought my splinter filled board back to life and safe to use with food again.

Why do you love Gilly's?

I love the huge range of scents available in their high-quality products. I love that Gilly’s helps me reduce landfill by bringing things back to life rather than disposing and purchasing new.

And lastly, what song are you listening to right now?

Gosh this is a tough one, I’m always listening to music from the 70s-00s, in honour of the beautiful Olivia Newton John, I have been listening to “Hopelessly Devoted To You” quite a bit today.