Behind the Dreams: Meet Michelle Fieldsend of A Fresh Touch (Interiors).

As the Mornington Peninsula enters our second COVID-19 lockdown, it is more important than ever that we maintain the sense of connection our local community is famous for! This is where 'Behind the Dreams' comes in. We'll be meeting our vibrant, local building and design industry professionals for 10 fun, quick-fire questions.

 Meet Michelle Fieldsend - Director of A Fresh Touch (Interiors), in Tootgarook, Victoria.

Tell us about you! What brought you to the Mornington Peninsula?

Michelle: A sea-change - we decided to do it earlier than planned.

We rented out our properties in Melbourne and rented down here in Tootgarook. We said we'd give it 12 months and if we didn't like it we could go back ....3 weeks in, we were hooked!

How do you like to live?

Michelle: Very casual....I love the beach and get there just about every day for a walk with my fur buddy, Wilbur, love having family and friends around. We've now got a vegetable & flower garden happening and I love to potter in the garden.

What’s the highlight of your working week?

Michelle: I love an interesting project... something a bit quirky or different. I also feel very chuffed when past clients contact me for their next project - It's a nod to the fact that I did well last time we worked together.

Describe your business in 20 words 😉, no more!

Michelle: I prefer not to follow trends instead create spaces and scheme that suit the client, their brief & lifestyle.

What do you do on a Saturday?

Michelle: A slow start to the day generally. Hubby has already headed off to golf, so (pre - lockdown), I'd head off to some of the local farm gates to pick up my fruit/vege & other goodies for the week. I often visit lovely shops and grab an almond milk chai (and perhaps a treat to go with it)....sometimes on my own, sometimes with a girlfriend.

What’s your favourite house or garden trend at the moment?

Michelle: My landscaper and I have have just finished the rear garden! It's s a combination of coastal plantings, along with x4 raised garden beds ...I'm planning to grow veggies, herbs and flowers.

I think a lot of people have looked to creating more of these style gardens, now that we are spending more time at home.

I love dark colours, so the fences, cubby & shed have all been painted deep charcoal and we have added accents of timber and rusted steel, along with metal planters. The foliage of the various plants just POP against the charcoal.

Your proudest business moment?

Michelle: We decided years ago to build our own dream home.... many years later we finally built it!

What do you secretly wish clients knew?

Michelle: That white is not white...

If you were a house… which one would you be? And why?

Michelle: A minimal coastal house - concrete floors (so I could just hose it out now and then).
 But truthfully, that could never happen, as I love my treasures that I've collected over the years and have, personally, never mastered minimalism.

Thank you Michelle for sharing a bit about yourself with our Building Dreams community!

If you would like to learn more about A Fresh Touch, visit www.afreshtouch.com.au Or follow on instagram: @afreshtouch