Di Henshall Interior Design with Di Henshall

INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR design of the year

WITH DI HENSHALL // DI HENSHALL INTERIOR DESIGN

Every so often we are reminded about how many talented and creative people we have living in our beautiful area. One of these people is Di Henshall, one of Australia’s most industry-decorated interior designers.

Di has been honoured with over 50 awards including International Interior Design of the Year, for a stunning house that she co-designed in Queenstown, New Zealand. The client’s brief was to create “the best house in New Zealand” and it seems that many people think she achieved this, as the house was also awarded House of the Year at the TIIDA Awards in New Zealand.

Drawing inspiration from iconic buildings on the other side of the world is one thing, but translating this into practical and beautiful projects back in Australia is where the magic begins. “Every project is totally different to the last, every client wants me to translate their desires into their reality, not to enforce a certain style or my own ego into their home or office or restaurant, but to still challenge their boundaries and stretch their imagination” says Di.

Di and her team work all over the country and abroad, designing and outfitting diverse projects such as wineries, heritage-listed buildings, restaurants, private residences, offices and apartments. Di Henshall Interior Design can totally furnish a home, from top to bottom, or add some beautiful pieces to enhance existing furnishings.

Di Henshall’s passion and enormous knowledge of all things interior design stands her apart. The last few years have found her on five international architecture and interior design tours, taking her worldwide, including Iceland and South Africa. Although Di’s international travels have been suspended in the last year, she still finds inspiration right here at home. Living in a stunning place such as Noosa, it is easy to see beauty everywhere. Di recently travelled throughout Adelaide and the surrounding countryside, visiting historic homesteads and architectural wonders such as the Adelaide Oval precinct, with its world-class design and construction.

Although Di’s practice is housed in an imposing concrete building in Gateway Drive Noosaville (which she won Commercial Design of the Year for), the studio inside has an immediate sense of welcome and reassurance that you’re in a safe haven, where your thoughts will be heard and adventures begin.

Di and her team constantly strive to produce beautiful dwellings that become the joy and pride of their clients. ca www.dihenshall.com.au

Last month we participated at one of the largest outdoor adventure events in the region, the South Queensland Caravan, Camping, Fishing and 4×4 Expo. It was our first ever big promotion for Ron Hill Automatics and is continuing to be a huge success – the bookings, website activity and Facebook likes keep on rolling in. As I was putting this article together, Les, a customer from Gympie who saw us at the show, has picked up his Isuzu after a transmission cooler upgrade. We have been asked why we participated in the show since our business attends to repairing automatic transmissions? The answer is towing. This event was filled with caravans that are towed with a four-wheel drive and usually an automatic. Without a doubt, Australia is one of the most amazing countries to explore. Full of natural wonders, unique wildlife and dazzling beaches. What better way is there to explore this country, than cruising at your own pace with your four-wheel drive towing a caravan? You may be under the assumption that the modern fourwheel drive is ready to do the big trip around Australia, but when you tow or partake in heavy four-wheel driving, the demands on your transmission change. Transmission cooling upgrades are a necessity to reduce the running temperatures of the transmission. The removal of the factory heat exchanger (Rangers / BT50s), the fitment of an air/oil cooler behind the vehicle grille is the key. This achieves a healthy operating transmission temperature to sit below 80 degrees. The general rule is – for every 20 degrees cooler, the life expectancy of your vehicle’s transmission is doubled. Customers that tow are sharing with us that they are seeing the transmission temperature drop to between 15 to 30 degrees after these upgrades. The most common question we were asked at the show was – why is my 200 Series slipping all the time between fifth and sixth gear? This is a problem with the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 series, particularly when towing. Owners are noticing a shifting issue with the transmission. At highway speed, any movement of the accelerator or even the slightest incline on the road puts the transmission into confusion where it cannot make its mind up which gear to be in. The torque converter is locking and UN-locking, causing the revs to increase and decrease constantly. This action has a major effect on fuel economy, and the constant locking and unlocking of the torque converter creates heat in the transmission. When the lockup control switch is fitted, it will allow you to override the computer and apply the lockup clutch manually. This reduces the heat generation, and if a temperature gauge is fitted, you should see the transmission temperature drop quickly once applied. A broad range of four-wheel drives benefit from a Valve Body Upgrade. The valve body is the brain and heart of an automatic transmission. When a manufacturer designs a transmission, they go to great lengths to make sure the gear shifts smoothly and comfortably, as that is what the general consumer expects. Soft shifts are okay for light duty and normal day-to-day use in built-up areas. When you tow a heavy caravan or trailer and go four wheel driving, the demands on the transmission change, as it is now under load. For increased load, the shift duration ideally needs to be shortened to reduce clutch slippage and heat build-up within the clutch packs. We highly recommend this upgrade be carried out in conjunction with any engine performance improvements. As engine tunes alter the torque curve, they often adversely affect transmission behaviour and shift quality. With our upgrades, you can be sure your automatic transmission does not become the weakest link. If you are keen to see what nomad family life is all about and are planning your own dream trip around Australia, then we have some tips to help you get started and hit the wide open road. Happy Towing.