Showing posts with label french. Show all posts
Showing posts with label french. Show all posts

Monday, 26 October 2015

RENOVATION PROGRESS (POST 1)

so our house is progressing! i have been pleasantly surprised by our builder being on schedule and anticipating completion of stage 1 by the middle of next week! here are a few of the progress pictures so far (excuse the poor picture quality - they were taken on my iPhone)...i am very much looking forward to sharing with you all the pictures of stage 1 when complete!

so far all the structural and door changes for stage 1 have been completed, along with the plaster work and the new openings to what will be our deck as part of stage 1.

the bathroom area has been extended and waterproofed, and the tiles are progressively being installed. the kitchen is also a work in progress, with all the rough in completed and the carcass for all the cupboards in also. i am so excited about our new kitchen and bathroom!

this is looking from our lounge room into what was the kitchen and the third bedroom. having removed the wall between the kitchen and bedroom 3, and making the opening between the previous kitchen and dining/lounge, the space feels so much bigger and more open.

view into what was our kitchen! this is our new dining room. the width of the opening to outside stayed the same, but we dropped the sill to the floor as stage 2 will include a deck outside these doors. the extra opening size makes the room feel so much lighter and, combined with the extra width to the lounge room opening, the light in the lounge room is much better.
 
the opening between lounge and dining which is now much bigger. previously it was two sliding doors but has been cut now to be as open as possible while still catering for the joinery and the kitchen. the doors from the living to the corridor have also changed to bifolds, and joinery is going to go on either side of the bifolds. am very much looking forward to these cupboards and bookshelves, and think they will prove of infinite value to store bub's toys and get breakables at a height that is out of reach of little hands!!

the carcass of our new kitchen! i am most excited about a big clear bench space between dining and the kitchen so i can have preparation space, the new pantry with pull out drawers and the vertical storage above the oven and microwave. for the windows, we have gone for bifolds and are going to have a servery that will open out to the new deck. again, we kept the opening width the same to minimise structural changes and brought the sill height up to allow for the bench. this space was previously bed 3 which was originally a dining room that previous owners had converted. the conversion was done with minimal cost and had an awkward shape due to outdoor access also being from this room.

looking back to the living room which largely remains unchanged except that it will now just be living, not living and dining. this change will increase the amount of time that our family will fit in the home greatly. the ceiling has also been resheeted and cornices redone to ensure consistency!

the tiling in the bathroom is under way and i must admit, this was one of the things i was most nervous about because once its done it is an expensive thing to change. we are very happy with how they look so far. these white 300mm x 75mm handmade look subway tiles are being laid floor to ceiling in the main bathroom in a random pattern.

the floor tiles to the WC which are the same as the tiles in the main bathroom. i like the patterns, and am very happy with the colouring. i was a bit unsure if they would be too dark but the dark component is not black (but will still work with black tap ware) and there is enough white to balance. i think this also means that while the pattern is very busy and detailed if you look closely, it is not completely overwhelming on a large scale. the white wall tiles (which will have white grout) will also assist in balancing the floor.

a close up of the tiles on the floor

once all the works have been finished, i will do room by room posts which will include details of where the different components were purchased from etc. in the meantime let me know if there is a specific component you would like some info on!

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

SIMPLE BEDROOM

image: 79 ideas
i really like this bedroom but what captured me the most was the simplicity. no fancy bed or bedside tables or pictures on the wall yet it is still warm, cozy and personal. its surprising how much can be achieved so simply!

Monday, 18 February 2013

BLUE & WHITE FROM IKEA

image: home sweet home
i have to say that i don't usually go for a blue and white combination but i love this image. its so provincial france don't you think? its a rainy and overcast day here in sydney so i would love to be curled up in a bed with this bedlinen and a good book. the almost best part about this linen (and the bed) is that they are from ikea which means they are affordable! if you're in australia, the link to the linen is here. an added bonus for me in this picture is the texture behind the bed, it gives the image much more depth than it would have otherwise.

Monday, 4 February 2013

FRENCH STYLE KITCHEN

image: daily dream decor
i LOVE this french style eat in kitchen! i think it is the combination of the following that draws me in:

1. The tiled floor. the tiling on the floor is a beautiful pattern but it works in this space because the other surfaces are not patterned so the whole image doesn't become overwhelming. The subtlety in the colours is nice as well - the same colour blue is picked up in the vase on the table and the bowl on the benchtop. This subtlety prevents the space being overwhelming with colour which it could be if the colours were loud and the tolix chairs were still teal.

2. The industrial details. In case you haven't picked up on this so far, i love a nice industrial detail in a space. I like the strong statement of the black pendant light and the vintage worn teal chairs but again they are not overwhelming as they are balanced by the white in the cabinetry and the walls.

3. The lightness. This is a combination of the beautiful natural light streaming in from the window, but also in the furniture. The steel legged dining table is beautifully detailed but doesn't sit heavily in the room.

4. The details generally. The brackets under the cabinetry, the ladder style bookcase, the open shelves near the window, the horse on the windowsill, a timber frame on the picture on the wall and the planter on the windowsill. it is the details that make a space but also reveal a little about the occupier of the space.

Essentially i love pretty much every component in this space and how they work together and have a balance. What do you think?