4 Must Know Christmas Renovator Tips

4 Must Know Christmas Renovator Tips

Green is the colour associated with trust, acceptance and compassion. A great healing colour to introduce into your home to create a relaxing environment. When offset with yellow-based colours of yellow, tangerine and orange based red’s, you can create a vibrant and relaxing space, which will not fail to tire in any home interior. 

Wy not revitalize your home with a fresh minty flavor with hints of bright green neon and tangerine accessories in the form of pillows, rugs, and throws. Natural earthy tones will freshen up your pad and keep your family smiling. 

If you are wanting to do a complete colour make over on your home but still mix and match other accessories and colours easily, try painting the walls inside your home a white-based grey as your backdrop offset with white architraves and skirting to add depth and character to the bright accessories.

Eco friendly products on the market for families with children and allergies should trial Dulux Wash and Wear in a range of finishes appropriate to your interior surface and space. It is hard wearing, satin and scuff resistant paint with a tough acrylic finish easy to clean up. It is an eco choice with low VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compound) so it is kinder to your family and the environment. 

Happy renovating !

3 Essential Tips on how to Make your Dark Interior Work

Commercial Breakout Space

Commercial Breakout Space 

I wanted to share with you all, a recent commercial workplace kitchen design that I was asked to complete for a regular client. The key to a any successful entertaining space is variety of seated furniture areas to give people variety and interest. 

10 Top Bathroom Renovator Tips

Choose a theme for your bathroom
You need to start at the drawing board, collect images of bathrooms that you love. Put them all on the table and choose the top 6 images you want your bathroom to look like and write the things down that you admire about the images. i.e. the handles on the storage unit which add character to the bathroom, an old dresser from a second hand store such as Mrs Secondhand in Brunswick that you can have painted and finished in a marine grade clear finish and top with your favourite basin to match from Schotts for a new old worldly feel that reflects your personality while injecting fun through the colour you paint the dresser. 

Above: Mrs Seconhand treasure trove for all things interesting to renovate and add your own personal touch to your bathroom like no one else's. 

http://www.mrssecondhand.com.au/sell_buy.html 

Choosing the right Fittings 

Choose fittings that are similar in shape and style to reflect the aesthetic you are wishing to create in your space. Choose pieces from Reece and a mix of design items from Roger Seller to add a designer look to your space. Treat yourself to a massage every morning with a shower head that has multiple spray functions.

Above from left to right: Roger seller designer tap ware; shower rail with shower head with air stream technology. 

Select durable flooring

All tiles are rated with a slip resistance measurement that will prevent accidents. Ensure to choose porcelain tiles rather than ceramic. Ceramic might be cheap but it is also reflective of the quality and chips much easier than a fully vitrified porcelain tile that will out live you. Ensure the surface is pre-sealed and if not choose a sealer that will do the job for years to come. 

Be daring and use timber in your bathroom. What do you mean I hear you say ? Well boats use timber on their decks in salty wet conditions and you can do the same to your bathroom to add warmth and character and a one off parquetry designer statement your friends will be talking about. 

Use hidden space
Maximise the space between wall studs by recessing a tall storage cabinet into the wall to maximise space while saving on floor area. The cabinet should have an interior depth of about 80mm.

Space saving tips for small areas

Using a large mirror over your basin to the underside of the ceiling will reflect light and mirror surfaces making the room feel brighter and larger than it is. Save on extra space and make it flush with your wall surface and include storage behind with flush pulls to the underside. Choose space saving baths and toilets to maximise your working area from Omvivo supplied by Reece.

 

Above: Ergonomic space saving omvivo bath.

Above: omvivio new coloured sinks in a range of standard colours.

Build a shower area

Consider building an open shower space that doesn't need a curtain or door and is less confining than a normal shower. Make your shower experience make you feel like a Queen for the morning by choosing a shower head fixed to the ceiling with an anti splash feature to prevent the floor surface flooding with water. 

Above: Integrated grill to sit flush with floor.

Sit in your bathtub

Ensure the bath tub you choose is comfortable before you buy it and that your legs are more than amply satisfied. A contoured bath provides extra comfort and slanted baths at either end allow for two people with a fixed tap in the middle to sit comfortably. 

Design Lighting that is functional and creates atmosphere

Recess lighting to the underside of you mirror above the basin to highlight feature tiles. Fix lighting above mirrors at 1600mm high from the finished floor level to provide ambient light ideal to put your make up on as overhead down lights above make your skin appear too white and pale leaving your make up un-evenly applied. Recess lighting to your storage unit underside or hidden in a wall over your bath that can be dimmed and switched separately to provide calming lighting to read by in the bath after a long day. 

Share space for added function 

If short on space provide a toilet and hand basin all in one with a glass sliding door to separate the shower area to create a powder room and hidden shower/bath area that your guests don't have to see. 

Incorporate luxury into your room 

If you are fortunate enough to have lots of space to work with, indulge yourself with a dressing room - a haven for privacy and relaxation. Outfit your bathroom with a television, fireplace, make-up vanity and even a large occasional console chair.  

Above: Roger Seller cloud cover recessed shower head with LED lighting.

Getting a top designer look on a budget : 10 tips to follow

Getting a top designer look on a budget : 10 tips to follow

You don't have to forgo the designer look if you are on a budget and here are a few tips how......




1. It's not a rush
Take your time to develop a style that you like. Do your research and cut out images from magazines and compile what you do like and familiarise yourself by writing down in a journal what it is you like about the image to understand your preferred design aesthetic. This will help to formalise your style into a common theme to create a flow throughout your home. 

Check out the following web sites for some inspiration 

http://www.aurahome.com.au/sleep/bed-linen 

http://homes.ninemsn.com.au/real-living/

http://www.housetohome.co.uk

2. Create a Mood Board 
Once you have confirmed a style you can now compile these images onto a board whether it be magnetic, or blu tacked to a wall to create a focus on your ideas and guide you on how to proceed purchasing your paint colours, wallpapers, fittings for your bathroom, furniture or designing your kitchen.


3. Try DIY projects as it can create an inspiring difference
While expensive designer looks use mostly costly materials and finishes they are often much cheaper alternatives available that will provide 90% of the same look. All you need to do is spend some time and look for items that have the same feel as a designer piece. Be it a an old dresser with a bright colour applied and new modern handles or an old lamp base with a new lamp shade applied. Let your imagination run creative.....


4.Look for a bang for your buck
Stone for example is usually more expensive and looks luxurious but there are alternative materials such as porcelain that is just as durable and more cost effective and contrasted with the right colour and textures can lift the atmosphere of a space to look just as expensive and timeless. It is all about not being afraid to experiment with colour and textures. Try wallpapers with a touch of gold or brass to achieve a luxurious feel rather than gold accessories which can be expensive. All these can create a sense of luxury on a budget.


5. Invest in unique items that will create a WOW factor
It is often wise to invest in a couple of show stopper items that will lift the level of your space. These can be materials such as a stainless steel bench or a solid timber floor or island bench to the kitchen. Feature light fittings can also achieve this same conversational piece and tie the theme of the room in together. It is all a matter of where to choose to skimp and save and where to splurge. You will find that some materials are only marginally more expensive such as bench top materials to your kitchen and would be wise to invest in to create that wow factor.


6.Buy Vintage 
Now this does not appeal to all but can look great when mixed with modern pieces that have similar proportions or lines to compliment each other. You can tie new with old with similar upholstery fabrics or cushions to create uniformity to your sofa and one seater chairs. Some vintage pieces may need a little work and others may just be a vase or floor lamp to accessorise the room to add character and charm to a space to lift the overall feel of the room. 
Try varying Victorian style chairs around your dining table repainted high gloss black to tie them in together and upholstered in plain textural fabrics from an affordable Australian fabric supplier Warwick that will add timeless charm to your dining table on a budget.


7.Group objects together 
Displaying multiple objects of the same type is an interior designer trick of the trade that can be appropriated by the budget decorator and recreated with cheaper items while still achieving a great outcome.
A collection of vases or cheaply purchased vessels is much the same effect once displayed. Old glass bottles can be bought cheaply and a collection of shapes in a common colour or theme can be very effective especially when the sunlight hits the coloured glass. 
This could also be achieved with three vases aligned on a dining table with flowers from your garden with three light pendants hanging above to create a repetitious alignment of forms above and below. Visually this is very engaging to a person walking into your home and is another trick of the trade. 


8. Scale is important
Remember scale is highly important part of interiors. Large furniture clutters up small spaces in an unnatural way and makes everything seem out f scale. Equally using small sofas in a a large room will look a sorry excuse for a sofa-so don't opt for a 2 seater to save money when the room really demands something bigger.


9. Look for showroom sales
Remember the sales that I post on my blog to let you know about designer discounts well they can save you a lot of money if you get there early. You can save up to 50% or more and still get the real thing. creating a designer look on a budget takes extra time precisely because the money no object mantra DOESN'T apply. 


10. Get inspiration online 
You can save money by shopping on line so start googling or


Inspiration for that designer look, well go to: 
Hub – Mainly Italian and very high end Hub has a few ranges that are quite surprisingly well priced. British company SCP for one.
Insitu - This company supplies many architects and specifiers with lesser known Italian furniture for commercial projects but have an interesting range of products suited to domestic spaces too.

Safari Living - A constant source of good things for the home, this Melbourne corner store sells Design House Stockholm and other interesting design led brands like Muuto that offer great value for money.

Smow - The Australian agent for the alternative German brand Nils Holger Moormann, sells a range of high grade flat pack designs that because they are flat packed are well priced  but being  German made are in excellent materials with cutting edge design values.

Temperature Design – This Melbourne company offers great value pieces made locally but  now also imports some previously unavailable brands into Australia such as Ercol – the famous timber chair company. Like Thonet, Ercol offer a lot of chair for a reasonable price.

Top 3 by Design – Full of designer merchandise, Top3 is one of the major stockists of Normann Copenhagen - the young Danish brand that offers amazing value for money pieces.

Zenith – Mainly a commercial furniture supplier, Zenith has some amazingly well priced items in their collection – several by Australian designers like Keith Melbourne. Whether it’s an interesting outdoor stool for the balcony or a dining table and chairs, Zenith offer designer pieces at seriously good prices.

Jardan Mid year Sale

JARDAN SALE

It is that very exciting time of year when Jardan opens it's doors once a year for their mid year SALE. Rush to it and be early to scoop up your beautiful Australian designed and made furniture of the best quality and attention to detail that you have had your eye on......


I know I have !

While there check out their new Navy dining table and ......

ohhh so cute and extra comfy yet stylish Winston chair.

We don't buy Australian designed furniture not only to support the country and our designers but because it is beautifully detailed furniture with elegant and timeless proportions to suit our homes.

Have fun at the SALE....

Temperature Warehouse Sale

Another lucrative sale that is worth while checking out so don't miss it if your in the need of home wares or furniture of style, taste and design quality.....