Design Dilemma – The Teenager’s Bedroom

Design Dilemma – The Teenager’s Bedroom

So my kids are growing….fast!  Around 5 years ago we moved back into our home after a significant renovation, which resulted in brand new bedrooms for both my children, each personally decorated for them as a surprise.
How time flies, as all of a sudden my nearly 13-year-old son has outgrown the Star Wars characters on his walls and the Star Wars doona cover.  Not only that, he’s almost outgrown his single bed.  To be clear he still absolutely loves Star Wars, just not in his room J.

My daughter is about to turn 17 and her tastes are maturing and she’s finding her own, individual style.  Recently she has been asking to redecorate her room to reflect her style and this has begun with her bedding and some fresh curtains.  I’m lucky, as she has a flair for design and great taste, different to mine, but lovely all the same.

She has a very clear view of what her room might look like of over the coming months, once we get around to painting it and working on artwork and soft furnishings.  I really do hope I can convince her to hang on to her bed as replacing it is, in my opinion, an unnecessary expense.

But what to do for my son.  He’s at that awkward age where starting high school means lots of adjustment and trying to find your place in the world. 

He already has his own dress sense, which is quite unique amongst his peers and I love this…so what about his room, where he hasn’t really shown any specific preferences as yet??

Research, research, research - tween & teen boys’ rooms!  I have jumped on Houzz and Pinterest and some store websites to get a feel for the teen age boy bedroom look.

Colour – colour suggestions seem limited for boys, whether looking at wall colour or soft furnishings.  Mine loves colour now, however my research is suggesting that soon he is going to only like grey, charcoal and navy.  I’m not sure I’m ready for that.  He needs colour…somewhere.  Therefore, I think I will focus on suggesting a contemporary, adult palette for the paintwork with pops of colour in the soft furnishings and artwork (the things that can easily be updated over the next few years as he develops his own style).

 

Storage – this is a big issue as mine is a collector, be it books, little ornaments he snaffled from Grandpas, a key collection (yes you read correctly) or Dr Who figurines. I’m keen to ensure we incorporate plenty of storage/display options in the design.  Also a bed with storage is a must as this has been a great extra in my daughter’s room.  I have found some clever options, which might suit his room and need further investigation.

 

 

Decoration – I have found so many ideas for artwork, display shelving, signage, etc therefore it is important to know your child well, which I do, but I need to factor in the changes that are on the way.  What will his tastes be a couple of years from now and do we choose items for the long term, or aim to suit the now?  Easily changeable options, such as frames where the images can be swapped out once he matures into his next phase might be the go.

 

The Extras – my son is currently learning the drums (yay) and the only spot currently for the kit is his room.  I think long term we need to find another location, perhaps we will have to get our daughter to move out J. 

I don’t envisage putting a desk in my son’s room as he is accustomed to doing his homework out on the dining table and this arrangement keeps his internet use in public spaces. 

As an avid reader I believe he would enjoy something cosy to snuggle into to read and get lost in his imagination.

 

As I don’t believe he will have any set ideas just yet for his room I’m going to collect a variety of ideas for him to have a look at, to involve him in any decisions we make.  Hopefully this approach will lead selections which will have a longer life span.

Photo source: Pinterest

Detail 9 Featured on Houzz

We were very excited a week or so ago to be featured on Houzz.

Laundries seem to be attracting quite a bit of interest lately, in particular one laundry in our portfolio.

Whilst one of the most used rooms in a home, it is not usually a show piece.  However, more options than ever are now available to make this work area a more pleasant location.

Functionality and storage are key design requirements, but there is still room for some flair and interesting features and these are seen regularly on TV renovation programs.

Take a look at the Houzz article for some inspiration.

Top 10 Trending Laundry Room Ideas on Houzz

Spring is in the Air!

As the cliché says…’Spring has sprung’, and whilst the weather hasn’t yet warmed to the arrival of a new season, it is time to plan to blow out the cobwebs, open the doors and invite the fresh, warming air inside.

What do you need to do around your home?

It is around this time that we start talking about ‘Spring Cleaning’, however it can also be a great time to investigate solutions for those irksome storage issues – as you are preparing to pack up winter clothes, bedding, etc.

There are oodles of interesting ways to get more and importantly, affordable storage in your existing space.

We believe one of the most effective solutions is the attic ladder and this has been an absolute blessing in my home.  Professionally installed in a day, including correctly installed flooring to guard against fire hazards, and you have yourself an instant storage area, without losing any vital living space.  Attic ladders provide access in compact spaces, so there are options to suit different locations and home sizes.

Do you have a staircase?  We have found fantastic storage designs utilising staircases on Pinterest (staircases) and Houzz.com.au – one of our clients had a custom built storage and entertainment unit incorporated into the design of her new staircase.

 

Modular shelving option such as Ikea’s Billy range can organise the book collections we hoard and offer display options for family photos and collections. These packs are DIY friendly and provide ‘custom-built’ look when installed.

 

 

Cleaning out and rearranging existing spaces such as linen and laundry cupboards will create much needed space and enables you to consider better use of these spaces.  Really, how many extra pillows and doonas for guests do we need?  Of course if putting away your winter weight doona, you can now store in a sealed vacuum bag in your new attic space.  Yay!

Pinterest, again provides particularly clever ideas for sorting and organising these cupboards – take a look today at our pin board on this very topic – ‘get organised’.

Seek out those nooks to find ways to increase your storage capacity....and if all else fails you know who to call to design that fabulous extension, which will feature innovative solutions to meet your needs well into the future

Happy Spring!!

 

Tips for renovating your kitchen on a budget

 

Tips for renovating your kitchen on a budget

Firstly, a warm Happy New Year to all our loyal followers.  You will all be pleased to know that being more regular with our Blog, holds the number one place on our "New Years Resolutions list".  So hopefully this will be the first of around 12 or more blog posts this year.  So for now, here are some great tips for renovating, or just tarting up your kitchen.  Enjoy !!

 

The kitchen.  It is fairly widely accepted that the kitchen is the “hub of the home”, probably even more so in recent times.  Historically, entertaining at home meant eating canapés and starters in the formal lounge, followed by dinner being served to the table in a formal dining room.  Guests were worlds away from the cooking and food preparation, and children were definitely “seen and not heard”.  Generally, entertaining in the home strived to be a more formal experience than it is today.

The kitchen of today is more than just a space for food preparation.  Even when you are entertaining at home, odds are the guests will be piled into the kitchen, sitting around drinking and talking while you are putting the meal together.  Most kitchens these days have informal spaces to eat at, like a breakfast bar, which often doubles up as a home office or homework space.

More than ever, people have embraced cooking, with the rise of reality shows such as Masterchef and cook book sales going through the roof.  No longer do people have a set of saucepans and a few essential dishes, we now have woks, vacuum sealers, ham slicers, juicers, and of course the beloved food processor.  Therefore, kitchens today need to have loads more storage space than ever before.

So as you can see, not only do we use kitchens differently to how we did in the past, kitchens now have to function differently.

In fact 100% of real estate agents we spoke to said that a good kitchen can be the number one selling point for a house.  So ask yourself ….. what is your kitchen like ?  Is it letting the team down big time, or does it just need a bit of a pick-me-up ?

Really, there are three types of kitchen renovations. 

Renovation No.1.   The rip everything out and start again version;

Renovation No. 2.   The layout is reasonable, but everything is incredibly dated; and

Renovation No. 3.   The, it’s not too bad, it just needs a freshen up.

 

When it comes to Kitchen Reno No. 1, you’ll need to budget somewhere between about $8,000 and $30,000, depending on level of finish.  Appliances will cost around another $3-8,000 again, depending on what brand you choose and how many you can re-use from your previous kitchen. 

One option to give you a leg up financially is to consider selling your old kitchen using something like ebay or the trading post.  Sometimes your trash can be someone else’s treasure, and you may even save some money on the demolition and removal of the old kitchen, as usually it is the purchaser’s job to remove the kitchen themselves – although anything hard wired, connected to mains gas or plumbed in will need to be disconnected professional first.

There are a number of kitchen companies around who do amazing work.  My advice is, do your research, have a look on line, go and visit some show rooms, speak to friends or family who have done kitchen renovations recently and make a time when you are not in a rush to speak to a kitchen designer at one of the kitchen companies you have looked at.  There are some great online resources, such as this one http://www.realestate.com.au/home-ideas/space-kitchens.  Knowing what you’d like to achieve before you spend time with a kitchen designer will definitely make the time you spend with them more productive.  A good kitchen designer is worth their weight in gold – they know all the latest products and trends and can help you spend money in the right places in your kitchen.  

If you are in the Kitchen Reno No. 2 bracket, there are a number of key areas that you can work on in your kitchen that will make a huge difference to the look and feel of the space.  Firstly, cabinetry.  If you are generally happy with the size and location of your kitchen cabinets, but the doors are dated, worn or broken, you can remove all the cupboard doors and drawer fronts and replace them with brand new ones.  Not all kitchen companies will do this, so it is important to check, but new doors can make an old kitchen look absolutely brand new.  The same goes with benchtops.  These can be easily replaced with newer sleeker materials – and don’t forget your splashback ! 

Another really popular change you could make to your kitchen, particularly if it is one that feels closed in or dark is to remove the cupboard doors from your high levels cupboards, revealing open shelving.  Check out this blog piece from Apartment Therapy which talks about open shelving. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/great-open-kitchen-shelving-th-124683  Admittedly, you’d have to be fairly neat and tidy to pull it off, but it does really work.

 

Seriously, any one of these changes would make a big difference, let alone doing all three.  Obviously, the more changes you make, the more money you will spend, so as with all things, it is important to do all the research you can, including pricing before you make any key decisions.

 

If you are looking at Kitchen Reno No 3, a general freshen up, a new splashback, and / or a lick of paint on the walls will really put the life back in your kitchen.  It’s amazing how grimy and yellow a kitchen can get, even when you are a fastidious cleaner.  Another idea could be to re-spray your kitchen cupboards.  A number of companies now make paint suitable for spraying over laminate (although I don’t believe it is suitable for benchtops, and most enamel paints will go nicely over timber with a polyurethane finish, so long as your preparation is according to the directions.  This usually requires some sanding of the timber work, but can have really amazing results.

 

Lighting can also make a huge difference to the look and feel of the kitchen.  Dim, inappropriate lighting can really date a kitchen, making it appear old and tired.  New task lighting can really transform a space, and new advances in LED lighting has meant that smaller lights can now be concealed within cabinetry more successfully than ever before.

 

Don’t forget to give any appliances you are intending to keep a deep clean – even using a toothbrush in those small cracks and hard to reach places.  A good clean could bring them back to looking brand new.  It’s amazing how over a period of time things get dirty or soiled and you don’t notice.

 

So, now that you are armed with a whole lot of new strategies for giving your kitchen the new look it deserves, it’s time to appraise your own kitchen.  It’s a new year, what better time to put some of these ideas into practice and plan a new look for your kitchen !  What are you waiting for ??

How to bring more light into your home

OK, so I am ashamed to admit that I actually wrote this blog entry back in the middle of a cold, dark, wet day in June.  The start of Winter, when you think you might never see the sun stream through your windows again.

The intention of the article was to look at ways of bringing natural light into your home or workspace during the colder months when you need to be more creative about bringing what daylight there is, inside.  Now though, with only a few days left of Winter and the promise of Spring knocking at the door, I guess it is equally relevant, now that we perhaps have some sun to capture.  So here it is ….

This week’s blog topic -

How to bring more light into your home

OK, so it’s winter.  Days are short and the sky is grey – most of the time.  You want your home to be warm and cosy, but have you ever noticed how dark it is inside ?  You have the lights on all the time – even during the day.  How depressing !  So why not kick out those winter blues and bring in a bit of sunshine !  In fact, the winter sun is a great way to warm your house, not forgetting the all important Vitamin D factor !!

So without further ado, here are some great tips for bringing more light into your home.

1.       Re-assess your window furnishings

Window furnishings are a must at night time in winter.  They help to keep out the cold and keep in the warmth around windows which are generally one of the biggest sources of heat loss in a home.  But during the day, when the heat from the sun can be one of the cheapest and not to mention, the cheeriest way to heat your home, there is absolutely no reason to have those heavy shades drawn.  Even on a fairly grey day, the light coming in from the windows can make a big difference.

 

So, take a look at your current window furnishings.  Are they working to their full potential ?  By this I mean, can you pull them across the window at night and then open them right up, clearing the entire window in the daytime ?  No ?  OK so how much of the window is covered by the curtain during the day when the curtains are open ?  Curtains like the red ones shown here can actually cover the window opening by more than 50% letting in only half the amount of light.

 

We suggest going for a curtain which can clear the window opening when open, while still remaining effective at night.  If you’re worried about privacy, then sheer curtains are the best way to restrict what can be seen from the outside, while allow most of the daylight in.

 

 

 

 

2.       Consider painting out wood and exposed brickwork

              Does your home have exposed timber or brickwork ? 

 

These are both great features to have, however in small spaces, they can really dull a room, leaving it feeling small and dark. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painting out some of the exposed timber or brickwork can make a huge difference in reflecting light around the room.  If you like the timber or brickwork, why not pick out some parts and make them a feature, while painting the remaining sections a light colour. 

 

Ceilings are really important for light, so if you have a lot of exposed timber on the ceiling, perhaps you could leave the main structural members exposed but paint the rest of the ceiling white. 

 

3.       Ceilings

Speaking of ceilings, one of the most important areas of the home if you want to keep it looking and feeling light is the ceiling.  There is no grey area here.  The facts are simple.  Paint your ceilings white if you want your room to be light filled (plus you’ll get the added bonus of the ceiling appearing higher than a dark ceiling as well).  So unless you have 12ft ceilings, then the answer is white, white and white.

 

4.       Light fittings

Assessing your current light fittings, and globes, is another great way to improve light levels within your home.  Are your lights appropriate for the space ?  Do you have enough lights and are the globes of a sufficient wattage ?  Have you replaced globes that have blown or are missing ?

 

The shape and style of light fitting makes a big difference to the way in which light is emitted from the fitting.  Pendant lights, for example generally hang directly down over the space which is required to be lit.  They are great as task lighting and as a feature in a room, such as hanging over bench in a kitchen, but they are not the right kind of light to provide maximum lighting levels within a large room.

 

 

 

  

 

The general rule is that the closer the fitting is located to the ceiling, the more likely it is to provide a wider beam of light to a room and therefore will light a larger space.

 

5.       Mirrors

Mirrors, and reflective surfaces in general are another great way to maximise the light within a room.  The more reflective the surface, the more the light bounces around the room.  In fact you could almost consider it as recycling light, as once you bring the light in to the room, it gets used over and over again.

 

Mirrors can be used over fireplaces, they can be framed like pictures and hung on the wall – you can even cover a whole wall with mirror.  This is most commonly used in spaces such as bathrooms, but could be used anywhere – perhaps as a splashback in the kitchen.  As a rule, they really help to make spaces feel larger, and much, much brighter. 

 

Shiny tiles on floors, or highly reflective joinery or bench tops in kitchens again help to bounce light around a room and make good use of the light you already have.

 

6.       Skylights

Ok, ok I can hear the groans from here, as most of you are currently imagining the skylights of the 1980’s, which were ugly square holes in the ceiling that brought in about as much light as a postage stamp.  But hear me out.  The skylights of today are many and varied and are much more attractive and effective than ever before.  Skylights are a great way to bring in light when windows are not an option. 

 

 

Personally I think Belle Skylights in Moorabbin would be a great place to start looking into skylight lights as an option, but see for yourselves online at http://www.belleskylights.com.au/index.php what options could be available for you.

 

Alternatively, roof windows are another cool version of the skylight, and are usually openable, meaning that not only do they let in light, but are also useful in letting out warm air in summer and increasing ventilation.  The accepted worldwide leader in roof windows would have to be Velux.  http://www.velux.com.au/  Another useful website for getting ideas I think.

 

 

 

I hope we have inspired you to start thinking about some of the ways you can maximise the potential in your home.  We’d love to hear about any ideas you have about bringing light in to your home, so feel free to share your ideas, comments and questions below. 

 

 

 

 

 

How to maximise space in your home

This is our first blog entry in a while.  Previously, the blog has focussed on our projects under construction.  We will be returning to these projects to see where they are at and how they have turned out, but next on the agenda is some great information on improving the way our homes work for us, including some inspirational pics and useful information on how to achieve miracles without spending a lot of money.

So, if you want to be inspired ….. stay tuned !

This week’s blog topic -

How to maximise space in your home

You’ve probably lamented a million times about how you could do with more space in your home, but let’s face it, popping an extension onto your house to give you more space isn’t a short term solution.  So we have come up with some great tips for maximising the space you do have in the meantime.

1.       Have a clean out

OK, so this might seem like an obvious one, but in no time at all, clutter builds up around us.  Most of us are pretty time poor and the piles of things not put away when we last used them, or things that just don’t have a home build up pretty quickly.

Don’t try to de-clutter the whole house in one go, but take it room by room.  Walk into each room and try to imagine you are walking into someone else’s house.  With a pair of fresh eyes, what are the things in the room that are taking up major space and making it look cluttered ? 

Go through your existing storage areas like wardrobes, cupboards, bookshelves. 

Are they stuffed with things you never use ? 

If so, they are probably stopping you putting away the things you do use.  Why not make up some bags for charity, sell some things on ebay or do a big run to the tip ?  You will find that once you make space in these areas, it is easier to regularly put things away, ready for next time.  We have a two year rule in our family, that is, if you haven’t seen it or used it in two years, you don’t need it.  Two years is pretty strict, but maybe you could start with five years and see how much you can get rid of that you don’t need.

Try to keep flat surfaces like tables and benches free from items not put away.  It really goes a long way to making a house look less cluttered.

And lastly, try to train your kids from an early age to put their things away.  When everyone in the house is motivated to keep things tidy, it makes it much easier to keep the place looking great.

2.       Storage

You probably already know the areas in your home that you can utilise for storage, but can you be more creative with the types and locations for storage that you have available to you?  Well thought out storage can become a feature in a room rather than an eyesore.

Think about what it is that you need to store and what kind of storage solution is best suited to that item.  For example, baskets are great for storing lots of little kids’ toys in.  They are easily tipped out when you want to find something, and quick to pack back up when you’re done.

Are your drawers full of junk ? 

How about some drawer dividers to help keep everything in it’s place ?

Don’t forget to utilise your walls too.  Wall mounting a TV frees up the space around it, particularly the floor.

3.       Built in Storage

Do you have spaces in your home that are underutilised, like underneath a set of stairs or beneath a window ?  Built in storage can help to make the most out of places in the house that are small or difficult to get to.

Wall space also tends to be a bit of a premium, but built in cupboards along a wall – perhaps in a dining room or even in a lounge room, with space for the tv, and dvd collection can make a huge difference.

How about a study nook in a cupboard ?

4.       Furniture

Is the way your furniture is arranged creating spatial issues ?  Do you have too much furniture ?  Or do you have furniture that is too big for the room it is in ?  Try moving your furniture around - you might be surprised to learn that sometimes having it arranged differently either gives you more space, ar at least the illusion of more space !

A friend of mine had a very small lounge room and the sofas that were in the space had large rolled arms.  The actual seating area of the sofas wasn’t large, but the amount of space they took up, compared to the size of the room was amazing.  These sofas also sat on legs, about 10cm off the floor.  This made them look even bigger ! The worst kind - not only were they too big for the space, they even looked too big for the space (and yes there is a difference).  Years later, they bought new, squarer more compact sofas …. and the difference was unbelievable !

What about space saving furniture ?  The sofa bed is a good example of this – but even considering changing your dining table to one with extendable leaves  or even a coffee table with a storage shelf below could make a big difference to your space.

Just a few ideas to start with anyway ….

We’d love to hear some of your space saving ideas – feel free to comment and let us know what things you have done in your home to maximise space !

Will St - Week Eighteen

The before and after

It’s been a few weeks between blog posts because the kind of work that is being done on projects at the moment is about 60% waiting for things to be installed and 40% small details like siliconing around the bathrooms, and painting window frames which don’t make for great reading.

However, this week’s visit to the Will Street project has seen some big changes.  Namely, the flooring.  When I last posted, we were waiting for the painting to be finished so we could get some flooring down.  Well, the painting is now finished (well nearly), and not only do we have new carpet, but we also have sanded, stained and polished floorboards.  Talk about transform a building site into a home again !  It has even got the owners excited with the hushed tones of moving back in on the agenda. 

We also have nearly functioning bathrooms, which is pretty exciting.

We are still waiting on the wardrobes, the laundry fit out and the kitchen benches and splashbacks, which will be some major wow factor, but for this week I think the best way to demonstrate the transformation for this family is by showing before and after photos. 

It should be noted that in some of the ‘before’ shots, it is hard to pull back and see the whole room in one photo.  This is because the rooms were so small that while taking the photos I am standing back as far as possible and still can’t fit the room into the shot.  Maybe I need to get myself one of those wide angled lenses that all real estate agents seem to have when taking photos.  If you’ve ever been house hunting, you’ll exactly what I mean !

So here is a bit of a tour ….  I’ll focus on ‘problem areas’ in the original house, which for these clients were kitchen, dining, laundry, and lounge.

First up, the kitchen.  The original kitchen at Will street wasn’t particularly old.  I’d say it was put in in the early 1990’s and was light, bright, cheap and cheerful.  Given the level of quality, it was probably quite reasonable that it needed replacing 20 years later – the main issue was the size.  It was tiny, and totally enclosed except for a doorway into the dining area and a doorway into the hallway. 

Also, the fact that it had no pantry, yes you heard it – no pantry, the clients had installed some pantry shelving in front of the doorway into the hallway in order to be able to store food actually in the kitchen.  The result, a total shambles of course.  The total lack of bench space, food storage, storage for plates, platters and appliances meant that every bit of available space was jammed packed with all the things that didn’t have a home. 

So, with the new kitchen, we targeted the key issues.  First, a kitchen that is totally enclosed, so the new kitchen sits within a corner of the open plan living and dining area.  When extra space is needed in the kitchen, because it is now part of a larger space, it can expand and then contract again to accommodate the spatial requirements.  Secondly, food storage.  This was something that we played with a bit.  Pantries come in all shapes, sizes and configurations, but we settled on a simple 1m wide cupboard configuration which provided maximum space for minimum cost. 

We also got smart and designed a massive wall unit using the standard configurations available from the flat pack kitchen company who did the kitchen.  This saved us thousands on custom joinery.  The builder built the wall unit into the wall for us for only $220, so we have the custom look without the custom price tag !

So, now to the existing dining area.  The main issue – no surprises here.  Enclosed on three sides, which we have already discussed is very inflexible, and too small !

The solution was to design a much larger space which sits within an open plan area.  This not only gives the illusion of more space, but actually provides a larger, more flexible space, which again can be made larger or smaller to suit the need. 

These days, sometimes the only flat space to do anything on is the dining table, meaning that many of us have the nightly ritual of cleaning all the accumulated stuff off the dining table so we can set the table and eat dinner.  Will street was no exception to this, with the dining table used for everything from homework to planning their extension !  Hopefully, the new island bench in the kitchen will also provide some additional flat space for homework and all the other uses for a table top.

Thirdly, and probably what I considered to be the room with the biggest space issues, the laundry.  The existing laundry consisted of a door in, a door out, the world’s ugliest laundry sink, and a space for the washing machine.  That’s it.  So for a family of four, it really just didn’t cut it.  The solution was to give the owners a much bigger space, one with natural light, with a full length bench top, a full height storage cupboard, and as much storage as we could squeeze into it, not to mention a few handy storage cupboards for the sorting and storing of washing in it’s various stages. 

Still a work in progress as we speak with cupboards being installed, but you be the judge – better ?  We think so.

We think the back of the house is a bit of an improvement as well.

So what is the problem area at your place ???