Finally! Finally Almora is in 3D (almost)! This morning we had another meeting at the architecture firm and were shown the latest floor plans and elevations. Not only was it cool to see the changes I proposed last time in a CAD drawing, but to be given a virtual tour of inside the house.
And it was exactly how I imagined.
The interior's joinery (cupboards) are more modern and sleek looking than what I envision (Shaker-style doors throughout - pic below) but I can look past that because I know that's not set in stone.
Source: http://www.channel4.com
What is more likely to be staying modern is the open tread stair. The reason for this is that the narrowness of the house calls for a greater sense of space. This is achieved with steps that have an open riser. Initially I was opposed to the skeletal look and contemporary style. I always imagined a traditional American balustrade, but currently it looks like it will be a glass panel. Now I'm thinking of the stairs as an impressive sculpture, a work of art. It should also bring the contemporary/traditional ratio that I like to 50:50.
Here is one angle of the kitchen and stairs:
See what I mean by the modern kitchen? I think shaker style doors and open tread stairs won't juxtapose too much because of the consistent straight lines and edges. What I really don't like is the cylinder range hood (I think it looks like an exposed ceiling HVAC pipe) and how it hangs alone. It definitely needs to be flanked by overhead cupboards.
This is the view from the kitchen out to the back yard. I love the fan windows above the bifolds, and how the whole end of the living room is glass. You can just see the legs of the pergola on the left.
This is the rear elevation. It looks amazing in colour and in 3D on the computer, but you get the idea with this picture. I was always trying to avoid an asymmetrical look because I thought it would appear lopsided, but the architects have executed it really well. The screen on the first floor is going to be a bit shorter. It has to be incorporated for council regulations - you can't look down into the neighbours' gardens. The architect suggested louvres (amongst other ideas but this stood out the most) and this sort of style sprung to mind:
Source: http://www.homeoptiongallery.com.au/
There might be a second balcony attached to the living room upstairs for a southerly breeze. It might look similar to the one with louvres at the rear. The idea of it is to add more light to the room. And there's also a new window in the kitchen! It was going to be really dark but now there's a full length window just beside the pantry entrance. Speaking of the pantry, it is big. There are shelves on both sides, with counter space, and it manages to accommodate a huge fridge too. The kitchen is a little on the small side (to what we're used to) so storage needs to be maximised.
I am also stoked about the bedroom/wardrobe configuration. Now both bedrooms get a WIR and built-in desk, so floor space shouldn't be an issue.
You can see the massive store room in between that I want to install a wrapping station into. Exuberant, I know. The downstairs bathroom is to the right of bedroom three. The architect had designed it with a wet room (a designated room behind glass for the bath and shower, i.e. a room to spray water absolutely everywhere). And both my parents and I were like, "uh, no." I'd be the one who'd have to wipe that room down! No thank you. I am very happy with a conventional shower and separate bath. It's a modern idea, and if it works for you then so be it, but not for us. So now the shower and bath are on opposite sides of the bathroom, the vanity is inbetween and the WC has stayed in the powder room.
After the meeting I asked one of my parents what they thought of the latest plans, expecting "they were absolutely brilliant. Let's ship them off to council right now!" Instead the response was along the lines of, "It's interesting to see how the architect's made it evolve" and "I'd like them to add some flesh to it" to which I said, "What does that even mean?" Personally, I'm super happy with it and I don't want to drag it out, but it's best to get everything planned to the nth degree now, before it gets too expensive to make changes.
I hope you enjoyed today's blog! This meeting was the best so far, seeing a realistic visualisation of Almora was so, so cool. If you stick around you'll get to see even more.
Happy Vanlentines Day for Friday!
Xo
