8 Weeks to Go (Fingers Crossed!)

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Casa Almora. I have just returned from the latest architect meeting where we learnt of the next steps in the process of getting this build on its way. There is about one month left of detailed drawings to do then one month of engineering. During these eight weeks, the plans go back to council for a second amendment so they can ensure the detailed drawings align with their approved plans. We haven't changed anything too drastically, and the architects assure us that there is no room for objection. So, if all goes well in the next eight weeks - that is, decisions are made efficiently - we will be organising a builder in April, if not May. The build itself is estimated to be nine months long. Finally some short term time frames!

At this very meeting, we again discussed the endless nooks and crannies of the plans. Well, not quite. But it certainly seemed that way. The first point in need of consideration and confirmation was the fridge. Our kitchen joinery has a wall of seemless cabinets that discretely house two single fridges that will in effect become a dual-door fridge. This photo was our interior architect’s inspiration:

I like it, but I want to see shaker panel doors. Our fridge will be hidden behind two cupboard fronts, and a third will be a full-length normal cupboard. It took my mum a while to comprehend that we have to use special 600mm deep fridges versus your standard fridge that juts out 150mm from the joinery. If we had a standard fridge, the seamless design would be, well, not seamless, and the walkway would be crimped. She eventually approved the design when the architect suggested moving the fridge back to the pantry: a big turn off. 

The kitchen island is designed to accommodate the stove top and drawers. We plan on installing a gas stove that is flush with the counter; this will allow the cook to glide the pot straight onto the hobs without lifting it up. However, having the stove in the island brings about an issue with the range hood. We don’t want a range that will obstruct the sight lines out of the kitchen, and we don’t want a conventional, boxy range, either. Our latest and greatest idea is to have a range hood that is flush with the ceiling. (See this link for more http://www.condari.com.au/products/thermidor/). I believe it is made by QASAIR which is a really good brand for range hoods, according to our architect. Hopefully this is the one we install (or similar), because it wont fight with the ceiling pendant we will hang over the dining table. Ultimately the architects want to be sure the range we install is strong enough and reliable, otherwise we might end up with brown stains on the ceiling. Ew. 

One of the architects proposed an island design that aesthetically appeared as a piece of furniture. You can see it in this 3D elevation:

It's a little too contemporary for my liking. The drawers float, and the legs extend out to create a “table” which is really the breakfast bar. I understand it's meant to be a design statement and contribute to the airiness of the room but I personally don't like the double table look. You can see a dining table example in the elevation and it looks funny to me. I imagine a normal kitchen island with shaker panel profiles. I won't give up with these shaker panels!!

In the 3D rendering you can also see the East wall with the three cupboards and shelf, but it's missing the skylights that run straight above that wall. You can see them in this 2D elevation, the dashed rectangles above the grey:

The skylights, or "roof windows", run the entire length of the kitchen/dining/living extension on the East side. Our house in its pre-renovated condition is very dark, so the more light we include the better. I need to remember to ask if the skylights can be opened, hopefully they are. You'll also notice in the elevation above the low joinery on the left and the beam (one of two). The low joinery is designed to extend straight from the kitchen down to the end of the living room; thus creating some contemporary form of a dining room buffet and media unit in the living room. I'll like it if the drawers are shaker panelled and stone topped.

The beams, we have decided, will be exposed. Not only is this the more affordable option but it will add architectural interest to the room. I said to the architect I was worried they would dictate the space in terms of centring furniture and light fittings between the beams but she reassured me that the beams were positioned in the space so that there was enough room between them to have comfortable furniture layouts and centre lights accordingly. You can see this in the floor plan and 3D rendering below:

Seeing this elevation above makes me question the necessity (and aesthetics) of the low joinery in the dining area. Maybe that space should be reserved for free standing furniture. It might be nice to have a break from the joinery and help zone the spaces. 

I'm still concerned about the asymmetry of the kitchen. You can see in the drawings below and above that the range hood is not centred on the island, nor is the stove top. But I think this will be resolved if the range hood is the aforementioned QASAIR flush one, and the stove top is sunken into the counter. You can also see the proposal for having the joinery 150mm clear above the floor, which we actually haven't yet rejected or approved, but I think we're likely to stick with floor-fixed island. This drawings also depicts the skylight positioning; titled in the pitch of the ceiling to match the angle of the roof. 

The second drawing below is the kitchen wall with the marble. It's the only wall of balanced symmetry in the kitchen. We're going to have two ovens underneath the counter but I worry this decision will be regretted when the parentals grow old and have to bend down to pull the roast out of the oven. If I had it my way I'd have two wall ovens. Who knows what we'll end up with. This kitchen always seems unresolved in one way or another. 

There is a theme of marble that runs throughout the house. Carrara marble to be exact. It’s on the kitchen counters, the walls and even in the powder room. Whether it stays in all these places or is replaced with more affordable quartz stone I am not sure, but I like it, probably more so on the walls than the kitchen counters. It's an impractical work surface according to my research and I would be in a constant panic that a spill would cause a permanent stain. It's probably easier to have it on a wall and admired as art. It seems a little exuberant to have marble in a toilet. That's rich coming from me (the girl who wanted, and still wants, a wrapping paper station in the store room), but that's in effect what the room is! Nothing more, nothing less.

In the powder room the marble is supposed to be on the lower half of the wall, underneath the mirror and the basin. I don't know... I always just imagined nice tile designs in all of the bathrooms, including the powder room. You might recall the designs I like; I've blogged about my favourite tiles before! We're now going to install the faucets on the basin rather than on the mirror, just in case the plumbing has to be accessed the mirror won't need to be removed. 

The above drawing is the bathroom downstairs, the one my sister and I will be sharing. It's adjacent to the laundry and powder room. This layout has always been the same since council if I remember rightly. What we changed was the functionality of the space, basically. The shower was crimped to create a random nook/niche/nooche (I made that last one up) on the outside for reasons unknown to me. I didn't like it at first because I thought my shower was too small, but it's at least 1000mm wide (a metre) and from memory 1400mm length wise. It's decent. Its setup will prevent the vanity jutting up against the shower screen glass, which probably makes for cheaper glass installation seeing as it will only be one simple panel. But I want a shower door. It will contain the water, simple.

The vanity was the subject of great discussion. I think I blogged about it being a basic strip of counter with inadequate storage space, i.e. cupboards underneath, which was a definite no-no because drawers are SO much more efficient in space use and functionality. So I asked for drawers, at least one each for my sister and I, and two sinks. No one could agree on the two sinks so we have an above-counter trough sink with two taps. I'd prefer separate, of course, but then the drawer storage situation becomes less and less and less to make room for more plumbing. I'm just following what the architect has to say for this one. She included a tall built-in storage cupboard in the bathroom which is perfect, so I don't really have to complain. I don't have a 3D rendering to show you of the bathroom, but the vanity at the moment is floating and I'm hoping we can get away with a floor-fixed vanity because I'm not a fan of the floating look. Maybe I'll end up with more storage. 

We also had the window by the bath enlarged by double its original size because it wasn't making great use of the real estate that wall provided. Now there will be more natural light in the bathroom.

In the laundry room we're opting to keep our top loader washing machine rather than buy a new front loader to gain bench space. The idea of bench space was to fold laundry. In my family, your laundry is thrown into a basket for you to fossick through (until you find half your wardrobe you've been missing for the last who-knows-how-long). Nobody folds laundry except their own. How selfish. So, we are just sticking to the 400mm deep counter top that is above the three tilt laundry hampers that you can see above. Then there will be six shelf slots above the counter. There will be a sink on the opposite wall, with a cupboard underneath for cleaning products, then the washing machine and dryer. 

Once a living room, then a study, now wasted space disguised as a library is our "Reading Nook". Sorry to be cynical, but I don't see this space being used except to catch dust. I wish my parents would leave the actual nook (where the built-in shelves are) as a nook, so that there's room for at least a writing desk for someone to set up a laptop. It looks odd with that lonesome armchair just plonked by the wall. It could be livened up with a knock-out, giant piece of art on that wall instead.

This ensuite bathroom - floor plan above - stresses me out. We have issues with windows, with toilet placement, with mirrors and it should be so simple. This bathroom needs to have as many windows as possible. One parent has major claustrophobia and cannot, I repeat, cannot handle being in a room with minimal to no windows at eye level. As it is drawn right now, there is one. In the toilet. Yes, there are two major skylights, but more windows in the walls are required. The frustrating thing is, we had council approve the original design with a big window in the wall where the vanity is now. The new redesign saw the window be covered up with a mirror. The architects have now said they're going to try and put a window in either side of the vanity and perhaps one in the shower. But that's after we swap the toilet with the shower because my parents are self-conscious concerned about the flush noise of the toilet going down the pipe that is adjacent to the wall with the middle entrance. And God forbid, guests might hear you flush. Apologies for my cynicism, but I suppose if it can be avoided then why not, it's probably best to. 

Roof window and the window by the W.C. 

My parents wanted a huge WIR that was equal in storage distribution and generous in storage solution. And it is. It's also practical. There's an ironing board built in to the wall. The shoe storage module holds up to 70 pairs of shoes, a system made by Elfa. To fit this in, the wardrobe got enlarged slightly as each module is 600mm. This had a knock on effect with the adjacent master bedroom and balcony. 

So the bedroom got pushed along 300mm which increased the wardrobe space, but added to the overhang of the second storey above the living room downstairs. The overhang was originally designed to be a screened balcony - screened because of council regulations. Otherwise, the windows would have to be opaqued 1.7m from the floor. Now my parents are second-guessing the "balcony" with its 1.7m tall screen fencing and wonder whether it will just be a dirt collector. It has always been too shallow for a table and chairs so it's basically pointless. If they remove it completely, the overhang will reduce significantly, and the budget will be slightly relieved, but the windows will have only 30cm of clear glass right at the top. 

 Despite the glass issue on the North wall, the East wall window will have clear glass because it's up high, designed to be above the bed (see below). There's two more windows on the opposite wall, but I think they're 1.7m of opaque glass. The ceiling is vaulted to create a greater sense of space, and there's a bulk head to create a recess for a chest of drawers on the South wall. 

In the upstairs living room there's windows on the South, West and East walls. My claustrophobic parent wanted a fourth window on the North wall. But the architects said that was too much. I reminded everyone that too many windows would restrict furniture placement. This room has a raked ceiling, so it will also have an added sense of space. It gets a balcony as well, but this one is nicer as it won't have the 1.7m screen fencing due to its South facing position not looking into neighbouring yards. 

The architects still think it's bizarre we want to divert visitors to the side door or "Middle Entrance". I don't think they have faith in our idea. I admit, I didn't. But Mum came up with a solution, probably one of her best ideas for this project thus far, I kid you not. Her idea; drum roll please... A small, brass, engraved sign, affixed to the original "Front Door" graved with a kind message, ushering guests to the side door. It's so simple! I don't know how I'd feel about hawkers going down the side of the house. Actually, I do know. I'd hate it. I think we need an intercom system at the front gate, which is your regular picket fence sort of gate, not a wrought iron 10ft tall gate, so it might be a bit funny, OR have the sign say "No Hawkers", then hopefully they'll skedaddle.  

I'll leave you with two more 3D renderings of the living extension. It's pretty cool.

So that's it from me for now. Another meeting in two weeks which I don't think I'll be in attendance for, but nonetheless these plans finally have a visible horizon line in the distance. 

Wishing you all a fantastic Friday 

XO

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Housekeeping notice

I just wanted to let my readers know of a few updates to the Casa Almora website. 

Firstly, I have corrected the embarrassing appalling spelling mistakes throughout my most recent blog. Eventually I will make my way through the older blogs and spell check those too. Unfortunately the Blogger set-up for writing the actual blog text doesn't include a spell-check system so sometimes I miss errors accidentally. But, I was very fortunate to receive a new laptop for Christmas and it has spell-check built-in for all platforms so as I type this on Safari I am being corrected as I go. So from hereon out I should significantly reduce the amount of typos. 

Secondly, I have updated the comments system on the blog so that you don't have to be a Google+ member to comment. Now anyone is welcome to leave a (positive) comment or question. Please be kind :) These will be monitored nonetheless, and I will do my very best to reply to you. 

Thirdly, I have applied for advertisements to be shown on this blog, so some time in the near future you will see ads on the sidebar. Hopefully they will relate to the contents of my blogs, so they may be of interest to you. If they don't suit, I will remove them.

Thank you to the readers who have been sharing this blog with their friends! The views are pumping! If you want to set up notifications for when a new blog is posted you simply enter your email address into the bar titled "Blog Notifications via Email", located below the "About Me" section on the right.

Hope you have all enjoyed the New Year! I can't wait to see Almora's process as the year progresses.

XO

Interior Architecture

It's been a couple of months since I've needed to update Casa Almora. The thing with renovating is that it is a long, detailed, tedious process (ha! Just like this blog) that requires a significant amount of commitment and time in order to achieve the final vision. And that's just planning. Still in the planning stages we are, but with each blog post you know we are moving forward to construction. At the pace we've been going lately there hasn't been anything new and exciting to share, and this is also due to my absence from the last handful of meetings due to my final exams. I get a vague low-down from my parents about the meetings I didn't go to but they're never in enough detail and sometimes frustrate me because I didn't get to provide my insight in key areas. Since I've finished Year 12, I have a lot more time on my hands and I was able to to go to last week's meeting.

We were told the finish date is likely to be in 12 months time. This time frame depends on so many details and could probably be achieved with quick decision making. Unfortunately the owners of this project (my parents) are not snap decision makers. Unlike me, my parents are still deciding what they love. I on the other hand know what style and aesthetic I like. Sadly this isn't my house so I can't give the final word on everything, but I definitely have a voice. We all want this house to be perfect so every decision is thought out, discussed, debated, rejected, accepted, rejected again basically until there is a mutual agreement by both my parents and the architects. (And me occasionally. *Smiles*).

The architects who have been working on our particular project have changed throughout the process. We've always had one of the directors and a junior designer. Now we have the second director of the firm and a more senior architect who is also the firm's most skilled in interior architecture. She is now the head of the project, and I hope she stays! This change makes sense considering we are designing the interior, prior to going to tender (hiring a builder).

We began the meeting discussing mine and my sister's wardrobes. As per usual, and as expected I would presume now, I produced my own designs for this. Luckily, the interior architect hadn't drawn up any plans for these two rooms. She asked me to explain my drawings and I did so happily. I really wanted to convey my desire for excessive storage and organisation. Like a lot of my designs, if I'm honest, it is probably quite elaborate. (I have shared these plans before but I have altered them slightly.) For example, I have a pull-out scarf rack  ("A what?", you say.) Just a little shorter than a door, and only about 15cm wide, this feature is intended to comprise a number of rods that will be utilised as scarf hangers. Beyond this I included myriads of drawers rather than shelves because I don't like the exposed look and I want to be able to pull the storage out for convenience. There's a massive (70cm x 200cm) mirror which is a necessity in a wardrobe, really. I hope I have enough hanging space because I prefer to hang most of my clothes rather than fold them. There's about three wide shoe shelves that will be adjustable, and the top shelves which are out of human reach will be for (nice) boxes, or baskets. I specified thick shelf profiles of approximately 3cm because I want them to look substantial, and I also asked for crown mouldings atop all of the cabinetry. The interior architect thought it would look nicer without these because of the contemporary look of the extension with its clean lines, but I ultimately asked to keep them. (Don't fret, the extension is not intended to be, so hopefully will not be, overly contemporary. But it will be clean and simple.) I have a fireplace jut in my wardrobe and our plan is to plasterboard it so it won't be functional, but to perhaps cut out a shelf insert to make use of otherwise wasted space. We have to ask the builder's opinion on this however. 

We proceeded to discuss the downstairs bathroom which is ultimately going to be used by my sister and I. The vanity was the main focus as it originally housed one sink and only a surface for storage. Not my idea of a bathroom vanity. So I changed it. Now it is designed to accommodate two vessel sinks (above counter sinks in order to catch splashes) along with drawers underneath, ideally two each for my sister and I. I said no to cupboards because that is what we have currently and they're not used because they're awkward to retrieve items from. The mirrors above the sinks are going to have built in storage behind them. Am I making my family sound like hoarders? Storage, storage, storage. Moving on from storage, the shower is going to have a skylight which is such a great addition because it actually improves the lighting in the bathroom dramatically. The architect wanted to confirm the glass panels on all of the walls in the bathroom. At this my jaw dropped. Who ever agreed to glass panels? If your style is favourable of coloured glass wall panels that is okay, but mine is not. My sister and I envision beautiful tiles on the floor and walls, installed in a customised pattern, with varied tiles to create borders on these areas. We want it to be interesting and probably unlike what most tile installations are today. I told the interior architect our inspiration was Sarah Richardson and she wrote her name down in order to research the look. My parents wanted the glass because of the minimal grout. They have trouble imagining things sometimes, and obviously an even harder time imagining this room with translucent glass panels. Thankfully the interior architect said tiles would be cheaper. Hallelujah. Now we're getting tiles.

In the powder room adjacent the bathroom a WC and sink will be comprised. The vanity is going to be covered in stone, probably Caesarstone, and have a full wall mirror. I looked at the vanity and thought, where is the toilet paper going? So I asked this question and the interior architect was sort of caught off guard and realised the feature vanity wasn't actually practical. But because everyone loved the vanity so much, we decided to move the WC along slightly (this powder rooms is quite generous) and install a cupboard beside it to store toilet paper, etc. It's going to have a sliding door and a lock, the latter at my request. The laundry across the hall is pretty standard, except it has three laundry baskets in pull-out drawers, and a massive wall of shelves above. The baskets are for blacks, whites, and colours. Isn't that pragmatic?

Floors were discussed briefly. We currently have baltic pine in the heritage part of the house which is very typical of Victorian cottages. It's in pretty good condition so it is probably going to stay, regrettably. I don't like the look of contrasting floor boards. It's so obvious that the front part of the house is heritage and the back is new. If we're going to install dark Tasmanian Oak floors, which is what my mum wants, then do it down the hallway and in the store room too! They're the only parts of the heritage house that will have exposed floorboards and are relatively small in square footage. If it is cohesive flooring, it will be a cohesive transition between the old and new, not an in-your-face stop-start transition. It doesn't need to be like that because it is already so obvious.

In the plans there is this weird space in the middle of the house. It's adjacent to the middle entrance (the entrance guests are supposed to use but probably won't because the heritage door at the front of the house is used as the front door at every other house and therefore will probably be commonly mistaken for the front door at our house. Makes sense?). We call it a study, but it's just "space". It has bookshelves and is probably just over a metre wide in all. Maybe we will put a small antique desk in there, except now the nook where I thought this was going to be has been filled with book shelves because their original position jutted out too much into the "space". I am all for the space, but I want it to have a function and fit a desk comfortably, i.e. move the shelves back to their old spot, just making them shallower.

Contrary to what I first thought, the kitchen is relatively large. So much so, the wall facing the living room isn't going to have overhead cupboards. In fact, no wall is. Initially this sounded ridiculous and annoying to me because I thought it would be nice to have glass overhead cabinetry for displaying the nice china or glassware. However this stuff can go in the built-in (or free-standing, TBD) buffet in the dining area. The said wall is designed to have a feature stone slab installed, such as Carrara marble. Marble is an absolute fortune and in some kitchens impractical as a preparation surface. It makes sense to use it as a feature, to make a statement on an otherwise bare wall, keep it in good condition, and then have plain counter tops in white Caesarstone. On the perpendicular wall, the west boundary wall to be specific, will be the double fridges, a tall cabinet, the sink and the dishwasher. It will be a long stretch of counter space, but not with overhead cabinets. Rather, the architect has put in a single shelf as long as the counter. I don't like this feature, mainly because it looks too industrial in the plans and reminiscent of a restaurant kitchen, hence industrial. That shelf will not stay tidy at all. At all. I think it's going to look messy and should be replaced with cabinets. Glass or not glass, just put in cabinets. The shelf looks cheap, honestly. Below the intended shelf is a metal splashback. My first thoughts were, "Boring, what happened to the tiles?" Then my mum told me it's pressed metal, not plain stainless steel which would have added to the industrial look no one specified as a requirement in the brief. Pressed metal would be pretty, hopefully not too busy or clashing with the marble. I think it should be marble, to carry on with the look on the other wall. It wouldn't need to be marble to the ceiling, just the height of a standard splashback. It would look, again, more cohesive. Shaker profile doors were not mentioned but they will be eventually. I was beginning to get anxious I was giving my opinion too often so I started to hold back. But I really wanted to give my two cents worth. I also wanted to ask for wooden joinery inside the drawers and cupboards because it looks more solid and better quality rather than engineered plastic. The stove top is going in the island. At the moment it's pushed to the side to create an asymmetrical look, and over the other side in the opposite corner a small breakfast bar is located. From the living room you see the asymmetry and I don't really like it. Maybe I would if I saw the renderings with the shaker profile doors. What is also really offensive (sorry not sorry) is the range hood. It's the blessed HVAC pipe again. But twice as many! A double HVAC pipe disguised as a range hood. It is so not pretty. My parents want a feature range hood over the island not a standard one. We like one from Elica that resembles a light fitting but it might not be strong enough, so we are still researching. But there is no way those two chimney pipe things are going in the kitchen. On the wall with marble feature there will be normal benches that will house the two wall ovens. These will be 60cm wide and placed side by side in the centre. I wonder if there should be two tall cabinets flanking this particular bench space or if it would look odd with the asymmetry in the island? I also need to bring up next time contrasting the island colour in ebony to the rest of the cabinets in white.

The living room will require a configuration of beams. One option is to have two of them jut down from the ceiling and run from boundary to boundary. This is the cheaper option. Or, at a small fortune, hide those beams, and only show a metre of them above the media unit / buffet / long stretch of kitchen bench wall. This option would have them run between the skylights also above this area. I like the latter option of course. It is more aesthetically pleasing. The first is okay, but it dictates where the furniture below goes because otherwise some pieces like the dining table or even the light above the table might seem off-centre if not place right in the middle of the beams.

The stairs are still open tread, but the spine is now either side of the treads, not hidden which would have ben really cool and also about $15k. So the more affordable solution is going to be installed. The architect played around with the gradient of the stairs, as one of my parents wants it to be a gradual incline up the stairs, not a steep, uphill hike. Except when it's the gradual gradient, the stair case is much longer and almost ramp-like. I'm not sure which gradient we will settle for. The balustrade is no longer a glass wall, it is just transparent (acceptable) glass panels at standard balustrade height with a rail on the wall. Hopefully the stairs will be made form the same wood as the floor boards. 

In the upstairs living room and master bedroom the ceilings will be vaulted to give the impression of space. In both bathrooms the ceiling height is dropped to 2400mm or 2.4m or 40cm higher than a door. This doesn't bother me because it's a bathroom and I don't really have much more of a reason to give you. It's a bathroom. It's not a grand living room. Anyway it bothers my parents. Nothing can be done about it anyway, it was designed that way so the upstairs extension can't be seen from the street - a requirement of our local council. We're still playing around with the configuration of the ensuite bathroom upstairs because there is a cabinet in the middle of the room that seems awkwardly placed. I think it's unnecessary considering the bench space in that bathroom is long and there is like 2.5m of cupboards right outside the door for towels, etc. I'll inform you of its confirmed configuration.

The master bedroom's walk-in-robe is going to have a small pull-out ironing board. Isn't that cool? This was a request of my mum who is obsessed by ironing. It's rubbing off on me and the interior architect offered me one too. I don't know if I should say yes, though. If it doesn't take up too much space then sure.

There's still lots to go over. I have a list of things I want to bing up, such as the store room - I want to ask for my wrapping paper station but I'm scared I'll get laughed at or be told it's too extravagant even though I'm dead serious about it and believe it's totally practical. My parents didn't seem too opposed to the idea either. We have to confirm the windows in the upstairs living room and how far they open and a few other key areas that haven't been 100% refined but there was definite progress at this meeting. I really like our new duo of architects. Our interior architect was really good at moving things along, and offering different, practical ideas. I can't wait to go to next week's meeting - here's hoping it doesn't get changed - so that I can bring up those other points and maybe we will finish the interior design. What do you think?

Thanks for your loyalty everyone

XO

P.S. In an old post I said we have a fig tree out the front, but I have been instructed by my parents to correctly inform you it is actually a quince tree.

Planning Permit Approval

Over one year ago, on the 6th of September 2013 to be exact, our family obtained the keys to Almora. After a few months of designing we submitted our plans to council on the 21st of March. Three months passed and it was June 2nd; we received the news none of the neighbours had objected the plans. Then fast forward to today, 22nd September, and we have officially received the permit to begin building!

I am amazed at how long the council process took: 26 weeks. We were told three to six months was the time frame for council, and we were optimistic that we would be  at the lower end of the estimation, but alas, that wasn't meant to be.

 

Our next step is to go to tender, sort out the builder and confirm the interior design. This should happen within the next few weeks.

 

This permit is a major milestone and achievement and surely indicates that construction really isn't too far away. I wish I could share a date with you now, but hopefully this will be decided shortly.

 

~

Here is an update of some of the little things we've done for Almora in between council submission and approval.

Considering the earth in Almora's back yard is incredibly nutrient-rich (do you recall the jungle photos?) we are taking advantage of the large garden whilst we still have it. We don't have a garden at our current house and the garden at Almora will probably shrink in half when we extend. At the moment, we're growing a wee veggie patch and successfully harvesting winter vegetables. The lemon tree is overflowing with lemons and the fig tree at the front was doing the same before winter came. I am growing a bed of mixed flowers (above). I took three packets of seeds and scattered them all over my little square. I am hoping to let them grow wild and fill out the entire bed.

I saw this house in the Sunday paper a few weekends ago. It's a house in Armadale (46 Stuart Street) and you can find it here: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-armadale-117713735. It caught my eye initially because of its heritage beauty. But I also adore the simple, white colour scheme of the exterior, especially the way it contrasts with the greenery of the garden.

Two weekends ago we went oven shopping. Or more like oven browsing. One of my parents is desperate to buy the oven, mainly because they are the primary cook in our house so it's exciting, and also so that we can design the kitchen around it. I was trying to convince my parents that a stand-alone cooker like the one above would be the way to go. I like the way it would be the focal point of the kitchen and appear substantial. This particular oven/stove top is very linear. It would fit perfectly with the shaker-panel doors (they're linear too) and the contemporary-style floating stairs. Rounded features are limited, otherwise they would lend the oven to a softer, more traditional context. 

I follow a myriad of interior designers and decorators on Instagram. The above photo is basically my vision as an interior decorator. It looks like heaven! Can I please have Lindsay's job? Or at least work for Sarah Richardson (Lindsay's boss)??

 Here is some work from Sarah Richardson Design. I love the patterned tile designs above the bath and on the kitchen splashback. I also love the way a range of different tiles are used in the far right bathroom. Soon the bathrooms and kitchen in Almora will begin to be designed, and you can bet your bottom dollar this design team's work will be a massive influence.  

That's it from me for today! Thanks for checking back. I hope you're looking forward to seeing the demolition and construction finally begin.
XO

Ideas for Interior Design

As you are aware from my last post, the council signed off on our plans and have moved us to the 'advertising process'. In this period we are basically notifying all of the neighbours that we are going to renovate, and they are given the opportunity to lodge an objection to our plans. Hopefully nobody objects, but if somebody does, the council decides whether to consider the objection seriously. Otherwise, we get the all-clear! When this is acheived (I clarified avec ma mère) we go back to the architects and decide on all of the interior details - side note, I say YES this job could hypothetically be given to an Interior Designer. When finalised, we can present the plans to potential builders to depict what we want to build. We have to decide on all of the intricate details now so that the builder doesn't build something to their own preference due to vague information.

I have compiled a selection of Interior Design photos that I love, and are my latest inspiration for Almora. I have 3,077 photos to date in my "Interior Design" folder, so some serious culling of images has just occured for this post. These looks you're about to see are yet to be approved by my parents, AKA the mortgage payers, but some design advice will hopefully push them in the right direction. From what I gather, we are all on the same page in terms of an overall traditional look with some contemporary elements. So, a transitional style; "Transitional style is a marriage of traditional and modern furniture, finishes, materials and fabrics. The result is an elegant, enduring design that is both comfortable and classic." (from http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/204463/list/Transitional-Style--A-Bit-of-Modern-and-Traditional)

Bathroom

Now, I'm not sure if this sort of detail is required in the plans, or if this is communicated to the tiler on the day of installation. Nevertheless, I believe in playing up pattern. That means layering patterns (contrary to what many people believe) and changing up the norm "subway look", like with a play on the herringbone layout below. This pattern is reminiscent of the classic checked pattern of black and white tiles, and is made unique with the variations in the finish of the marble. Love it!

Source: http://www.georgicapond.com.au/about/faq/

Again, I don't think wall paper choices need to be conveyed in the plans, but still I want to share my inspiration. Here we have large scale, busy pattern in a small room (powder room). Interior Designer Sarah Richardson preaches that bold pattern can be applied to a small room, because the overall intake is actually quite small. I think it would be fun to  be adventurous with pattern and wallpaper. Too many people are not!

Source: http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/portfolio/sarahs-house-4/powder-room

Recently my mum and I visited Schots Home Emporium - a furniture and homewares store that specialises in traditional design. (NB: not a brand deal).  They have a really nice range of bathroom fittings, like the faucet below. I am obsessed with this style of tap. It is so American, and I love the ornate, sculpted look. It is a complete opposite to your typical plain-Jane, squared tap... I believe the finished look of a room shouldn't appear as though it came straight out of a single catalogue. There should be unique pieces, elements that aren't ordinary (but not weird) like this tap so that the room looks custom-made.

The following three photos are my own orginial photography.

I see this style of bath tub in lots of American bathrooms. I'm bored with plain bath tubs. I love the sculpted façade with the ribbed edges and base. 

 I couldn't establish whether or not the counter top on this vanity was genuine marble or not. Either way, it's a pretty neat option. I love the shaker doors, the drawers down the middle, and the sufficient counter space. The curved cut-out on the base prevents the vanity from looking too boxy.

Once again, tile pattern in the bathroom, but continued up the wall. Patterns can definitely clash if they aren't thought out properly. I love the idea of having three different tile arrangements in the bathroom. The first being on the floor, similar to the layout in the photo on the right, with the stone laid in strips, separated by narrower strips. This option is great for combining cheaper tile with expensive tile. It is a cost-effective solution for achieving a high-end look with quality tile, but not blowing the budget just on the floor. Using a more accessible large-scale tile and separating it even with a standard small-scale tile can make the floor look totally designer. The second pattern on the wall should probably be least fussiest in arrangement. Often designers opt for a simple paint job rather than tiling every inch of the walls, becuase it is quite expensive to do so and unnecesary for some areas to be fully tiled. For the third, if the floor is fairly pared back in terms of pattern business, and the walls are plain, then you can have fun with a feature wall. Now I use that term carefully because I don't mean a block colour one one wall, with the other three white. I take reference from the tiled niche in the right photo. In mine and my sister's bathroom, we want the main feature pattern to go in the shower. We also really admire the marble wall tiles in a honeycomb arrangement in the left photo.

(left) Source: http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/portfolio/by-room?room_type=9

(right) Source: http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/portfolio/sarah-101-season-2/refreshed-master-bath

When building a house, lots of people opt to have the same cabinetry from the kitchen in the bathrooms too. I have never been keen of this concept because (I know this is strange) I think of it as if you would preparing food in the bathroom. I think it is just my subconscious pathetic excuse to explore two different cabinetry designs. I reckon I could get by with the same cabinetry, but different paint or stain finishes in the kitchen and bathroom. Nevertheless, I really like the custom Art-Deco inspired vanity by Sarah Richardson below. I love the patterns in the wood, don't you?

Source: http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/design-team/sarah-richardson

 Bedroom

These two photos are more for decorating inspiration. I am not against a neutral foundation finished with colour and pattern. Although I want to be brave and have "colour commitment" somewhere, sometimes tastes change, and a good way to be economical in preparation for this potential change is to let the expensive stuff be neutral (this goes for every room, really), such as fixed cabinetry, expensive furniture, and window dressings. The fixed elements should be neutral for re-sale purposes too, but don't completely dismiss your own style and taste if you are going to be living in your house for a while before you sell it! Decoration pieces like lamps, throws, and cushions are inexpensive especially if you buy online, so they can be easily changed up. This allows you to inject some colour and patern and texture into your room. My current bedroom follows this advice, and I intend to continue to maintain that. Except I've noticed I am constantly wanting to upgrade everything - chairs, dressers, linen, cushions... - but I've found out this is a common symptom of Interior Designers. Phew.

(top) Source: http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/portfolio/sarah-101-season-2/kid-free-retreat
(bottom) Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/514677063636836739/ 
 
Interior Doors

My favourite doors are the colonial doors that I describe as "the ones with squares in them". They are classic french doors, have a beautiful aesthetic, and suit traditional styling. I would love to see at least one door like below as an interior door in our house, whether it be in the hallway separating the bedrooms from the main living section of the house, or the door into the second living room.

(left) Source: http://indulgy.com/post/ZNwUpCsG71/bright-white-walls-and-warm-wood-floors-heaven
(right) Source: http://www.amaratimber.co.uk/door-products.php?doorCategory=viewAllInternalGlazed

For the other inteior doors for bedrooms and bathrooms, I would like to see us diverge away from the usual four-panel door, and install five-panel doors or three-panel doors like below. They are still traditional, just a different aesthetic. Also a common American choice. (All I do is rave about America! Don't be surprised when you learn I've moved there in the future.) A few years ago I was reading the blog "The House that A-M Built" and one tip Anne-Maree gave was to use exterior-grade oak doors for internal doors. Not only would they feel substantial when you open and close them (not weak and flimsy), but they would also be better at sound-proofing and insulating the room. Hopefully we can find doors intended for external purposes with a nice aesthetic and use them inside.

Source: http://www.houzz.com/photos/1802361/P-630-Interior-Mahogany-3-Panel-Single-Door-contemporary-interior-doors-tampa 

I am obsessed with American East Coast design, i.e. The Hamptons. One of my favourite TV shows is Revenge because the set design is absolutely stunning.What I really admire about "Grayson Manor" is the black finish on interior doors and windows. I would love to paint our windows and doors like this. Not a matte black paint, but black stain so that you can still see the wood grain underneath. Otherwise, the doors in particular might actually look like exterior front doors. Perhaps just the  windows, front door, middle-entry door, and rear french doors should be black, and leave the other interior doors white? Still musing...

 

(top) Source: http://design-home-house.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/the-revenge-house.html
(below) Source: http://www.thefurnishingtouch.co.za/set-in-stylepart-2series/

Exterior

Again with the Hamptons look, I love this architecture below. Unfortunately, this isn't the style of architecture our house will have, particularly in terms of roof shape. Although, we could still adopt the colour scheme. Light grey, white trim, dark grey roof, black front door. Just not yellow cream. I really like the oval windows, and the french doors on the right photo.

 

 (left) Source: http://www.pinterest.com/anguishm/

(right) Source: http://www.lanegroupinc.com/blog/gallery/

Flooring

The current floor boards in the heritage end of the house are baltic pine. This would be found in almost every heritage house in Australia. I don't have an issue with the pine, becuase I love the grain in each board, and the variations between them. What I dislike is yellow stain. Ew. I prefer a stain that is more of a light brown. The below photo is an American Oak floor, but we could stain our boards the same colour. The extension will most likely be laid with baltic pine flooring. I hope we don't choose another wood all together, becuase the juxtaposition between the two boards would be so obvious (at the moment this is the case, a narrower more modern floor board is in the extension) and would divide the house. We want the extension and original building to flow in unison. Consistent flooring will definitely help with this.

Source: http://www.houzz.com/photos/4354623/New-White-Oak-Character-Grade-traditional-hall-dc-metro

Kitchen

Hamptons kitchens have become popular recently. They didn't use to be so common, but that doesn't deter me from wanting a similar kitchen. I will help my parents design a unique kitchen, classic in aesthetic and modern in function. That should be my tag line. I have expressed my admiration of shaker-panel doors before, so I don't need to reiterate that I want them in the kitchen. A white colour schemr kind of expected. I don't have an issue with that, but I'd be happy to see a contrasting island installed. If we went ahead with the dark stained inner window frames and doors, I reckon, for consistency, we should stain the island the same colour. However, the stain, and this goes for the doors and windows too, must work in harmony with the stain of the floor boards. The two colours cannot be exactly the same, or totally different. I reckon we should draw out a darker variation in the floor board colour and use this for the windows, doors, and island.

Source:  http://newvisionprojects.com/construction-services/kitchen-renovations

For the counter tops I initially liked the idea of carrara marble, but then I learnt about its vulnerabilty to stains and scratches. I thought, it is such an expensive material to use, you don't want it to be ruined! Instead of marble on the counter tops, I reckon we should have a quartz counter top, like Caesarstone. Caesarstone is definitely cheaper than natural stone, but is more durbale than the likes of marble. We could still incorporate marble in the kitchen, just on the backsplash like the photo below. Marble tiles surround a feature pattern above the stove top. The backsplash is less prone to stains than the counter and is a great way to add a fancy design aesthetic that you can see from a distance when standing up.

Source: http://newvisionprojects.com/construction-services/kitchen-renovations

I love the idea of a raised breakfast bar, perhaps on the island. This would shield views of a messy kitchen from the living room. If it isn't too high, it shouldn't separate the room. We want the kitchen/dining/living areas to feel open. In the kitchen photo below, I love the wine fridge tucked into the profile of the bench.

Source: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/3465673/start=563/thumbs/Suzy-s-Inspiration

Living Room

The built in cabinetry in the living room should be an extension of the kitchen cabinets because the room is open and undivided. I think that a gas fireplace would be cozy to have in the living room, flanked by cabinets like the photo below. I love how those cabinets have glass on the top, and solid doors on the bottom without a shallow bench separating them. I really like the idea of keeping the depths the same. The marble surround of the fireplace is beautiful, too.

 Source: http://www.houzz.com/photos/1737707/University-traditional-living-room-dallas

Look up! I adore coffered ceilings. I don't know how likely it is for us to have a coffered ceiling in our living room, or at least somewhere else in the house, but I like to imagine so. I think they are great eye candy for a room. They are an architectural feature, like an American take on the Victorian ceiling rose.

Source: http://rikkisnyder.com/blog

Stairs

You might have seen in the CAD elevations I have shared of the interior, that the stairs are going to be open-tread. All along I have wanted a filled stair case, with treads the same stain as the floor and and white risers. However, due to the narrowness of the house, keeping the stairs open will allow for the house to feel more open too. I was against open-tread stairs because I think they look like a skeleton and they are really contemporary. But they have lead to the transitional style aforementioned. I think a balance of contemporary elements and traditional elements will be nice. As long as there are traditional elements with straight lines to reference the stairs.

Source: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/Stairways

Wardrobe

This wardrobe is the inspiration behind the wardrobe I've designed for my bedroom, which will be reflected to be the wardrobe for my sister's room too. What I admire about the wardrobe below is the colour, the shelves for shoes, the thickness of the shelves, the shaker drawers, the counter space with a mirror, and the high shelves and cupboards. I think a chandelier would be glam too. I will continue the carpet from the bedroom into the warbrobe for continuity and put an ottoman in the corner. The wardrobes will have a skinny window for heritage restrictions, so I'll have plantation shutters over it, just like in my bedroom.

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/prismma/wardrobe-design-ideas/

I have included a CAD screenshot I drew up of the high (off-centre) window in my room with my headboard and bedside tables drawn in for reference, as well as my wardrobe designs. The last shutter on the right is the fake.

Original design created by me, Suzy Rose.

This concludes my interior inspiration for Almora. I hope you've learnt something new and enjoyed musing over some of my favourite photos!

Happy weekend all
XO

Council approved our plans!!

The title says it all! Today, Monday, June 2nd, 2014, the town planning coordinator said that we can move to 'advertising'. This means that council is happy to approve our proposed plans, considering the locals are happy too. So it's not quite 100% approved yet, but very very soon this will be the case.

Advertising involves displaying the permit for the proposed additions out the front of our house, which outlines what the renovation is, i.e. extension to current dwelling. If I am not mistaken, advertising is for two weeks. In this period neighbours have the opportunity to lodge objections. Council decides whether or not a complaint (if any - ideally none) is worth taking further. From what I've heard, a lot of complaints are stupid and don't have much ground to stand on considering plans are within the guidelines of council. One of our neighbours said that there is a neighbour around the corner (so really, not directly impacted at all) who objects to a lot of plans because she wants the local area to remain unchanged. What I say is, all that anyone will see from the street is the outside of our house from the front. Considering this council is so strict on keeping the facades untouched, the look of the local area won't be dramatically changed by our renovation. The upper level extension even has to be hidden from the street view. I think we are doing the area a favour making our house pretty again. 

Once we get the all clear from council re objections I believe we get final approval. There is a small process of sorting out the nitty-gritty details, like a "walk-through" of the house to decide shelf heights, window designs, faucet types. Well those are the examples I've been given anyway. The proper name escapes me right now. I think it goes in hand with "tendering" which is along the lines of seeking potential builders and discussing their costs. Either way, I think it sounds a lot like what an interior designer decides on and designs for their clients. So it should be right up my alley! We have to go back to the architects for this process. I am not entirely sure if it happens during advertising or after or before final approval or what else, but I am positive I will be learning when very soon.

You might recall the few objections the council initially made about our first submission. My parents went back to the architects to discuss them. The architect sent an email today to the town planner in question. Some of the things we responded with are as paraphrased below (my comments in the brackets):

Issue: That the exterior of the upstairs  addition should match the (ugly unaesthetically pleasing) materials of the west neighbour's second storey.
Response: We do not understand the comment re the materials of the two-storey addition on the west...it is a single storey. 

(They do actually have a two-storey dwelling but it is next door to our garage, not the main house which is only one storey.)

Issue: That the two-storey addition is too close to the heritage roof line.

Response:  The proposed second storey is some 2.5 metres from the existing roofline...entirely generous! 

(I think they were just knit-picking).

Issue: Move the stairs.

Response:  It is difficult to move the stairs off the boundary; in any case it would need to be one metre off the boundary for building and fire regulations, which would result in the first storey being too narrow. The stair direction minimises impact on west neighbours and street frontage. The proposed configuration allows for northern light and southerly sea-breezes. Internally, it allows for optimal spatial configuration and traffic flow. 

(Oh please,  if you have an issue with these stairs, you try designing the house with the stairs anywhere else but the boundary. If we move the stairs, we re-do the entire floor plan. Trust me, I have experimented with SO many stair configurations for this house and this is the only logical concept!) 

Considering after those responses, along with a few others, were sent to the council today that the town planner responded with "Let's go to advertising", I think it is a very positive outcome. I am quite optimistic that we will achieve final approval within the coming weeks. 

Soon we will be shopping for carpet and tiles and door handles and I seriously cannot wait! 

Happy, happy Monday, I hope all of my readers have a super duper week.

XO