I got a quote for a laminate desktop and it was more than I hoped so I'm considering other options. It's a pretty decent length (2.7 metres) so it will have to be pretty sturdy. I am only planning on choosing something white so it probably doesn't matter too much what material I choose but I'll already have timber on the floor so I think I'd prefer to steer away from that.
I also have to buy something for the shelves, which will be a little shorter (1.8 metres to allow for a cupboard on one side) but that should just be a matter of a trip to bunnings. That's a job for this weekend if I have time in between cleaning out the garage and working out where we are going to store everything while the house has plaster dust whirling around everywhere.
On the upside, I've found a whole lot more inspiration including a cute way to keep ribbon handy (see below). I also fell in love with the idea to drape a line from one end of the desk to the other and use mini pegs to pin photographs and other juicy tidbits of inspiration to - so I am the chuffed new owner of 60 mini pegs. Thank you ebay.
9.6.10
Goodbye internal access, hello wall-mounted plasma!
It is just over four weeks till the big R day! We had the carpenter come by last week to go over the plans and nut out the details and we are feeling really pleased with what we came up with.
The floor plan is finalised - hooray! We haven't changed much since I last posted about it but we did make some decisions about the finer details.
One of the things we added to the list was to lose the internal access door from the garage. The wall it's on (adjoining the living room) was partially filled in as a false wall so is going to be rebuilt properly and we're also going to have a small portion cut-out so that we can fit some of the audio visual equipment (dvd recorder etc). The plasma will be wall-mounted above on a movable bracket so that we can swivel and tilt it to our hearts content AND the best part is all the power cords will be hidden behind the wall in the garage. Win win!
We are also going to have insulation put in the wall so hopefully that will buy us an extra degree or two in these cold Winter months.
The floor plan is finalised - hooray! We haven't changed much since I last posted about it but we did make some decisions about the finer details.
One of the things we added to the list was to lose the internal access door from the garage. The wall it's on (adjoining the living room) was partially filled in as a false wall so is going to be rebuilt properly and we're also going to have a small portion cut-out so that we can fit some of the audio visual equipment (dvd recorder etc). The plasma will be wall-mounted above on a movable bracket so that we can swivel and tilt it to our hearts content AND the best part is all the power cords will be hidden behind the wall in the garage. Win win!
We are also going to have insulation put in the wall so hopefully that will buy us an extra degree or two in these cold Winter months.
White & Grey - kitchen colours?
I went to visit the kitchen company last week so I've been scouring the web and magazines for inspiration and I've made a few decisions (I think).
Firstly, I had been considering doing a black and white kitchen to complement the black wall in the sitting room but I've since decided that might be a bit much black and since I'm trying to "open up" the space, I'm better off sticking to lighter colours.
I really love white kitchens but I don't want all white - a lot of the pictures I stashed seem to have white cupboards and drawers with light grey benchtops. I think it would look great to run with that for the island bench and then go all white with a light grey splashback for everything else.
I got a quote to have a ceiling bulkhead installed above the island bench but it was double what I estimated so I've scratched that off the list. It would be great to have some lighting above the island anyway but we know we're going to need to have the electrician come out on two different occasions so we'll probably save that for later.
These are my latest inspirations with the white and light grey.
Firstly, I had been considering doing a black and white kitchen to complement the black wall in the sitting room but I've since decided that might be a bit much black and since I'm trying to "open up" the space, I'm better off sticking to lighter colours.
I really love white kitchens but I don't want all white - a lot of the pictures I stashed seem to have white cupboards and drawers with light grey benchtops. I think it would look great to run with that for the island bench and then go all white with a light grey splashback for everything else.
I got a quote to have a ceiling bulkhead installed above the island bench but it was double what I estimated so I've scratched that off the list. It would be great to have some lighting above the island anyway but we know we're going to need to have the electrician come out on two different occasions so we'll probably save that for later.
These are my latest inspirations with the white and light grey.
23.5.10
Final Floor Decision
It's seven weeks till the start of the big renovation and I'm using this time to finetune the details.
The flooring will go in last but I want to be sure of what we want before any of the work gets started. I was planning to do timber floors in the downstairs living area, tiles in the entry, kitchen and sitting room and carpet in the bedrooms, but I've decided that for a small house, that's too much interuption.
Now I'm chanelling Scandinavian design and planning to put in light timber to all the living/entry/kitchen/hallway areas plus the new second bedroom, and carpet the main and second bedrooms and walk-in-robe.
Much happier with that decision - I think it will flow better and since there's not a lot of natural light, give a feeling of warmth.
The flooring will go in last but I want to be sure of what we want before any of the work gets started. I was planning to do timber floors in the downstairs living area, tiles in the entry, kitchen and sitting room and carpet in the bedrooms, but I've decided that for a small house, that's too much interuption.
Now I'm chanelling Scandinavian design and planning to put in light timber to all the living/entry/kitchen/hallway areas plus the new second bedroom, and carpet the main and second bedrooms and walk-in-robe.
Much happier with that decision - I think it will flow better and since there's not a lot of natural light, give a feeling of warmth.
10.4.10
Renovation Floor Plan
Before I get any further with my ideas for paint colours, fabrics and flooring options, here is the renovation floor plan. It doesn't show where the existing walls are but you can see how it will look when it's finished.
I'm really happy with it so I don't think there will be any changes. I'm not sure I will be able to get the kitchen in straight away so we still have to work out how we're going to handle that while still pulling the walls down...
xo
I'm really happy with it so I don't think there will be any changes. I'm not sure I will be able to get the kitchen in straight away so we still have to work out how we're going to handle that while still pulling the walls down...
xo
7.4.10
Tweaking the renovation plans
So I have the quote back from the carpenter and things are progressing (yay). We're at the tweaking stage; thinking even more carefully about exactly where the new walls are to go and which ones to remove. We want to make sure we get it right and maximise the space in a way that suits our needs but also appeals to potential buyers when we eventually sell.
I think we're about 95% there. I decided to carve a bit of space from the WIR-to-be and put a study nook on the other side. I'm super happy with the idea because the newly created hallway won't be wasted space and the living area with the tv will be far enough away that the study area can be used without it being too noisy. I haven't seen any ideas that quite match what I want but here are bits and pieces that I like.
I am going to ask for a quote to add a window seat at the end of the new living room. I was planning to use that end for the couches/tv but I've decided to swap that with the dining area and I can see already that it will work much better.
However, it led me to re-consider the flooring. I had been imagining carpet because I've heard people say you should at least have carpet in one living area. But I think I will go against the grain (no pun intended) and lay timber laminate or floating floors and just add a nice big rug where the couches will be. I don't want to be stressing about food being dropped and I can only imagine it will happen more than once - there's a step leading from the kitchen to the that area. My first preference would be to go with a light oak or similar but my husband only likes the darker woods so we'll compromise and probably go with a spotted gum or similar - like this.
I think we're about 95% there. I decided to carve a bit of space from the WIR-to-be and put a study nook on the other side. I'm super happy with the idea because the newly created hallway won't be wasted space and the living area with the tv will be far enough away that the study area can be used without it being too noisy. I haven't seen any ideas that quite match what I want but here are bits and pieces that I like.
I am going to ask for a quote to add a window seat at the end of the new living room. I was planning to use that end for the couches/tv but I've decided to swap that with the dining area and I can see already that it will work much better.
However, it led me to re-consider the flooring. I had been imagining carpet because I've heard people say you should at least have carpet in one living area. But I think I will go against the grain (no pun intended) and lay timber laminate or floating floors and just add a nice big rug where the couches will be. I don't want to be stressing about food being dropped and I can only imagine it will happen more than once - there's a step leading from the kitchen to the that area. My first preference would be to go with a light oak or similar but my husband only likes the darker woods so we'll compromise and probably go with a spotted gum or similar - like this.
5.4.10
Back to Black
Yes, I am fully intending to take the plunge and paint a wall (or two) black. Most people I have told think it is a terrible idea but I've seen it done well and I'm hoping to prove them wrong.
My chosen wall is a 6.5 metre wall with a double open doorway through to the second living area. I'm even condsidering painting the ceiling of that room black - although I'm a little worried it could look like a nightclub. The adjoining walls will all be painted white although I may use fabric or timber panneling on one of the end walls too.
I can't remember where I saw the original photo that inspired me to paint a wall black but here are a few recent ones I like.
My chosen wall is a 6.5 metre wall with a double open doorway through to the second living area. I'm even condsidering painting the ceiling of that room black - although I'm a little worried it could look like a nightclub. The adjoining walls will all be painted white although I may use fabric or timber panneling on one of the end walls too.
I can't remember where I saw the original photo that inspired me to paint a wall black but here are a few recent ones I like.
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