Chirp!:

    Showing posts with label living area. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label living area. Show all posts

    Friday, December 27, 2013

    Where the Wild Things Are.

    ha!

    It's just our living area.  Just our living area?  Holy Heck!  I want to live here.

    When I downloaded these photos I took the other day ( like, only after 6months since
    we moved back!
    ), I kept running down from my office to say to the husband:
    "OMG, you should see these pics, I want to live in this house!!!" ..
    I felt like Cindy Crawford when she said "I Wish I Looked Like Cindy Crawford."

    Because, sure this is my house, and yes, I sure do live here and yes, I love love love it ..
    but hell, I cleaned all afternoon on the day I finished work for the year ( the day before
    Christmas peeps .. I haz been busy ) and the kids had to either be in their room or OUTside.

    Normally, the benches have plates and dirty cups on them and the coffee table is covered in Lego.
    The dining table has mounds of newspapers and paperwork.  Yeah, it's quite the picture.

    So finally, here I am again.  Amazed when I realised the last time I felt so free and happy
    was this time last year .. FREE TIME!  Pictures for ME!  Excellent, excellent, excellent..


    livingarea-renovation-hbfotografic-(5)logo

    ^ Coming down the hall into the combined living/cooking/dining area



    livingarea-renovation-hbfotografic-(2)logo

    ^ You might remember I won a prize courtesy of Carpet Court which basically furnished
    this whole room.  Divine, and so very very thankful x 


    livingarea-renovation-hbfotografic-(7)logo

    Shaggy rug from Carpet Court, lighting from Beacon.
    Couch from Domayne, Cushions from Kaz, original print, stools and coffee table from
    Boyd Blue, and original art canvas on the far wall is a Christmas Present to myself from
    my artist friend Clair.


    livingarea-renovation-hbfotografic-(6)logo


    livingarea-renovation-hbfotografic-(4)logo

    The green egg chair is from Replica Furniture in Qld.


    livingarea-renovation-hbfotografic-(8)logo

    It is divine, and I just love that I have finally photographed it.
    Life got pretty busy since we moved in and basically, these holidays are our first chance
    to enjoy it all.


    livingarea-renovation-hbfotografic-(10)logo
    Behind the kitchen is the open entryway to the pantry/laundry. 
    I love the shallow open shelves and how it opens up to my kitchen garden :)


    I am so happy with how it all turned out :)

    Xx
    Lea

    Tuesday, May 28, 2013

    Still Moving.

    We started moving in this Tuesday past.
    AB is working 7days at the moment, so the routine is:

    - drop off kids to school
    - drive to flat
    - up & down stairs until the car is filled
    - back to house, unpacking, cleaning, washing, sorting
    - pick up kids
    - go to flat, lather, rinse, repeat
    - ignore whining
    - afterschool activities
    - arrive home exhausted and realise I need to cook dinner.


    But it's beeee-yooo-ti-ful! 
    I just wish all these boxes would unpack themselves and the flat would clean itself.



    Moving In..


    There's still things to be done .. like my cupboard handles only all went on today, and the
    sparkies were here yesterday doing things.  The splashback needs to be sealed,
    and the bedrooms are sans carpet.

    I love my Escapees cushion above.  Seems apt somehow..


    Moving Day


    Kids are spoilt.  We offset sharing the smallest bedroom in the world by putting a tele
    on the wall for them to play their Minecraft on.  ( I am anti-bunk-bed after (a) having them
    myself as a kid, and (b) having already dealt with a broken arm once in this motherhood,
    I am not going to be tempting that kind of fate again.
    .)


    Getting there..


    And for all those that thought it was a bit weird that my kids shared a QS bed, you'll be
    happy to know they now have their own beds.  I love the red frames with their grey striped linen

    Not sure what's the story with my kid staring at the tap.  He's weird.
    Also: the under-bench kickback thingy yet to arrive..

    Pano Update 28.May


    And a pano after dinner the other night when I sat back and went
    "I freaking love this house, how's the serenity?" ( ignoring the mess )

    Removalists booked to get the last of the furniture out of the flat tomorrow.

    Home Straight.

    Friday, May 03, 2013

    And Now For the Stuff I Really Like ..



    thingsilike


    The things I do like, the colours that come up time and again, the textures and finishes.

    I feel like i'm in an ep of "Who Do You Think You Are" and getting closer to discovering my
    true self ( ha! ).  Too bad my family is just a long line of nutjobs...
    ( and I can say that because i'm not without my ishews too ;)


    L-R on the Clockwise...


    Round Sisal Rug

    It's funny, because i'm sure a lot of dislikes come from my childhood, but then so does my likes. 
    I love sisal.  In the home where I first lived ( as a baby ) we had seagrass matting. 
    Oh how it *cut* into my soft baby soles .. I was scared of it.  But I also loved it. 
    Our first rug as a couple was sisal.  I was sad when it was finally time to say goodbye -
    rugs in general are just awesome.  I also grew up with a cowskin rug and love them too
    ( my dad chose a cow with a nice pattern, then we had it slaughtered, tanned, and we ate
    the cow .. barbaric, huh?
      ).  It wasn't very warm or soft to sit on, but it felt and smelled nice.


    'Ribbon Stool'

    I love a touch of red in the living area.  We've had red couches in the past which I loved,
    and I think red will make a nice counter-foil to all the grey-blue in the room. 
    These are from West Elm, but I can't find them on the newly-opened Australian site.  Boo. 
    Lucky there's lots of industrial styled stools around the place I love. 
    None with red metal i've found yet, but that's ok.  That's why paint was invented..


    IBride Tray/Art

    When I first saw IBride's art a few years back, my eyes popped.  I immediately tracked them
    down to a stockist in Prahran and stood for a long time in that store admiring a $$$ platter
    with an empty purse.  It was beautiful.  I took my husband with the understanding it might be
    more than I could afford, and i'm sure if i'd wheedled I could have nabbed it .. but ultimately
    it was my nail-nibbling financial calculations that bravely made me turn away.  Regret. 
    But maybe one day..


    Floor Lamps!

    Well, any lamp really.  When it comes to ambient light, i'm like more, more MORE! 
    I love this one, but if you showed me another i'd probably love that too.


    Bench Seats

    This picture reminds me of a lovely home I lived in for a little while once in Califormia
    as a student.  In the seats were all manner of fluffy throws and cushions. 
    There is nothing better than a seat that uses a window as backing. 
    To curl up and watch trees and birds and raindrops on the glass.  Heaven.


    'Pallet Style' Coffee Table.

    I was saying on facebook the other day that i've never owned a coffee table as i've never
    found one that i've liked enough to buy ( although we did have one once, as part of an IKEA
    starter set when we first moved in together, but hello .. that was 2 decades ago!?
    ). 
    Anyhoo, these.. are.me. 

    This is my favourite by far around the traps, but it's from Birmingham, England. 
    I've toyed with making my own too .. hmm ..


    Industrial Art

    I don't know why I like metal typography and reclaimed pieces as much as I do. 
    Is it the aesthetic you pick up as a starving Uni student, where art and furnishing is seen
    in every empty milk crate?  Is it a yearning for the past?  I think a lot of the time I like things
    because they are used, not perfect, a bit dinged.  Perfection makes me nervous.


    Mustard Lounge Suite with Chaise

    I've always wanted a chaise.  'Nuff said.  This chaise isn't GOLD, btw .. it's mustard. 
    There's a difference :)


    Egg Chair

    Again, always wanted.  This would be for me as I rarely get a spot on the couch. 
    It would cup me while I read and the yahoos watch tele.  I quite like this emerald green too. 
    The arched back would add some curvature to the square-ish room..

    I love chairs the way I love lamps..


    Split-Level Living

    Our house is on a bit of a slope, and it makes me sad we couldn't split-level it. 
    I love sunken lounges, mezzanines, split levels.  Another house maybe ..


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Anyhoo, no spending for me in my immediate future i've been told by the boss :/


    We move back in at the end of next month.  The painters are making everything look all
    fresh & breezy right now and the tiler starts on Monday.  Then they're oiling my floorboards.


    Yes, oiling.  Something else I went backwards & forwards on and gathered much opinion
    ( resulting in a pretty even 50/50 split of opinion ).. but I just took a call from the builder
    and he's all in favour of it.  I could tell from his voice he just saw the same awesome awesome sample I did and he was pretty excited.

    I also assume it's something new he can sell to other people if it works for me,
    so that decision is happily made.


    So what do you think of my style?  I guess it's sort of natural/rustic?  But not overly so? 
    If I had to describe myself i'd say i'm kinda autumnal? ( my fave fave fave season! ) ..
    happiest always in my boots and a jacket .. my garden is practically all deciduous,
    and the colours here are the colours of the leaves as they fall on my bluestone tiles ( t-Ziing! ). 
    It definitely has a cooler weather vibe to it I think.

    A friend of mine is contemplating a move to Beechworth.  From Sydney. 
    I told her I never felt like I belonged until I moved to Melbourne ( from NSW ).


    Home.



    ( BTW - feel free to show me the things you love and hate too - i'd love to come take a peek at what you come up with ! x )

    Wednesday, March 27, 2013

    Pre-Easter Update

    Busy here at the ranch .. but i've been getting hassled for some updates.

    Still  mucho mucho, but the cabinetry is supposed to go in this week, and i'm betting things will start looking a lot different then.  I was at the cabinetmakers earlier this week and everything seems so big and scary and although I know it will all be wonderful, I wonder if I made the right decisions?

    I think it is normal to feel like that, espcecially when you are spending a lot of moolah.

    So , without further ado, this is what has been happening:


    preeasterupdate5


    We can haz floorboards ^


    preeasterupdate4


    WIR plastered ^



    preeasterupdate3


    My hallway with the stairless stairwell most awesome ^



    preeasterupdate2


    Laundry/pantry, also plastered ^



    preeasterupdate1


    And the living area ^



    I'm currently dabbling in splashback tiles, and in my handbag at all times are paint chips, a chunk of countertop, a laminex tile, and the island contrast-kicker.  I brought home some teeny tiny tiles today that I hope are winners.  It's either teeny tiny I think, or a big slab of something pourous and impractical, as is my wont.  Will hopefully resolve over Easter.

    So a little bit boring today kiddies - I do have a big rambling draft I wrote after a bottle of wine & Thai after chatting to Stacey Kouros last week, but it's seriously manic - hilaire, i'm sure, but in the interests of all concerned, could do with a wee bit of an edit, so i'll come back to that ;)

    xx
    Lea

    Saturday, March 02, 2013

    Week 6 Update:


    week6blog2


    ^
    Looking into the butler's pantry-slash-laundry from the living area ( there will be a kitchen to buffer this look ;)

    Yeah, I focused on the wiring cord as it said "Made in Australia"  *shrug*


    week6blog1


    ^
    The Wormy Chestnut arrived.

    The builders think I have incredible taste and were all asking about it.
    The last job they did was one of those 'my floorboards are so perfectly sheened and matching I might as well have bought lino".

    I could stand around inhaling the scent of it all day.



    week6blog4


    ^
    and we have some framework! ta-dah!

    Monday, January 14, 2013

    The Tradies Arrive today

    In fact, they got there an hour or so ago.

    I am staying away, but i'll go have a peek this afternoon.


    AB and I have been working on the old house for about a month now - mainly him, every night, after work, chipping, clearing, removing, rumbling.  It should save us a bit of money.  Yesterday was our last heave-ho, and I have to say, i'm happy to be at home today ( at the flat ) in my jammies.  Resting.

    Here's some pics:


    Firstly, to give you some bearings, the R/E brochure from when we bought the house, in 2006:


    originalhouse130113


    And the floorplan:


    oldhouseplans130113


    They couldn't sell this house, you know?
    The pics look ok, but there was crap everywhere and people just walked around sneering and grimacing.  The owners also tried to save money by selling at Christmas when no-one was about.

    Right after we bought it, the property market here went BOOM! and a condemned lot across the street sold for $250k more than what we had bought this only 6months prior.

    Lucky.


    oldbathroom130113


    Above: the old bathroom ( will be a WIR )

    Below: the boy's bedroom.


    boysroom130113


    Below:
    Master Bedroom, main living area, and some kitchen rubble up the driveway.


    various130113


    Below:  the old kitchen, which will now be a hallway.


    thekitchen130113


    Below:  the old laundry, which will now be a butler's pantry/laundry off the new kitchen
    ( the middle pic is where I used to take my selfies .. hee hee :)


    laundry130113


    Below:  the Playroom, or according to the map above, a 3rd bedroom
    This will now be my kitchen, and that doorway will lead into my butler's pantry/laundry.


    playroom130113


    So that's it for now.
    Basically what happens next is the floors and ceilings come down.  That stupid playroom is the main reason for the reno - the way it cut into our usable space for no good reason.  However, it does keep the house up, so a steel beam is going in the roof to replace it.  We are also putting in the foundations for a 2nd story in the roof, which we can't afford right now, but since they have to take off the ceilings anyway, it makes sense to do that now.

    This means, in 4yrs time, we can just pop in some stairs and a pre-fab 2nd story, and boom:  separate rooms for the boys before high school.  Neato.

    Because, yes, even after this reno, we will still be a 2bedroom house, which is probably crazy by other people's standards.  I'm ok with that.


    What do you think?
    Feel free to offer me any advice, or discounts from your Uncle Dave.


    xx
    Lea