Here is a little teaser of something exciting that I am currently working on. Mood boards are often created as a basis for designing, ie- the research part. Once the designer and client have agreed with the theme/feel/look of the space, then the work begins! Design proposal, design documentation and design construction will take place one after another. So stay tuned!
Of our grey and mustard DIY bedroom. Is it a nursery, toddler’s room or guest room? Well, thats what I’m trying to figure out myself too! For now, its all of the above. Stay tuned for more pictures. I am waiting for the sun to come up so I can take nice photos…at the moment, its dull and gloomy in wintery Melbourne. Lets hope for some sunshine soon xx
This is our 40 year old house, well part of it. It used to be a small family area but we have transformed it into a dining space. The original interior decor is a typical 60’s style, retro modern (thats not too bad) but it was so gloomy (perhaps because it was a deceased property? Just kidding).
Now this house is speaking “I need to fit in the new era”.
So fast forward to 2011 with some new paint, stripped the old flooring, change of artwork and some furniture…ahh what a bright and fresh new look! Notice the pendant light? I didn’t change that one though. I thought I’d leave that hanging, the antique lamp that adds a sentimental value to the space. But the truth is, we just couldn’t afford an electrician with all the other reno expenses we had to cover. Maybe one day. Someday. It’ll be replaced.
Since winning this house at the auction in March 2010, getting hold of the keys a couple of weeks before I was due (with my first) and renovating a few days after I gave birth (my husband that is, not me!); this kitchen probably has to be the every renovators worst nightmare. So much drama. So much hassles. So time consuming. From the very beginning to installing the very last handle on the kitchen cabinet door, there was always something wrong. How could you possibly drill a hole in the wrong spot? I do not like builders. But, Alhamdulillah.
Whilst I was pregnant, I was in charge of the kitchen. Drawing the layout in AutoCad, designing, choosing materials and finding the builder + suppliers. And then my daughter decided to pop 2 weeks early. The day that I gave birth, was the day I was going to order the kitchen from the supplier. I had to drop everything and hand it over to my husband. Of course he was a little clueless. Poor guy. I had to fill him in at the hospital. Oh such memories.
So now, my husband took over my role. Before he could start renovating, he had to get the kitchen checked for asbestos to get it professionally removed. And then he could demolish the entire kitchen (leaving only the stove/oven because it was still fairly new and in excellent working condition). The vinyl flooring was annoyingly difficult to remove. I think it was stuck to the ground with super glue! And because of that, it wrecked the floorboards underneath. A few other things went haywire, like how the plumber and builder started arguing. In the end, I had to compromise and swap a couple of my cupboards around. Great. But you learn to get over it.
Excuse the poor quality photo. It was taken with an iPhone. This was after the vinly flooring was removed. Even after extensive sanding, the lines wouldn’t go away. He could not stain it as it would just enhance the lines, so he had to use paint. Painting means covering the timber floorboards and their wooden grain.
Though I wanted a stone benchtop, it would cost us a fortune to get it. We have a huge bench space area so that explains the cost but I was happy to settle for a laminate instead. The kitchen extends to the opposite side (of the sink) where we have overhead cupboards, a pantry and the fridge.
The splashback? Lets just say I did not approve of that. I came back from the hospital one day to find out my glass splashback had turned into a tile splashback. What?!! Hm…Ok. Just accept it Iva. And I did. Its not that bad after all. But did I mention I do not like builders?
Ok enough of the negatives, after all the negativity part of it was only when it was getting built. The end result is what matters. I love the picture (above) as it shows the contrast of the dark timber floors against the white cupboard doors and walls. I have to thank my husband for a wonderful job. He painted the whole house including the kitchen in my favourite colour: white, I love white. So refreshing. So pure.
Out inshallah! We get the keys to our new place on the 15th so we’ll be leasing this place through an agent soon. I am due in 2 weeks so hopefully we can have a smooth transition before I go to labour. (edit: I gave birth 2 weeks early, 3 days before we’re supposed to get the keys!). The good thing is, its only a 5 minute drive. So that makes it all a bit better as we don’t have to rush all in one go. I have been busy packing everything into boxes incase I give birth early, but usually they say first babies go over their due date. (edit:I didn’t manage to pack everything (due to early labour) so hubby had to chuck stuff into boxes and now I can’t find my things!). Notice the burgundy wall? No, I didn’t decide on that colour. It was already there when we first moved in.
Our new house needs a lot of work modernising. Though still in a very good living condition, I’d rather fix up the necessary such as, update the kitchen (more like demolish and re-build), strip out the ugly wallpaper and vinyl flooring etc before I move in with bubs. So the plan is to vacate this place before my due date. Get new tenants. Go to labour. Have bubs. Stay at parents for x amount of weeks until hubby finishes renovating. Move into our new home.
We got my sister to take photos so we can put it on lease soon inshallah. I really hope the new tenants will take good care of this house as much as I did. I am going to miss this place *sob*.
Photos courtesy of Fairuz Izman.
