nerdyness

Got to love a bit of nerdyness in addition to the macabre. Currently on the hunt for house numbers, though I'll leave that for a separate post, but couldn't not link to this awesome welcome mat - it says welcome in binary!

[http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/69e3/]

bathroom: the design

So after the fun and dreamy stage of bathroom design I eventually had to face reality and actually CHOOSE my products.

Tiles:
A trip to the tile showrooms was somewhat disappointing - large format tiles are all the rage here right now and that is one thing I knew I did not want. So as far as subway tiles go I have had four options - 100x200 mm in while, ivory or black, or very VERY expensive "options" in imperial sizes and colours (think fireplace tiles) or in glass which (though I never had quoted) were also a smaller format and size - I could never quite commit to the glass tile option - though I spent hours pouring over the "Bricks" range from Southern Cross Ceramics, their sizes were 50x100 or 50x150 mm - not quite right.

I still really think that the subway tile is the way to go in order to bridge the vintage/modern divide. My house was built in the 30s, so deco is go. I have therefore chosen glossy black subway/butcher/brick tiles in 100x200 mm size for the walls. Below is a quick and dirty iPhone photo taken in a showroom. I am tiling to 2 m high - it's going to look amazing in my small bathroom.

For the floor I could not get anyone excited about black and white check so I have abandoned it, though I know I will lust over it again later. The main issue was that it would have been 200x200 mm tiles (I think 150x150 would be sweet but they don't really make that size) and in order not to be slippery they would need to be somewhat matt. As most floor tiles also have a slight bevel at the edge it was just going to look CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP and that is not what I wanted. Also for 200x200 tiles on the floor they like to use 3mm grout lines - so they wouldn't match up with the wall tiles either at 200 mm long but with 1 mm grout lines.

For the floor I have therefore gone with 400x400 mm black wood-look tiles, to tie in with the jarrah floors that will be polished to perfection throughout the rest of the house. The tiles have grip but also a slight sparkle where some gloss makes it through the woodgrain. Unfortunately I could not get a good snap of the sample in the bathroom reno showroom.

Vanity:
I am in _love_ with this white-flecked black stone I have chosen for the vanity counter top. The 'vanity' is fully customised built along one wall and will have bench, the basin and then cut back to a narrower depth to run along behind the concealed cistern toilet.

The cupboard doors and wall behind the loo will be the dark wood laminate shown with the stone in the pic below. Matching to the jarrah was too likely to look fake as I'm not sure how the colour will turn out exactly. This instead is a nice contrast to the shiny walls and fixtures and compliments the wood grain floor tile and the wood in the rest of the house.

Drawer pulls and door handle will be thin rectangular shiny chrome.

Basin:
The semi-above-semi-below bench Caroma 'cube' basin will give enough hint of white without being too high (I dislike feeling like I'm reaching up and over into a basin). I was close to getting an underbench but eye liner pencils have a tendency to roll into underbench basins (it's a serious concern - they get wet AND broken!) and also the white showing above bench will help to balance the heavy black.

Caroma cube 320 inset vanity basin [http://www.caroma.com.au/product-ranges/basins/cube/cube-320-inset-vanity-basin[

Toilet:
Going with the Caroma cube loo too - divine!

Caroma Wall Faced Invisi Series II Suite [http://www.caroma.com.au/product-ranges/toilet-suites/invisi--series-ii/cube-wall-faced-invisi--series-ii-suite]

Taps:
Shiny modern chrome! With a touch of medical in the design. Sticking with the cube/square/rectangular angle. They are also called cube - well, 'Cuba'. Bath set for over the basin (coming out of the wall, not from the bench - less cleaning issues yay). The shower set are identical. Taps are required because I have instant hot water (flick mixers don't put hot on full which decreases life of your instant hot water system) and also I don't really care for flick mixers! I don't have a pic of the shower head but it's a rail type system (as my Nana called it a 'telephone' shower).

The taps have arrived and I'm getting excited..

Rails:
The fabulous designer at my bathroom reno company selected these fantastic towel rails etc. Pretty happy with them, the base matches the taps and the curve matches the basin. Looking them up they are by Milli and the product line is 'Flow'.

Lighting:
And of course last but not least - the lighting! Above the vanity I will have a mirror (of course) and delightfully my bathroom people have found me some HOLLYWOOD LIGHTS! Five raw globes along a silver base. Similar to below. I had these in my childhood bathroom and they were fantastic and so cute! The downlights in the roof will be square, metal frame, recessed halogens.

update

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything but the reno is going strong, but going slow. Silly work just gets in the way unfortunately, as had the cold weather to some extent - when I _can_ get away from work at a decent hour it is a little too cold at night to do much patching or painting, as I have no heating in the place yet and the house is holding the cold rather well. But don't worry, I have plans for a superb gas fireplace and lots of insulation batts to keep things toasty next winter and hopefully cool this coming summer. My timeline is currently also limited by the bathroom renovation - I've signed on with a local company to do the whole job but they too are busy and while it's only been three working days since the draftsman came out to measure up properly I would like for it to kick start quick now please. Four(-and-a-halfish) weeks from start to finish they have said, and hopefully that start will be within two weeks!

rooms: more wall decals

Interesting post on Apartment Therapy about designers being ripped off by copy artists, especially an issue on Etsy. Designed or Deceived? AT

I think that provided you aren't trying to make money off copying someone, then I don't have a problem with copying (or attempting to copy, recreate, etc) a design you have seen for use in your own home. I often find inspiration and, while I am a little bit creative, I don't have time to create truly original works of art at this time (though I'd love to in the future). That said, I personally never copy anything outright, I usually work some designs or ideas into my own thing. Where the line is drawn as far as inspiration vs copying, well, it depends on the project. Personally, I don't have the ability to copy wall decals in my home (apart from with paint!!) so it's usually that I would adopt a design and re-draw or re-paint it in a new way. Some things worth copying aren't available for sale (eg a design on the wall in a club, for instance) - but why shouldn't I appropriate it into my own home for my pleasure if I wish? Saying you shouldn't is being silly as far as I am concerned. Art is out there - bring it into your life and be better for it.

OK a little ranty there, but designers - if I love your stuff and it suits I'd love to buy it. If I have the money I will, but I won't always have the money!! If it even can be purchased of course! I will never attempt to profit by copying the designs of others though - phoar, the very idea leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Of course the whole who is copying who debate ended up working in some designer's favour as I stumbled across some more cute wall decorations NOT being sold on Etsy (YET - hah jks, buy from the originals!).

These are from ferm Living in the USA. I love the tree wallpaper and the periodic table wall decals! That paper is hot... wondering where I can use it in my home.

[http://www.fermlivingshop.us/wallpaper/firtree_blackwhite.html]

[http://www.fermlivingshop.us/stickers/periodic-system.html]

And the website featured in the AT post is The Wall Sticker Company - an Aussie outfit it seems. I love their stuff, especially the Baroque removable wallpaper available in any colour combo you wish - amazing!! 

[http://www.thewallstickercompany.com.au/content/product.php?itemid=214&page=4]

toilet: oooh blackness delux

Ohh I was all set on the Caroma Cube toilet until I discovered this little beauty from Rogerseller:

[NeroToiletHero.jpg]

divine!

For comparsion, le Cube:

I still do like those sharp cubey edges though.

blackboard wall

A neat idea I had was to temporarily paint a wall in blackboard paint and use it as a rough reference for the renovation work. It has turned out really nicely and is a lot of fun. Who knows - I may choose to keep it!

[blackboard wall just after painting - used tape to mask the edges]

[plenty of tasks to get started on!]

On a side note though, it's not easy to write neatly, let alone nicely, on a blackboard! I do like my own handwriting (and other nice handwriting in general) but I'll have to practice my bb writing style. for shizzle.

one weekend's worth of work

ten cubic meters filled, oh my! hellofajob. 3 people, two days.

colour: grey

If Emily Strange had her way, every day would be grey.

Some sources of inspiration for my grey desires...  So many loves for grey!


My grey obsession started some time ago, and has been rapidly developing lately. Many of these pics below inspired me to start considering grey, and now suddenly I've been seeing it everywhere. I love how colours pop against a nice deep grey. (I've left out grey tile inspirations as I've already posted on that! Though new lovely pics may call for a follow-up bathroom grey post).


I've fallen hard for Abigail Ahern's design style after reading about her in Home Beautiful. *swoon*! I really want her book - you can find out about it at this page. Here are some pics of her work and other finds she has blogged about:

[from her 'interior design' website section - hot pink + grey = amazing!]

[also from interior design section on AA's website - bookcase wallpaper omg!]

[blogged by AA - a much warmer grey, but love the orange with it, though not really the white]

[blogged by AA]

I could definitely go on and on about Abigail and link to lots more of her images but I suggest just visiting her website and blog and spending your own time in the dreamy pictures! Ok one more.. 

[from AA's blog: Abigail's own desk - the raven is so Poe I want one immediately!]

Apartment Therapy has also feature a lot of lovely grey rooms lately:

[AT grey (American 'gray') bathroom special]

[originally from AT - this grey laundry is awesome against the red washer dryer]

[from AT: grey and orange is a winning combination]

[orig from AT I think - nice grey boards]

[from AT? this dark grey barn looking house with extreme modern extension (or is it just a black wall?) is awesome either way, definitely my taste in mixing old and modern styles]

I can't really remember where I sourced these pics but more grey is good...

[grey meets wood is nice]

[fat grey stripes! love]

[I see velvet... mmm velvet AND grey]

[grey, black and white with pops of yellow (white no good around the door tho)]

[love the colours in the artwork and how they really are supported by the grey wall. the decadent (almost kitchy) frames are good against the grey too - a bit of old and new]

[grey and wall art - love]

[more grey and wall art, again the yellow/green looks good, though I don't care much for yellow myself]

.. and that was just a taste!

colour!

Have finally been able to get into my place to start work! Yipee! One of the first tasks I set for myself was to choose some colours and buy some paint. While a lot of work needs doing before I can even paint (like patching, filling etc, and work that just has to be done first) I wanted to have some colour on hand to give myself some inspiration! After tormenting myself with swatches for weeks, I ended up just choosing two colours in a bit of a rush as the paint shop was closing when I got there. Hey, nothing is permanent and no matter how much effort you put into colour picking (via swatches) you just have to get some colour on the walls to see how it functions in your space. Colour can change so easily, it's freaky at times! Contrasted against other colours, in a dark or light room, the colour can look very different - I've had greys go green, greys go blue, purple go green, white go yellow, and a host of other strange and at times frustrating results. So getting colour, some colour, ANY colour, in the space was a top priority.

For the interior walls I wanted a midtoned grey. I enjoy living with the Colourbond Dune and Wattyl/British Paints Hawk Wing in my current accommodations (not sure which brand that colour comes from... one of those two!). The Dune is quite a warm grey though (not quite brown) and I was tempted to go for a cooler grey for this house (not an actual cool grey, just a warm grey tending towards cool... nothing worst than a blue grey). The Hawk Wing is really nice, but I was unable to get a swatch (it has a cool name too, for the Wheel of Time fans out there :)). I ended up choosing Taubmans "Rock Quarry". It was one of the deeper colours in my swatch short-list, and still quite warm for a grey.

So far, I've only splashed paint in one room and a couple walls in the hall way. The Rock Quarry is on both the light and cool side of my initial intentions. I got the paint from Solver paints, so it will never be a true match to the proper Taubmans colours but Solver is better paint and cheaper too. The colour has come out slightly lighter than the swatch, definitely not as deep as I could possibly go. It also is a cool grey! Not quite steely, but certainly not very warm. That said, I quite like it, but I'm still uncertain how grey grey I want to go (as opposed to a warmer grey) - I've seen lots and lots of beautiful grey rooms on the internet and I think the grey grey is more forward looking and modern. OK enough tribulations; the jury is still out on Rock Quarry. I only got 10 litres so looking forward to getting more areas painted and seeing how it looks, especially in the kitchen/dining.

A sneak peak of the hall way painted in TB Rock Quarry (colour repro not the best due to using camera flash):

I don't think the white trim on skirtings and architraves is going to work for this look! Moody grey is interrupted by cheery white. Looks cheap and boring to me.

Another sneak peek, this time of the lounge. Notice how the polished jarrah works really nicely against the grey. Still think it might be a bit light.. but the carpet is up and the jarrah floor boards are to be polished, which adds weight to the room and a darker grey may be too much (ha! I don't really believe that). The picture rail and above are in 25% DX Lime White. I'm not sure about the white above the picture rail, but it's a hell of a lot easier if done that way (and easier to change the paint colour later too), so for now it stays (edges are rough as the ceiling was still wet and there was overspray onto the walls).

The ceilings are 25% Dulux Lime White. You really can't beat DX Lime White, it's a tried and true classic that my family has been using for years. It is rather creamy in full intensity, but diluted to 25% it is the perfect ceiling colour. Makes every colour I've seen next to it really pop. Low sheen, of course. Nothing worse than matt ceilings - ever tried wiping dust or dirt from matt paint? It'll mark like a mofo.

For the exterior I've chosen Wattyl Thunderbolt. It's a pretty deep grey, warm-to-green tinged. Been too busy on other more urgent tasks so haven't put any into action in, but I can't wait to see what it looks like!

exterior: a verandah roof in "haint blue"

Just stumbled across this neat idea, from Apartment Therapy - painting the ceiling blue! Seems as though it is a traditional thing to do in the USA, especially on porches, as documented in the post "Painted Ceilings of the South",  but the idea is extended into interiors as well, see "Outside In: Blue Ceilings". Some nice examples:

[images from the above posts at AT]

Now, I'm not a huge fan of blue in general - there are some shades I LOVE but there are just so many shades of blue and many of the examples you come across day to day are quite awful (think Glad lids, blue plastic cups, office furniture... *shudder*). Duck egg blue, Tiffany blue, the blue of our formal lounge dining in the house I grew up in, I like those blues. So the use of a really nice blue on the ceiling of my verandah could really work. It'd have to be a slightly dirty, slighty green-tinged cool blue, and would need some serious intensity and depth - nothing namby pamby, given the deep grey I have chosen for the walls.

lounge: design ideas

For the lounge room I have some ideas that have been nicely implement in this room as seen on Apartment Therapy - a New York-esque space, with full length sheer curtains along an entire wall, grey walls (I'll be going darker than in this example), black framed prints, wood floors, and grey/black shag rug. A nice mix of textures.

exterior: front window ideas (2)

Second window-strengthening-treatment idea is reliant on paint, possibly including mouldings to add texture and depth. I like that the white window border in the second photo looks both modern and heritage, a throw-back to the render band.

[house in Perth]

[house in Shenton Park]

exterior: front window ideas

The front windows of the house are rather weak compared to the two large and prominent front gables. It may be necessary to perform some treatment around or below them to increase their stature.

One suggestions is to place a hefty feature below the window, such as these limestone features, seen around town. However the windows are probably too low for this exact treatment, but it could be incorporated somehow. Also, it's a little too Californian bungalow. I'm not a fan of the triangular shapes in the bungalow look, but a more squared off variant might work.

[pics of houses around town]

rooms: wall decorations

I just stumbled across this cool 'wall dot' of a deer in headlights by Australian designers Pony Rider. It is available for AUD$79 [order at https://ponyrider.myshopify.com/products/bambi-nights-wall-dot]. They say you can re-stick it up to 50 times. Very cool. Might order one soon!

On the topic of wall decorations that aren't paint or wallpaper, I also love some wall decals found on etsy by PillBoxDesigns. This nosferatu grabbing the couch cracks me up every time I see it:

while the bat tree, gothic window and lace up corset are also pretty cool: