Need help with paint colour for North facing bedrooms
Fiona Greenhalgh
8 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (22)
Fiona Greenhalgh
8 years agoMelinda Pryor
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Need landscape advice, north facing garden
Comments (9)Start with ripping out the clothes line and side path, then have another look. Maybe sell the shed, or bury it in passionfruit, or diplodenia, or solea. Maybe even excavate the lawn, and think about a sunken garden with winding paths, where you may step down into your little piece of magic. Everything depends what you want (exclusively native [low maintenance], all exotics, or a judicious mix?), and where you are climate-wise - so best to get advice from local nurseries, especially if you feel like planting natives. Sketch out rough designs that take into account functional aspects as well as aesthetics...perhaps seek inspiration from garden magazines or online pics, perhaps purchase a couple of native/exotic plant compendiums and pore over them. A well-planned garden can be a joy eternal so don't hold back at this stage. Once your basic structure is sketched out and planted up, the rest is relatively inexpensive and gradual. My rule of thumb is to eliminate whatever you can first (and be ruthless), and then look at the space again and again. Then work to your simple design in stages, beginning with advanced trees and layout of paths and larger shrubs (e.g., westringias are beautiful and very hardy natives). Start with the sun-loving specimens first, then use them as canopy for planting the rest. You've got a good start with your 'borrowed vista' of trees and shrubbery in the corner along the north side, and you have room for an advanced specimen feature tree - perhaps your only big buck investment - in the centre or towards the opposite corner (perhaps a magnolia or a crabapple, or whatever is your favourite). Then you could pop a bench under it for pina coladas and other slack pursuits. Space and available sun also suggest possibilities for a shade garden - or dappled sections, especially in a shady corner. You might install a pergola extending from the side wall to soften the bare brick; or you could plant a hedge of sun-loving 'prostanthera ovalifolia' or a tea tree variety down the side of the house instead of a path (do you really need it? why not a winding path through the centre of your garden to your door!). You have sunshine that roses love, so maybe some fragrant old roses, or one or two David Austins, could be beautiful against a sunny wall, or beside the steps. I'd go for little paved pathways and circular beds, lushly planted with native shrubs and ground covers that tolerate both sun and semi-shade. Natives from the local region are usually always a success and grow quickly. Kangaroo paws love sun, and make a fabulously dramatic addition to a sunny garden if clumped. Other native grasses can also be used as features to add design and formality, yet still retain a kind of 'wild' look, requiring trimming every couple of years for luxuriant growth. I seriously would hesitate to repeat the lawn, they are high maintenance and for what? Reduce lawn to a small section if you wish/need to retain it. There are native grasses that can be mowed (less frequently than exotics, such as microlaena stipoides), which would create a softer look if you felt like placing a little formal lawn somewhere, once all your designing and planting is done. In any event, from a basic design, you can fill it all in in stages, as inspiration strikes. Mass planting to a formal design (say clumps of lomandra, or fast-growing shrubs in key positions, or lots of native violets for ground cover (hederacea; there are two types, which will take off and propagate themselves in the warm weather) will save lots of indecision about what to plant; heavily mulch empty zones until you decide on what to plant, or pot things up for planting later; you can always dig up ground covers, move shrubs and replant later (after replacing lost nutrients to the soil!). Best of luck and may the joys of gardening be with you!...See MoreMaster bedroom colour ideas-room faces west (slightly south) in Qld
Comments (20)Feng Shui is fun. Colours do play a vital role in the mood of a room but aspect plays a large role in how that colour plays out. This is where photos don't always do justice to decorating, you can see a room that looks amazing but it doesn't always transfer to another room, resulting in disappointment. I love dark colours in dining rooms too, I think they create a lovely intimate atmosphere for dining. I've done the dark colours in bedrooms too for that intimate feeling, but I've now moved on to lighter colours to open the house up more and I really enjoy the freshness of them, the rooms seem to look a lot cleaner. My soft aqua lounge room was created from years of living with the sun and the heat it generated in the room, often making it unbearable to be in. Since I've done it in the aqua, people walk into the house and just want to be in the room and don't want to leave, because it is both cool and restful....See MoreBathroom window - north or east facing?
Comments (31)Basic rules should always be considered when making these types of decision. North facing windows are the preferred option for passive solar design. Yes you may need to adjust a few things but if you can place your glazing to the north it is best. A vanity and mirror should always face the entrance to the room. That's why it's called a vanity, because it appeals to your vanity, makes the room feel bigger and presents much better than a toilet or shower. Mirrors should have artificial lighting at eye /face level so the light reflects off your face into the mirror and back into your eyes. High level lighting gives you a Herman Munster look around the eyes etc. Daniel Lindahl has done well with the placement of the vanity and mirror. Could you move Danniels vanity forward 1.0 m and tuck the WC and a shower back to back in behind the vanity. It might be tight but it would hide the shower and toilet. We have done this in larger ensuites and it works very well. You will need a minimum of 3.3m to achieve this....See MoreFloor plans for a North East facing block
Comments (13)I'm with saragraham76 here, do some more research by looking at yourhome.com.au amongst other site's. I'd also look at the council regulations and find out about easement's, covenants, etc. Millions of floor plans around so the chances of finding the winner is actually rather difficult as there is just so many, however if you want a 'project home' then hire an independent designer to help find one thats suitable. There are a lot of good project home designs (and builders) around and can be good value if you can sort through them all and know what to look for. Webb & Brown-Neaves have some fantastic designs and I believe they're exceptional builders although based in WA. The alternative is for a custom designed home but will usually cost more overall. A project home has been designed to be built hundreds of times so the detailed construction plans, bill of materials, etc. is reused on each job saving a lot of work and hence the cheaper costs. A custom designed dwelling rarely will compete but the house is your's and (usually) yours only. One some sites this is the only option. Budget is key so that is the biggest consideration initially....See MoreVy
8 years agoVy
8 years agoFiona Greenhalgh
8 years agoMelissa Gowling
8 years agoVy
8 years agoVy
8 years agoCarole
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoKK1000
8 years agomaudiej
8 years agoKK1000
8 years agodohraime
8 years agoFiona Greenhalgh
8 years agoMelinda Pryor
8 years agoKK1000
8 years agoKK1000
8 years agoTyrian
7 years agoGill OB
7 years agoMelinda Pryor
7 years agoGill OB
7 years ago
dohraime