Ideas for Apartment in St Kilda

5 years ago

I am looking for inspiration on how to update/ modernise my lounge room in a 1930s style unit

St Kilda whilst also keeping some of it's original features like the timber window sills, skirting boards and brick fireplace.

Hope you can help, thanks.

Featured Answer

PRO

Dr Retro House Calls

5 years ago

You don't need architraves in this room as you have full brick construction, and no plasterboard. Window architraves are usually to hide the gap between plasterboard sheet and a timber window frame and you have neither. The timber stained sills and skirting boards are already a feature. Painting them white will not make them a feature, but hide them. Most contemporary houses have painted skirting boards and architraves to conceal the fact that they are made from Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), and not real timber. You are so lucky to have them, and once painted the lovely, warm timber character is lost forever. I would give the timber a good clean, and then assess if it needs a light sand and a clear stain.

Best of luck

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

BUILD Architecture Award 2018 · More Info

Comments (18)

PRO
Dr Retro House Calls
5 years ago
Looks like a lovely room with some great bones. I think the problem is that somebody has tried to modernise it by painting everything white. Art-deco is a sophisticated, glamorous style that was not about white. I would do some research on art-deco, not modernise your room to current fashionable standards, but try and re-instate some of that drama and glamour in a contemporary manner. It has great bones and with the current art-deco features you are already half way there.

Also check out this eye-popping art-deco house that has been re-interpreted with a mix of art-deco and contemporary:

https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-killara-121951878

Call on a professional who understands art-deco if you need help

Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

BUILD Architecture Award 2018 · More Info
simhoey thanked Dr Retro House Calls
PRO
Bronika Carter Design
5 years ago
Hi, what's the style like in the rooms in the rest of your apartment like? have those rooms been decorated? is if Art Deco? or something else. keeping a consistent style throughout the homes a good place to start and then use common colours.
You have some fairly modern furniture in the room, will you be keeping this and adding some extra bits of buying new?
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I see this is a very old thread , with lots of comments . I've just skim read them , but I haven't seen anyone suggest anything like my 'top-of-my-head' idea -- I love the wood , and the white contrast , but pretty boring . Whats your favourite colour , or what ties in with the other rooms ? It might be blue or red or yellow or orange or green , as examples . So paint the skirting board and around the door a pastel shade of your choice , and add a small 30cm x 30cm abstract painting featuring that colour as the primary dominant one , above ( or possibly below , or maybe even get 2 matching/complementary ones ) the control panel . One lighting crowd suggested glass shades -- I'd actually go for someothing large but wooden , in much the same shade as your floors and steps , with LED bulbs -- you can get some stunning ones around 80-100 cm in diameter ( sort of a star ball shape ) for $300-400 . Total budget then $500 plus a painter and maybe electrician , unless you DIY .
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Doors: Front door - there is nowhere near your front door to put stuff. Can you eke out a narrow cupboard into the gyprock cavity of the garage - for umbrellas, shoes, keys etc Master bedroom - not sure why you would have a double door to the master bedroom (Unless it is to get a humongous bed in, due to the narrow hall?) If so, consider putting the kitten door closer to the front door - I expect the majority of movement would be to/from closet and to from kitchen? You don't want to walk out of the closet and get a door in the nose. Master bedroom - you have a mix of pocket sliding and opening doors. Can they both be pocket sliding - to give you more room in the closet. (Both doors would then slide into their pockets towards the west) Make sure that the electrical switches for the Bathroom are on the Eastern side of the doorway, (if you move the door to the other side) to avoid the door hitting them. (I am assuming that the plumbing for the ensuite shower is on the South Wall, common to the laundry. If not - it should be to save $$$) Fridge door - with the fridge in that location, every time the fridge is opened, the passage to the kitchen is blocked (Maybe? I can't scale very well. If it isn't blocked then you would be doing the lambada with whoever is at the fridge) Bathroom and toilet - 720 doors won't allow someone with a walking frame to easily access. I would put the same 820 doors you have everywhere else. Toilet 1100 wide with a sink seems narrow to me. Get yourself some masking tape and lay out the toilet walls and showing the door opening (with a bit extra for your door furniture. Check that you can actually navigate between the door handle, the sink and the toilet. Hallway: 1200 wide hall won't allow you to put anything other than the slimmest of pictures on the walls. You could sneak some space back from the Eastern side, if you could live with narrower bedrooms. (remembering to leave circulation space around the beds, which with the window orientation have to go north/south).
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Hi 94236633 The rug was from an online retailer. Give me a call and I'll try to source it for you.
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simhoey
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi Dr Retro, Lupton Interiors

Thank you for your comments. The rest of the apartment has a similar colour scheme to the lounge room. One idea I had was to get architraves made for the windows in the lounge room to make them more of a feature. What do you think? I would also need to decided whether to stain or paint the architraves white. Cheers Sim
cloudpants
5 years ago
Perhaps you could use some of the elements of these rooms to transform your lovely apartment. Your floors look gorgeous and I think your rug lets them down. Also, the artwork seems out of place. I love your lounge. I am no expert, unlike Dr Retro who offers amazing advice.
simhoey thanked cloudpants
tkjs68
5 years ago
The room is a good start but play up the Art Deco/ Hollywood glam. Research. Wall paper, bar cart, funky light fixture and definitely a new rug. Marble, gold, turquoise, black , geometric , all very current and accessible.
simhoey thanked tkjs68
PRO
Bronika Carter Design
5 years ago
If the rest of your rooms are fresh and white then I would keep a consistent theme running through the home. I'd add a coffee table in front of the sofa as the room looks a bit bare. Add some mid-century decor and some texture and pattern to the room. If you would like to send me the room dimensions I will put together a free room rendered with furniture and decor items for you in the new few days of you think it would help you visualise how the room could look. Regards Bronika
simhoey thanked Bronika Carter Design
KK1000
5 years ago
I think windows would look better with shutters , fireplace may be improved by adding black marble to mantel and hanging large round mirror with slender black frame. If you want to change furniture go with mid century style and original oriental carpet.
simhoey thanked KK1000
Irene Morresey
5 years ago
Mid century modern with a touch of Scandinavian would look nice. Love the black and white look with perhaps an oriental area rug, don't forget the plant and art
simhoey thanked Irene Morresey
PRO
BC Magic Wallpaper
5 years ago
Have you thought about wallpaper? this would bring pattern and colour to this room, be it subtle or bold. Our self adhesive wallpaper removes off the wall without taking any paint or leaving any marks.
simhoey thanked BC Magic Wallpaper
Kazwa
5 years ago
I’m with cloudpants on this one..... great floors that are covered by that huge rug. I would get something smaller with a bold, modern, geometric pattern. Your bare wall on the tv side of the room would look great with a large piece of artwork, but I also like some of the other photos above with many smaller pieces clustered together. I have a similar apartment in st kilda and went for big paintings because it’s quite hard drilling holes in my walls
simhoey thanked Kazwa
PRO
GDP Interior Design
5 years ago
Hi Sim, great brick fireplace!
•One very simple suggestion I have is adding some simple Roman blinds placed above your windows in a really stunning fabric. I know you have roller blinds - you can still leave them installed as a second layer underneath. Romans will give insulation and decoration. If budget allows for custom blinds, that’s the way to go.
•In addition to a bit more colour either on the walls or perhaps on the ceiling, referencing colour in the blinds. Not necessarily on the timber trims.
•Either a central coffee table or 2-3 small occasional tables
•your favourite artwork style
•cushions referencing or the colour palette chosen.

Just reflect if you actually want to modernise the room or actually make it more about your personality. Have fun!
simhoey thanked GDP Interior Design
PRO
GDP Interior Design
5 years ago
And like the others I believe the rug is sapping the vibe in the room, however adding an interesting occasional or coffee table in glass/aged metals will break it up and create a focal point.
GDP
simhoey thanked GDP Interior Design
simhoey
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi GDP, I had been considering replacing the light, so really like the idea of new blinds that reference a new light. What colour blinds would you recommend? Thanks Sim
simhoey
Original Author
5 years ago
I am now thinking of keeping the sills timber, and getting roman blinds with timber battens to match sills, under a white pelmet. Something similar to the attached image. Hope it works !!
PRO
GDP Interior Design
5 years ago
Hi Sim that is very minimal looking, even a bit Japanese inspired. Whilst you can do that of course, it won't inject a lot of colour or pattern in. If you do go that way, I think the pelmet is a bit unnecessary.

I was thinking you could use pattern or colour on the blinds, something beautiful like Ink and Spindle's fabrics (Abbotsford)and they have so many wonderful designs to choose from!

Your light is nice, albeit a bit small. If you do swap it out, try and use it elsewhere in a smaller room like a bedroom or hallway, especially if it is in good condition.

You've already got some blues and greys with the art, sofa, rug, so I'd build on those shades with more blues, linen/neutrals and warm them up with basket weave textures in your lighting or accessories... that will tie in your timber trims to the blue.

http://inkandspindle.com/window-furnishings/

That's one approach, of course!

GDP
Lisa Swain
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
This space has such gorgeous light and the fireplace is lovely too. I think I would rotate the room to face the fire and the light. So take the rug and rotate 90 degrees if it will work. I would def place the sofa to face the fireplace.

So hopefully you can find a nice carpenter for these bits. I would get a small sideboard made and invest in mechanism to raise the TV up out of it. Place that to the right of the fire. Have the carpenter cut the round table top and add hinges to gate one side. Move the table and chairs to behind the couch (toward the viewer of the photo). Possibly turn the white credenza vertical and have carpenter attach to wall on left near back of sofa.

Add comfortable chair to left of fire.

Move art currently above sofa to over the fire. I think it will work better there dimensionally and moves visually moves the blue-grey.
PRO
Bronika Carter Design
5 years ago

My vision was something like this room. Your dining table and light pendant is a traditional style and your sofa and TV unit is modern. If you were to buy a more modern table and add some retro/scandi chairs plus a new light and look at painting the walls a warmer white. You have started adding some blue so also add some cushions to match and change the floor rug to one with some texture. Good Luck!