Here's an idea...if you need a fire.

Thanks so much everyone, you have helped me clarify what I do and don't want. I think I don't like the hexagon, so I don't want to do things to make it prettier, or highlight it. I guess I want to hide it or get rid of it. JE C, we did want a fire and it doesn't have one; can you tell me how to download your photo, and/or rotate it? I'll try to attach a photo of how the current people have their furniture, which is similar to what we might do. Not sure how to rotate mine either.

Come to think of it, maybe I'll think twice about a fire around a pole that is wood and one of the most primary support structures in the house : < )

Good point!

Hi Terry, am not sure about downloading but you can always screenshot a picture off your phone.

Another idea...is there another part of the room you could "steal " floorboards from to put in the hexagon ( eg from the living area, under where an area rug would sit) ?

For start you can gat a large rug to cover the whole area and another one for under the coffee table and that will buy you time until you find a solution. Maybe you can put couple rocking chairs and a small table in between to face the windows . No need to rush.

I must say I don’t know how you are going to go around the pole with the rug but good luck.

partition with open weave between poles and make one side library and other sitting :)

Your progress with your furniture so far looks good!

Enough space to set custom furniture or more items there.

Thanks on the furniture but it belongs to the current owners! We've already planned partitions, but the weird carpet shape isn't helping. As for custom furniture, a little beyond our means.

I would get timber flooring specialist to try to match the species of timber and stain it to the same colour or close to , or sand and re-stain the lot as Siriuski suggested .

Probably a good idea if cost permits. It's actually quite a large space.

Another suggestion is to remove the carpet and fill-in the space to level the floor . Then cover the timber floor with a homogeneous material e.g. carpet or quality vinyl tiles .

This forum is excellent for making suggestions that are very different to expected. But to do so, we need dimensions and intent. In my view the current owners are not making the most of this space at all. Do you want to enjoy view from the windows.? Are they doors too.? What function(s) do you want the room to have? What furniture needs to fit if you have existing items? How big are the items? If you can provide this sort of info, you will get some great advice.

Thanks, I will try to do so in future. However, as previously noted, we haven't yet moved in, thus I've not yet got exact measurements of the space. I also should have been clearer that I'm not looking so much for furniture placement and room design, as a way to undo what has been done, ie the hexagonal carpet surrounding the pole. We have pretty much worked out furniture placement within the limitations of what we have and can afford, but find the carpet around the pole design really unappealing.

What about seagrass squares as a temporary fix for the carpet around the pole?

You just cut along the joins of the squares to wrap around pole , then snip out the middle one and the pole goes there :)

This might be an improvement, since the existing carpet, as I remember it, isn't particularly nice, and it could go around the pole. Though truthfully, I just wish the whole thing would disappear. But the views to the ocean are fabulous (Queensland, Australia)!

Your new house is truly individual and you will come to embrace its uniqueness once you move in. A pole house will not be shoe horned into a square box, lol. Dont stress about the ugly carpet. An answer will occur to you as you sip your first mai tai watching the sun go down. But by all means, get some seagrass matting, so the carpet will be covered and at least you dont have to look at it for now ;)

Great advice! Most of all, we didn't want to buy a box. So you get what you ask for. Most of it is really beautiful, and I can always do yoga on that carpet.

That's the spirit :P

Industrial Living Room · More Info

Hi Terry, Having lived in a pole house similar to yours, I agree with previous advice. That is, when you move in, decide what uses the entire room is required to do for you. For example, Living, Dining, Study, kitchen...a floor plan might be available from real estate and that would help us to help you. Look at warehouse conversions for layout inspiration!

Re the fireplace, we had a Franklin stove for our place in Canada, it was very efficient!

I would have a floor specialist look at the floor problem as soon as possible so you can relax and enjoy!

Another suggestion is to use parquetry timber in that space . Specialist suppliers should be able to come up with a toning timber pattern for your present flooring .

Yes, I think that would be a definite improvement over what is there now, way more interesting. I'm sure they could match colour and style, but going around the pole might be a little trickier.

It is hand done and those medallions are circular. They should be able to work around a pole . No harm in finding out . These people are at Brendale at the north of Brisbane.

In our pole house the trees were still growing(!) and so there was about a 10-15m gap around them. the carpenters did a very neat job...so can be done!

Wow, interesting. Got a photo? But didn't you have to keep the gap since they are still growing?

No photo unfortunately, it was a long time ago and house was sold when we came back to Australia. The trees were mature Ponderosa Pines but builder was playing safe allowing for movement and growth. The gap was able to be trimmed out if necessary. A fun house in the trees! You have a unique house there, I'm sure you will sort out to fit your needs. Please keep posting the progress Terry.

Will do!

What about removing carpet and timber flooring as far back as back of carpet and replacing whole section with a tile you like? If any water comes in through doors/windows the floor won't be damaged and you have a defined area to work with furniture placement/room usage.

Watch "The Tree House Guys" on 9life

We did think about replacing that whole section, but it turns out to be quite a large part of the room. Still, an idea. Ha ha, never seen The Tree House, maybe I'll get some ideas.

I’d go even further and make it a huge feature. unsure if what is underneath... is this a raised ground floor? In which case I’d be cutting is out and using the shale as inspiration for a sunken seating area..... or if you have kids make it a padded play spot..... which you can change to a sunken seating area when they grow older.

Stupid autocorrect.... use the ‘shape’ as inspiration.

The carpet and wood floor are all the same level. I think underneath the carpet is just plywood, definitely not the nice cypress of the rest of the floor. No possibility of anything sunken as it is the top floor, with a bedroom right underneath. In fact, one theory is that the carpet is there to muffle sounds in the master bedroom coming from directly above. Still, it's weird.

Sorry, dont have time to read through all the other responses, so this may have been suggested already, but I would ask the previous owner (if they were the ones who built it) why they put it there. It may hide something? It does seem like a bizarre thing to do. Did the builder make a boo boo, and that is how he suggested they fix it for instance? Home building is stressful so they may have said yes to a quick solution just to get in the door.

I see 2 options from these posts:

1. Get a bar table made to go round the post and add some stools, replacing carpet as shaped.
2. Choose a carpet and have it edged into a rug any shape you want and have fitted over the floor cutting around the post. Effectively laying a carpet that is edged. It will effectively be in 2 halves but can be fixed in place over existing carpet so it won’t move. This can help zone the window area.

It’s such a big room I suggest you move in first and see how you want to zone the room and live in it. This will shape your decision.

Such a beautiful room and view. Enjoy

No, the current owners have no idea as to its origin and also think it's weird. We have thought about zoning the area with a normal shaped carpet, but I'm not sure because, while the carpet is a weird shape, it also mirrors the windows which are half a hexagon. It's a fairly large area, and it would leave an odd space between the edge of the carpet and the windows. I guess we will just wait until we move but it's been interesting getting some ideas before hand. Thanks to all!

My bet is that the owners built a table around the pole (i.e. with the pole at its centre) ,,, and that's what I would do, too.

do you have a floorplan you can post, that would give a much better perspective

As I mentioned, we haven't moved in yet and don't have a floor plan, other than the photo. As for a table, I can't really see using it. Also as mentioned, I am looking for ways to get rid of it, not highlight or use it.

the council should have a copy of the floorplan that you can ask for

Yes, we thought about that. But it was rather costly, and we can't do anything about it before moving in anyway. At that point we can just measure it.

I would tile the carpet area and have the poles squared off with timber to display or to paint to make nice looking columns, I really think once you have those 2 matters fixed you will be able to see a better furniture placement. The whole area would be perfect for a dining and sitting/family area, the sitting area taking in the outside view which looks lovely.

We had a pole house with timber floors around the pole. The builder did a fantastic job and recessed the floor timbers slightly into the pole, so there was never gap. Furnishing around the poles can be interesting - indoor plants are great - but realistically, your focus will be on the outside views during the day, and it will only be nights that you will think about the poles/inside :)

I would probably put a couch on the view side of the pole facing the views, with plants this side - and no-one will really notice the carpet.

Thanks, I hope you are right. At the moment it looks like a nuisance. I don't mind the pole at all, it's the crazy carpet!

Maybe you could dig it up and install an indoor garden with some uplights there! I'm actually serious, there is plenty of light and it could be a really unique and amazing feature - thats if you don't need the space. biophilic design is on the rise ;)

Hi Lauren, well that is one we hadn't thought of! Really interesting. I'm not sure though, because it is a top floor, with a bedroom underneath, and the flooring is plywood. But I will definitely investigate.

Let me know how you go, I'd love to see it if it was a possibility. Perhaps a more hardy garden with a desert look might be a bit more practical needing less water and soil.. kind of like a upscaled terrarium. I would speak to a landscape designer. You could always put in a glass surround to allow more depth and keep it clean.