Picking a sofa set with an extreme design challenge
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3 years ago
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oklouise
3 years agoHU-420035994
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Long open living space - where to set room boundaries?
Comments (23)Hi B, I used to live in a "tall and skinny" and the challenges were plentiful, but it was fun to decorate. Check out my artwork for ideas on your walls. Large art can help you visually separate your spaces without having anything on the floor taking up space. I have many originals, and hundreds of configurations of canvas prints that I can print to the size you choose - some of them very large. I ship outside of US on rolled canvas in a tube to manage the cost of shipping. http://www.etsy.com/shop/katshoa Enjoy decorating!...See MoreNeed Critique & Criticism with design and layout
Comments (47)Yarnos I agree with Natasha. Your existing architect will have (well, should have after working on your existing design) an intimate understanding of your site, soil conditions and implications of levels on your design. He/She are in the best position (given his/her understanding of your brief and constraints) to illustrate to you how a design solution such as this can work. No one on this forum is currently in a better position than your architect to explain this to you and outline the affordability of it as an option, based on your site, your brief and your budget. You can visualise this concept by letting your architect demonstrate it for you. If they are not demonstrating it, then you have the wrong architect I'm afraid. And if you are not empowering them to use their expertise and provide design solutions for you, then you either need to get another architect, or be a better client. Architects and designers - the good ones - are creative problem solvers. They are design detectives in the art of living well. They spend their entire professional and personal lives and time studying how people live, and how to create environments (and homes) for them to support them living better - more functionally, flexibly, beautifully. The talent of a good architect/designer is invaluable in elevating your lifestyle ... of taking the 30 year mortgage you're about to wage on this bet of building a home, of taking this massive investment, and turning it into a physical building that is your heaven and haven, your place of sanctuary and inspiration. They expand your vision, interpreting both what you say, and what you don't, into a result that is beyond your imagining. That's why you hire them - because you can't do what they can, and you need them to bring your dreams into life in a way that's better than you could have ever anticipated or created yourself. As a client, you have a responsibility to brief them well, trust them to do their job, be open to their ideas, and be guided by their expertise. The not so good architects and designers are simply drawers and documenters. They 'convert' your brief, your expressed wishes and shopping list into a floor plan that fits, and can be built, but that's simply it. It's a house, not a home. It functionally will do the job, but it never reaches its full potential. And so your life in it never reaches its full potential. You unwittingly compromise, never truly aware of how different, how much better, things could have been. The catch is, you've made a massive investment, and created something that will outlast you and become someone else's home too. So the impact is generational. Your responsibility as a client to these architects and designers is to understand the difference, and ideally not work with them - not unless you can show design leadership yourself. Work out which one your architect is and make a decision. Trust them to do the job properly for you (and give them the ability to do it), or walk away and find someone else. Regards Amelia Lee Undercover Architect www.undercoverarchitect.com amelia@undercoverarchitect.com...See MoreHow to pick a good builder?????
Comments (15)I won't be able to help you on recommendations for Brisbane, i can however put my 2 cents in on narrowing down a good builder, especially for custom homes. The first good thing if you're getting a custom home built is you get to pick the budget, customisation the material quality and more. I'd say the first thing is you want a trustworthy company, so looking at their reviews and feedback is always good, plus it's something you can do yourself. Another point to take in consideration is how they communicate, is it clear and streamlined ? you want to make sure there's no information they're hiding from you, so make sure you ask as many questions as you can so that you get the whole picture. A good reputable company will give it to you straight. They should be your only point of communication, if they're telling you to talk to their architects and all that then there's your first red flag. You're essentially paying them to do the job, you shouldn't have to do it for them. You tell the builder what you want, then they separate things into tasks, and delegate it to the right sector, so there's less room for error. Another good sign that you're in the right hands is how many custom homes they've built. You always want to go for a well known company as they will have good connections with suppliers, which means they will most likely be able to get what you need for a discounted price as they would buy things in bulk if they build plenty of houses, which means savings for you. A reputable custom home building company will have access to good subcontractors in your area, so there should be no messing around and time wasted on that matter, which will also help on the time management of the project. In your case you already have a block of land but otherwise a good custom builder would also help you narrow down a location for your budget if you're unsure, and then they'd determine the good and the bad of the desired location. Once all of that is done, they would then get all of the permits sorted to make sure it's all done legally and the whole project flows. One other thing, a good builder knows what they have inventory-wise. they should never go on and then tell you half way through that they ran out of something or that they thought they had it. Once the project is completed, they should give you a tour and not just hand you the keys and call it a day! As i said, they have to be a well established company, because with that comes experience. The above is just some of the key points, but hopefully this article will help the next person!...See MoreKitchen design help!
Comments (17)still not sure about the measurements...if the entry hall and stairs are 2850 wide and the dining and living are the same width then the kitchen must be longer than 5570...sorry to be so pedantic but all suggestions have to begin with accurate idea of existing spaces...but keeping the kitchen in the original space there should be enough room for a modest WIP, stacked WO and MW. 1m wide fridge space, 90cm cooktop and/or recycle old stove , rangehood, sink, and DW with more useable counters and storage and consider combination of wall cabinets and/or open shelves across the sink wall and in front of the windows long term when kids are older i would close the opening between living and dining and create an opening between dining and playroom to make a combined family, dining, kitchen area with a separate media living room...See Moreljohn77
3 years agoHU-420035994
3 years agoKate
3 years agoHU-420035994
3 years agoHU-420035994
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoKate
3 years agoHU-420035994
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3 years agoJenny Taylor
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3 years agoFrank McGuire
2 years agoAus Joinery Kitchens Pty Ltd
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