Dark, Closed-Off Lounge – info from structural engineer!
Mylongtermhome
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Mylongtermhome
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We have just bought a red lounge suite and need help with accessories
Comments (55)Hi AnAhitA Nazari, I totally agree. I actually don't intend to keep the couch on that wall, it just happens to be there due to the renos we are doing at the moment. I thought one of the red chairs under that print on an angle would be better and maybe a little table with a lamp on it? I can't change the colour of the walls as we have just finished painting it so I'm stuck with it. The room is part of a big room which has a partition 5ft wall separating it from the dining room. I'm thinking of putting the sofa on that wall and the other chair on its right hand side. As for the furniture in that room I do realise it's not a great choice but they have lots of memories to me so once again I'm stuck with them lol...See MoreWhat could Australian homes learn from the rest of the world?
Comments (135)I'm amazed that this discussion has carried forward for nearly two years! In that time I have moved to another coastal area (cooler climate and better proximity to children) and this time found most of the discussion still rings true. Finding another home here was an incredibly frustrating journey made all the worse by a mad investor rush in the area just when we arrived to start our home search. That search took the best part of six months and in the end there would only be three or four houses to choose from in any week. Result? A rushed purchase, a desperately inadequate building inspection and failure on my part to notice poor bathroom tiling, shortage of closet and storage pace, just how small the lounge room really was, and etc. I disappointed myself because I had let the pressures beat me and now we are trying to resolve all of these issues in a home designed and built by one of this states most respected project home builders 25 years ago. Having now studied the floor plan with more care I realise it was put together (designed) in modular fashion - most bedrooms have similar dimensions and the living areas are all approximately the same size as if the designer simply juggled three boxes of one size and four of another size and then worked out traffic flow. Then he must have thrown them all in the air to see how they would land and that was design number two! And etc and so on. This house aside, we looked at a great many during the six months because we had to broaden our search above and below budget trying to find something. There were massive termite problems, leaky roofs, asbestos galore, gazzumping at every turn, almost all but the most expensive properties suffered at least one substantial fail for the most basic of needs and to top it off the best home in our price range just happened to be built on flood prone land - approved by council who put the flood signs up less than five years earlier. We live and learn. Then there were the real estate agents, but that would take another two years and I doubt the internet has enough free page space available!!! OK, I hear you, they're not ALL bad......See Morekitchen design dilemma - i want everything in a small kitchen!
Comments (25)Hi Mike and Emma Hope you are slowly but surely getting there... may I make some comments/suggestions that you may or not take on board, but hopefully it may at least give you some ideas/options... Going through a new build ourselves at the moment, and for what it's worth, here's what I personally think: A. Work with what you've got: - additional plumbing work, gas work etc may not be necessary and (particularly gas) can be costly when you're trying to work around existing walls, floors, etc, and as much as possible utilise the existing connections... after whatever you can save here and there, you can spend on nicer cabinetery, gadgets, finishes, etc :) B. Avoid unnecessry structural work: - removing the kitchen/living wall is a must (more space, light, etc) but removing the laundry wall is an unncessary added cost (may even require costly additional strutural support) - putting up a plastered wall on the other hand is inexpensive, allows you to redefine different zones and relocate doors/openings where required (*note: avoid hinged doors in small spaces as you have to allow for wasted space to open door - suggest cavity sliding doors, easy to incorporate in a new wall) C. Don't sacrifice functionality and natural light for design - love full height floor to ceiling cabinets, very much on trend... but they also tend to bring the walls in, which you want to avoid in an already small space... they will also block out more natural ligtht from the only window to the living and breakfast bench (meals area)... not to mention seated guests would be staring at a cabinet tower and fridge - on the other hand a walk in pantry (not that much of a walk in a small space) is also very much on trend, provides more storage and... as entertaining guests in open plan livings tends to happen more in the kitchen... it provides a good hiding place for unsightly items, including frigges... (an underbench bar fridge in the kitchen can easily keep those beers cold... though do consider that means sacrificing some cabinet space) - constantly wiping off the floors from dripping wet dishes across the kictchen from the sink to the dishwaser on the other side bench would personally drive me mad after a while... the dishwasher can easily be connected to the existing sink water and waste points through the cabinerty... any half decent plumber should be able to do that... ON THAT NOTE... or should I say those notes... I know I got a bit carried away :) ... if it were me, here's an idea of what I would try to achieve ......See MoreOutdated sunken lounge help
Comments (4)I don't agree closing them in would make your from feel small, as they are not part of the floor area, and rather they delineate a walkway separating your entry from your living area. if you are wanting a more modern country, like a hamptons or provincial style, then I would suggest the following. i would stud frame between those posts, obviously removing the balustrade to do so, and plaster up this wall, I would leave a open shadow box in the centre, and then clad the who,e wall, front and back with horizontal lining boards, or even engineered flooring planks, for a timber feature wall, which will introduce the texture and colour to your interior. Timber is almost always used in country styles, provincial, hamptons, even classic interiors use it to soften and help add interest with warm timber tones, I would then square off the floor, as in join the angled areas and reptile this entry, the splayed angles is very outdated. Perhaps, remove the tile, and then have a handyman, builder do the stud Walland the floor, then install floorboards, so a platform is created. With the shadowing made,hang art on the rear hall wall visible through it, and the spotlight is already there to create a nice feature from your lounge. it will help define your areas seperate the living from noise and interference of arriving people through your entry, and yet still feel open and welcoming. i would dare say, also lose the heavy dark sofa, that adds nothing to your space,but creates blocky heavy blob in your lounge. Move furniture off the wall, rather build a room around the features, and face the sofas inward....See MoreMylongtermhome
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