Okay I have finally uploaded a picture of the newest plans- the ones I recently gave to the draftsman so that he can use it to draw up our plans properly:
So as you can see it's very similar to the last ones I drew except without the upstairs and the second living is now a bedroom and mudroom. The circles with an X in them that you can see are where I want lights and I have my bath back in the bedroom. I had thought maybe I shouldn't have it in there and had second guessed myself. However I was rewatching one of my favourite renovation shows the other day and the host said "Makes sense [to have the bath in the bedroom]. After all the main purpose of having a bath is to relax and how can you do that if people may be coming in to relieve themselves." Very true albeit a little gross haha.
The builder also talked to us about making the gable a steep pitch. I didn't think we'd be able to because of building regulations so I had abandoned a steep gable but the draftsman was the one who suggested it so it must be fine. Knowing that it's possible we are now going back to our gothic revival style house idea. We are replacing all the windows anyway now (with double glazed ones) to make sure we meet energy requirements and to counteract our lack of wall insulation, so why not! It won't be heavily gothic though, just have a bit of that Gingerbread House look about it.
We have also made the decision to definitely stick with the weatherboards. It's going to be more expensive but in the end my husband and I just plain prefer real weatherboards. We love historical type homes and weatherboards just look nicer on older style homes, even though vinyl has come along way. I'm also tossing up cladding the bottom concrete part of our house in the stone cladding you can buy. I think it would look nice with the weatherboards. That's something we'd do down the track though- heaps more pressing and expensive things to get out of the way first! Here's a picture of what I mean- even with the same colour exterior and door I want (oh I think I forgot to tell you I'd changed my mind on that too lol):
As I mentioned in my last post I have decided to keep an eye out for furniture to paint up and look nice. In Tasmania it's so hard to buy brand new pieces of French Provincial looking furniture. There's not a lot around and what is around is expensive. You can get it a lot cheaper on the mainland but by the time you freight it here the cost is the same as buying an expensive Tasmanian piece!
So yesterday I ducked down to the local City Mission shop to see what they had. Some of their stuff is brand new and expensive which is not what I was after. However i did find a few really great pieces that I am going to go back in next week and lay by.
One is a large timber table which would seat at least 8 people. It has gorgeous carved legs and they are only asking $120. I reckon it's been looked over by a lot of people due to the fact it's an ugly orange-y pine colour. However with a paint and the top stained I think I can make it look as nice as some of the tables I have been looking at that go for $1500+
The second is a dressing table with mirror. It's pretty ugly superficially but with a lick of paint and some new handles it has a lot of potential.
The third one is a lounge suite. It's already in great nick but it's an emerald green colour which I think is why it hasn't sold. Given our house will be very neutral I think the emerald green might give a nice punch of colour. I'm planning on putting some neutral coloured cushions on it too to help tone down the vibrancy a bit. It's really green! But the fabric is in mint condition and is a lovely soft velvet. The couch, two armchairs and 2 footstools are under $300 which is a bargain given similar lounge sets brand new are in the $4-5k range.
I'll take some before and after photos when I do them up and you can see what you think :) I'm actually quite excited to have some new projects to work on.
Also I have decided to go with light grey curtains and sheers on the windows instead of wooden shutters. I still love the idea of wooden shutters but they are sooooooo expensive. I figure curtains will be a cheaper option for the immediate need of privacy and then later on we can always get wooden shutters.
My husband hears this a lot when I talk about the house, and it will probably get written here a fair bit too - I've changed my mind. Originally remember I said I was going to use Roman Blinds on the windows? Well I have since discovered shutters and fallen in love with their simplicity, aesthetic and low maintenance-ness (｡’▽’｡)♡ I also think they will help with the period feel. I discovered Victory Curtains & Blinds who cover our area and have beautiful plantation shutters like I want:
So, now that we have that cleared up haha, on to the staircase and hallways. There's not a lot I really have to say about the hallway except what lighting I like and the linen cupboard I plan to have. I have decided to use a Bunnings pantry with the provincial doors and antique birdcage handles as a linen cupboard. It will go at the end of the Hall on the ground floor against the wall. That way it's close to the main bathroom and most of the bedrooms.
The lighting I have chosen for the two hallways are these great cage balloon pendant lights that I found on eBay by a seller called duckfat:
There would be 3 in the long hallway on the ground floor and 2 along the upstairs hallway. I love how they mix the old and the new looks to make a funky looking hanging light. They also make a nice contrast to the ornate chandeliers whilst still having a period feel.
As for the staircase I have had a couple of ideas for the balustrades. I love this look:
I really like the black stair treads and black wooden handrail mixed with the white staircase and balustrades.
I also really like this:
I just love the wrought iron balustrades. I am thinking maybe I will do the white staircase with black treads and some white wooden balustrades like the first pic and the black wrought iron balustrades and hand rail from the second pic. So sort of like this:
For lighting it will get a lot of light from the lighting in the Living, Dining, Kitchen area, so I figure it won't need much more. I was planning on maybe putting one of these wall lights from Ivory&Deene on the landing wall (though not 100% sure yet):
And also placing down lights on the wall just above each third (or something like that) stair tread. So like this:
I think that should make sure the staircase is well lit enough that no one goes tumbling down it if they use it at night (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))
