How should we modernise our quirky older house?
joeandkathyg
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
We have a German-style older home, which I'm sure you'll agree is pretty quirky looking. Previously we've embraced the German style, but we'd love a more modern look now. We're thinking of cutting the brick trim at the base of the downstairs windows and instead having a timber frame like the one upstairs. Colour-wise we're thinking Dulux Domino (Dark Charcoal) on the render downstairs and also the upside down V framing the roof. Upstairs we were looking at Dulux Endless Dusk (Silvery Grey) on the upstairs cladding (not highlighting the crisscross) and Dulux Vivid White on all the window frames. Thoughts anyone? Our driveway is obviously an issue too, so any thoughts/ideas there would be welcomed!
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Comments (15)
joeandkathyg
4 years agodreamer
4 years agoMy suggestion is to extend the front with a gable roof verandah.
Depends on what style you are after. Pictures attached for inspiration.
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Comments (5)The house looks very livable. I love that you have concentrated on creating one nice bath with separate walk in shower and a windowed tub! Since you have already thought of it, I'm going to assume that the attic is for future expansion and cannot be adapted for use as the current "away room." We are also in the process of designing a small house, and we've designated our study as the "away room." Ours will open off the dining room. If you switched the locations of the Study and Bed 1 on the same side, you could put french doors or an extra wide door with etched or decorative glass from the hallway into the right hand corner of the study. This would give you a really long diagonal view through the lounge and out the french doors, and from the lounge through the study to the window at the far end... The study window should be increased in width to match the neighboring window in Bed 1, and it then becomes ripe for a small window seat, either a clip on bay bumping out, or a "built-in" bay using narrow built ins on either side. Or both: build "in" for now, putting file cabinet drawers under the window seat, and angled corner units in for storage, and add the bump out bay later when you know whether your offspring would prefer a really cute desk, or a window seat, or a bed nook. You would, alas, lose the door from Bed 1 into the bath.... but honestly, there are lot of doors into that bathroom already, and that one has substantial collision potential. It might be best to make the single access point that door from the laundry. Either a glass panel set high in the bath room doors or a transome would make it easy to tell when someone is in the loo. Other ideas would be to split the nook under the stairs, so that half the depth opens to the lounge, and the other half to Bed2... with the wall thickness, you probably get close to 600mm or 2' on each side. Add a deep bookcase or other built in, and you're easily at a depth that makes both spaces very tucked in. Lastly, if funds allow a shallow bay window over the kitchen sink would visually expand the kitchen, particularly if you could arrange it so that the counter runs right into the bay....See MoreNot sure what to do to my kitchen
Comments (17)Lighting - pendants over the servery bench should be another feature that complements your chosen kitchen surfaces. So whilst I love the copper pendants in picture 1.. They could work depending on the rest of your decor and would be a highlight in a neutral white/timber kitchen = Good! If you choose copper you would complement it with a couple of copper bench top items. These are beautiful! (I collect copper because I love it, my kitchen pendants are silver, I renovated to sell in the next 3-5 years) You will see a picture starting to form in your mind and there is nothing wrong with making a statement with your lighting. I found that when I wasn't sure I would get a very strong sense of what was right and what was wrong for a space, then common sense or passion would determine the outcome! Here are another couple that might work, look her on Houzz under lighting, search pendants, then have fun looking!Timber tones with black or white to complement your cabinets... or Statement white pendants for a bit of quirky fun! Your personality can be reflected in your lighting and accessories creating that point of difference from the predictable white on timber look. Plus don't forget the power of greenery to punctuate the theme!...See MoreHow do we make this garage look part of our home?
Comments (7)There is no common link, no continuity that each dwelling share. i would introduce an element to both structures, borrowed fm the other, so for example the red brick and windows are the most striking design elements in the house, however the rendered garage with a parapet and no visible roof may as well be from another planet, I would brick up the front piers aside the door, with matching red brick, and then I'd install some post and beam rafters that could extend over beyond the garage door, almost like a flat eave, however just beams, no roof, and paint it chacoal, I'd then link a path from th garage to the house, and create the same detail at the porch entry of the home, same beams, colour and materials, so it looks like they belong on the same property. also, perhaps a little scary to consider, i would render the wall in between the door and the first window only, and paint the front door in the matching blue. Windows I'd go charcoal as per th beam structure, and apply a stained timber batten to the flat parapet above the garage, so paint that black, then fix timber battens vertically wh enough spacing to see that black shadowline, it will modernise it, emphasising the elongated design, which is both contemporary and popular, and tie this timber detail into the house with a generous deck. Both timbers will link, over scale th deck, perhaps stagger a step or two, as the garage is over scaled also. remove the fence, and landscape the corner with over scaled shrubbery, a meandering path to help invite ppl between the two structures., the visual disconnection is the fence, but it translates into everything else. if a fence must be, then consider a half height one, or an informal row of sleepers as uprights, to softly define the yard....See MoreAffordable ideas for kerb appeal
Comments (7)I think the most impact would come from a well placed, well sized Acer. You can get them grown fairly tall already, Tamata have them and I'm sure there are other places. I'd get one that grows to no more than 3 metres (although check this against your property as scale is hard to gauge from photo), and has changing colours of leaves/bark. I'd place it towards the left of the property, looking at it. That will give some balance to the windows, provide some privacy but not obscure light. It wouldn't be a cheap option but cheaper than painting the house, and would need almost no aftercare. Then some easy care phormiums in the border underneath the windows. Both phormiums and acers come in a range of colours- limes, bronze, purples, oranges, dark reds etc, so choose what you like. The acers are soft and provide movement and variety, the phormiums sharp and provide solid consistent structure. This echoes the plants that can be seen already behind and at the side of the house and should make the hour 'sit within' its environment instead of bing perched on top of it. Also, the edge of the driveway- I would dig a border to just beyond the seam of the gate, lay down a weed mat, and put some stones in there. The garden centre has a range of them, in several colours from white through green red greys and blacks. If you chose reddish (or reddish and lime/orange) tones for your acer/phormiums, I would prob buy a large specimen plant in a pot for the top of the driveway, at the eight hand side of the garage, to link the colours. And maybe paint the front door and have some pot plants there that tone in too, especially in the area near the path that can be seen from the street. For a cleaner line I'd consider painting the lower part of the decking (the vertical frontage) to tone in with your house....See Morejoeandkathyg
4 years agojoeandkathyg
4 years agojoeandkathyg
4 years agojoeandkathyg
4 years agojuliahocking thanks for the heads up with the charcoal driveway! bigreader Domino all over is very tempting (such a big change though!) Dulux have an inspo house on the cover of their exteriors brochure with Teahouse (a little lighter than Domino) as the main colour with Domino as the trim the windows have black frames though and I feel like it all looks a little too dark... maybe with our white framed windows and shutters though? Green foliage against dark charcoal does look very striking, I agree
joeandkathyg
4 years ago
PROPartridge Architecture
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
julie herbert
4 years agoHi joeandkathyg ,
Why not try a pergola type structure along your front, add decking, this will extend the living area also, love that Dulux inspiration photo, how fabulous would yours look in that colour , add the pergola , some gorgeous furniture.. just beautiful
dreamer