Cosy Outdoor Area

Don't let Winter get in the way of you enjoying your outdoor area! We've whipped up a couple ideas to to inspire a cosy outdoor area in your home...

1. Rug up

Furnish your outdoor furniture with cosy rugs, cushions and warm textured fabrics to create a cosy feel. Think woollen blankies and warm colours like red, brown and burnt orange. Shades of blue work well too!

2. Park a bench

Bench seating is a great way to create a cuddly feel in your backyard. Benches allow for plenty body heat transfer which helps keep things cosy, but also closes up a space giving it a warmer feel. You could go for a dark bohemian look or a light pastel look depending on your style preference. The boho colours work well through all seasons.

3. Close it off

Adding a temporary ceiling or cover to your outdoor area closes off the space.  This could be a build pergola or a make shift shade cloth. Pick what you like depending on your budget! If you go with the built pergola roses, honeysuckles and jasmine are all lovely flowers to allow to grow on your pergola. Having flowers covering it will also make it cosy.

4. Light it up!

Lighting is a super important part of creating ambience in your home. Use fairy lights and/or lanterns to create cosy, dim lighting in your backyard.

5. Sofa - so good

Everyone loves a cuddle on the sofa so of course a sofa will help 'cosy up' your outdoor area. The only downside to this is that it needs to be protected from rain otherwise it may get mouldy. You can pick up second hand couches pretty cheap or you can scout for them on hard rubbish days.

Kitchen Tile Guide

Kitchen Tile Guide

Water and stain resistance, variety, weather durability and low maintenance are just some of the advantages of tiles. But how do you go about picking the tile type that best suits your kitchen? Check out our kitchen tile guide of course!

1. Ceramic (non-porcelain)

Ceramic tiles are either porcelain or non-porcelain. If they are non-porcelain we just call them ceramic. What's the difference between ceramic and porcelain?  Ceramic tiles are mostly made with red, brown or white clay that is fired and finished in a kiln with a durable glaze that helps to keep colour. Porcelain tiles are made by a dust pressed method which means there are less imperfections.

Benefits

• They are cool in hot weather and take well to underfloor heating.
• Range of shapes, sizes, colours and patterns.
• Price range is generally lower than porcelain.
• They are slip and fire resistant.
• They appear softer and lighter and can be used on the floor or walls.

Ceramic tiles can cause sore feet if you're standing for long periods of time. The tile can be cold in cooler weather and items that drop to the floor have a good chance of breaking against the ceramic material.

2. Porcelain

Porcelain is a considered a higher quality material as it is created and sealed under high pressure and heat to create a non-porous product.

Benefits

• No sealing is required to waterproof them.
• Well suited to areas with high foot traffic as.
• Highly weather resistant.
• Work well in many rooms and with many design styles.

Bear in mind the cost is usually higher and the flooring beneath the tiles needs to be strong to support the porcelain.

3. Terracotta

We love the natural raw feel and texture in terracotta tiles.

Benefits

• Great on the feet - makes them less tired when standing.
• Ages well and is timeless from a design perspective.
• It's flexible for modern or traditional style kitchens.

They're not automatically sealed so this will come at an extra cost.

4. Stone

Stone is also a great material to get that natural, organic feel in your kitchen/home.

Benefits

• Easy to maintain.
• Designers often reccomend stone to give your home a natural and warm feel.
• Stone is an excellent conductor and eco-friendly if you add underfloor heating.
• With an increased demand for stone tiles they are not as expensive as they used to be.

Consider cost to lay down the tiles and also maintenance. 

Indoor Outdoor Kitchens that Work Together

We love our outdoor kitchens and more home owners are looking for ways to merge their indoor and outdoor kitchen seamlessly to get the most out of both areas. Here are some tips and inspirational pics to help you achieve a great flow between indoor outdoor kitchens.

1. Consistent flooring

Keeping the flooring material the same from indoors to outdoors keeps a nice consistent flow and feel between the two kitchens. Although this is a less cost effective option (well it can be depending on the material) it's a great way to merge the two areas together. Doing this will also create space between the two areas.

2. Picking the right palettes

When picking benchtop and cabinet colours you want to think about colours that work well in and outdoors. Light colours that complement natural surroundings and natural light work well.

3. Features and framing

Think about what materials and features you can use to bridge the gap between the indoor and outdoor kitchen. It could be something bold like a thick black frame or perhaps something more subtle like a sleek timber frame.

4. Get cosy

If you're looking to create a cosy vibe bridge the kitchen gap with beiges, blues, whites and textures. Utilise textured furniture like wicker chairs and hessian pillows.  Mixing modern and traditional materials means you can keep your kitchen modern but also enjoy the comfort with more traditional pieces of furniture and finishings.

Window Blinds Pros and Cons

Renovating or building a home isn’t always easy. We’re confronted with loads of options of brand, material and cost it’s sometimes hard to know where to look. We’re here to help. Our blog seeks to provide useful blogs that make your decisions a little easier.

This week we’re looking at outdoor window blinds pros and cons.

PVC Shutters

Pros:

• Really durable and typically come with a 15 plus year warranty
• Hold up well in wet conditions
• They’re cheaper than aluminium and timber
• Great heat insulator

Cons:

• They generally have a maximum width of 600mm
• Slats can become saggy and floppy in the heat

Aluminium shutters

Pros

• Can be made to look like timber
• Also a great heat insulator and handle windy weather well
• Decent air flow control
• They can be lockable for safety
• Come in many colours

Cons

• They can be expensive
• They can be a bit noisy

Awnings

Pros

• Work well motorized
• Can be made in mesh which is good for natural lighting and to cut glare
• Generally cheaper than any other option

Cons

• Need to be rolled up in bad weather
• Can become mouldy

Got any questions or comments we can help with? Looking for any general advice on building your outdoor kitchen Houzz page or contact us here.

Add Vintage to a Modern Kitchen

Adding Vintage to a Modern Kitchen

Having a modern kitchen with a vintage flare is both charming and unique and can reflect a beautiful minimalist style in your home. We all work so hard to make our homes as modern as we can, only to then see loads of amazing vintage styles, products and knick knacks come on the market. It's hard to keep up with it all but why not do both?! Here are some ideas and tips to help you add vintage to a modern kitchen.

1. Chairing is caring

The best thing about this is that it's not only easy to do but it's cost effective and fun! You can pick up old chairs from just about any recyclable furniture or antique store or if you're lucky and enjoy a hunt you could even just get out and about on hard rubbish days and get creative with upcycling. Aside from looking awesome and stylish adding 'old school' chairs actually means you're buying a good quality piece of furniture that is built to last at a more cost effective price than buying from a large chain.

2. Pull out the stops with a table top

On the flip side you could stick with modern chairs but add vintage to a modern kitchen with an old table. The benefits of this would be much the same - cost effective and a solid piece of furniture to own that adds the vintage style. As far as which one to go with (chairs versus table) we'd reccomend spending on the chairs as you want something comfortable for your guests.

3. Crockery

If you want to keep your kitchen modern and with some secret vintage, crockery is a great way to do this. You can keep the vintage touch packed away and bring it out when you're ready to add vintage it. Vintage crockery can be picked up but flee markets, charity stores or online. The Brighton Market or Port Adelaide Market for instance is a good local spots to pick up some treasures. Keep an eye out for white basis with floral prints, dashes of gold and pastel colours. All very vintage. Good news is - they don't need to match so no need to commit to a set.

4. Embrace the clutter!

This tip isn't for everyone but one way you can add vintage to a modern kitchen is to make cluttered mismatched corners. If you don't want to commit to vintage across your whole kitchen, just focus on a corner where you can store your vintage crockery and a few other vintage items like a scale, jars or storage cans.

5. The Post its with the mostists 

Another super way to add a dash of vintage is with a vintage poster. You can keep a modern poster frame or times your vintage by two and add a vintage frame which you can also pick up from a antique shop, market or upcycle it yourself!

If you're into the idea of using recycled or upcycled materials in your home check out this post on the benefits of using reclaimed timber. Thanks for reading! And don't be shy - if you liked it - share it :)

Awkward Kitchen Corner Ideas

That awkward kitchen corner. Most of us have one and aren't sure what to do with it. Of course it could always be used for cupboard space but we've found some creative kitchen corner ideas to make the most out of your  awkward kitchen corners.

Eating Space

Re-vamp the kitchen corner into an eating space. Why not up-cycle some old furniture into a kitchen corner seating area and throw in a table for the perfect eat-in space?

Clever Cupboard Space

Deep drawers and lazy Susan's are a great way to make better use of that awkward corner space. If storage space is problem then this idea will make your cupboard space go a bit further. 

Display Cabinet

Use the kitchen corner to put up a cabinet or shelves to host some decorative items to add some character to your kitchen.

Office Space

Use the kitchen corner to create a mini office or study nook. Check out more ideas for kitchen office space here

Floating Shelves

Floating shelves are quick and easy to put up and can be used as storage for decor or just in case you need them!

Space Savers: design ideas for small kitchens

Having a small kitchen isn't any disadvantage.  There's been a big move towards smaller housing to save space and energy and there are plenty of things you can do to get the most out of your space. Here are some design ideas for small kitchens...

1. Sleek appliances

Sleek appliances (particularly in black and stainless steel) can create a less clunky looking space. If you can find multi-purpose appliances that is even better!

2. Wall mounted mugs

Putting up a couple of hooks or railings with hooks on your wall to hang mugs or cups is a great space saver and really achieves that popular hipster look a lot of home owners are going for. Just make sure you use the right materials to ensure the mount is strong enough to hold any crockery you choose to put on it.

3. Double up

Get more out of your wall space by putting up a shelf where you can utilise the shelf space as well as the area beneath it to hang mugs.

4. Mirrors

Our favourite design idea for small kitchens - mirrors! Check out our last blog on having mirrors on your kitchen. They are a great way to create space your in kitchen through light and reflection.

5. Let it hang

Hanging pots from the ceiling (preferably above a stove or seating area) is another great design idea for small kitchens. Not only does it make the pots easily accessible but if you don't have the cabinet space hanging pots from the ceiling is the perfect solution.

6. Hidden storage

Work storage into as many other areas/pieces of furniture that you can. A table for instance is a great opportunity to create extra storage you may not have had.

Kitchen Mirrors

Vain or genius design? We say genius design! Kitchen mirrors are a hot trend at the moment. Not only can they make your kitchen look bigger but they can also reflect a good view making your kitchen more attractive and it's perfect for achieving that Fen Shui style.

Above a stove

If you fancy keeping an eye on yourself while you cook, this could be for you! OR if your oven is situated in an area that reflects interesting kitchen items an above the stove kitchen mirror can be considered!

Full Length

Make your kitchen look bigger with a full length mirror. Perfect for student apartments and people on the go who may need to check themselves before leaving the home.

Splash Back Mirror

These are quite high maintenance to keep clean but look really great in the right kitchen! Be sure to install tempered glass rather than household mirrors as these will crack under heat.

Above the sink

This is probably the most popular location to place a mirror. Try picking a mirror style that mimics a window.

Mirrors on cabinets

Installing mirrors to your kitchen cabinets can add style and heaps of light to the room.