Sunday, September 27, 2009

Entryway again

Oh, just a quick excited post! My wonderful Dad has offered to do all the building and plastering for us, so we can keep saving for a holiday! He is going to take some time off work and do it all over about 4 days!

I love my Dad - he is awesome!

I have also decided to get our sofa slip covers made while he is here, so the mess won't get the current sofas dirty (they take them away for 2 weeks to make the covers!)

So progress shots should be just around the corner!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Entryway moodboard

Here it is!

The moodboard for our entry way and hallway. Let me give you a little rundown.

Obviously, the walls are white, as are the floors.

The white cabinet is instead of a hallstand. I will get one eventually, but we already have this cabinet, and its not getting used. Plus it will add storage that will be lost when we halve the hall cupboard to become doors.

The turned wooden stool will give me somewhere to sit while I tie my shoelaces, and will sit under a little green frame which holds the brooch from my wedding dress. A little sparkle sparkle, and a happy memory too.

I have wanted this hanging rack for quite some time now, and despite the cost, my husband agrees. Its a special 'piece' that we would have for years to come, and gives people such a lovely sentiment when they walk in the door. Above it (if there is room!) I will hang this round mirror, with a mirrored frame - the perfect piece to reflect the light from the chandelier! This may not be the exact chandelier I use - it may hang a little low - but something like this would be so nice!

Our hall cupboard door will be a nice panelled one, with a crystal handle (and I haven't shown them here, but we will have glass french doors, next to the cupboard, also off this hallway, leading to the loungeroom)

The large picture is my husband and I on our wedding day. My wonderful sister and brother in law had this pic enlarged and printed on a canvas for us as a wedding gift. Its quite big (about 50 x 70 cm), and will go right at the end of the hallway, so its not too confronting! The framed pics are ones I am gathering at the moment of family over the years - my sister and I as toddlers, my grandparents on their first weekend away together, etc. Not sure yet whether to frame them in black, or a dark stained wood - which would tie in nicely with the wooden stool.

I love the grey rug with the circles (have you noticed a bit of a 'circle-y theme here?), as the 3 bedrooms which run off this hallway will be carpeted in charcoal, and the bathroom will likely have charcoal floor tiles too, so it ties in, but the circles break it up (or I might just get the green one, and never mind it matching anything else!)

So this is the hallway in my mind..Perhaps its time to start on the construction!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The making of an entryway

I love entryways. I love hallstands, and welcoming spaces, and homey touches, like hooks with scarves on them, and a place to sit while putting on your shoes.


An entryway was something we did not have in our last home - see that door there, not even 1 foot from the sofa - THAT was our front door!

So I was super excited when we moved to a house with a hallway and an entryway. Unfortunately, the said entryway has no walls - they all have doors on them, and is not wide enough for a hallstand. Boo!

Also missing is a few walls is our living room. Major dilemma - the main entryway to our living room is off the hallway, through double doors, that lead you straight into the back of our sofa! (yes I should draw you a floorplan...and I will...soon!)

Solution - close up the double doors, gain a wall for our sofa to live on, and move the door just a little further down the hall, so you walk into the side of our living room. There are so many benefits.

But I had to run it past our trusted advisors - first, my Dad, a builder for about 30 years, who was well known for his talents in making spaces work!, and Jeni, a close friend - also my Dad's partner - a seriously talented draftsperson (just ask Steve and Jules - my brother and sister in law!) and interior designer who totally 'gets' what we want to achieve.

Last night they gave us the tick of approval for our plans, and moving forward, we will be calling builder next week for a quote! And hence, my excitement about entry-ways. I can see it already - large white cabinet with mirrored front, a dark stained, turned wood stool, a hall runner...and a chandelier! I feel a mood board coming on!