Hi a_architectural services, I agree, I am a lifestyle programme tragic and I watch most of the American ones. At the risk of being rude, if I hear one more person on those shows, say tiny bathroom, small dining room, no double sinks, no granite benchtops, no hardwood floors, I will scream. Sorry but yes they do need a reality check, come to Australia were homes and rooms are usually quite a bit smaller, sorry but they sound so spolt, unappreciative and inflexible and the price of a lot of their homes, are as low as 1/3 or 1/4 the price of what we pay here for the same home! I actually was watching 5 Day Flip an American lifestyle programme starring our Cherie Barber and one of her American tradesmen commented, on seeing a dining room for the first time, "small" and she said "no, normal!"
I live in a simple Californian Bungalow, we are restoring the fireplace currently. It appears to have been a plain brick fireplace with no timber surround. It has the original plain timber mantle across the top. We want to authentically restore it, so will keep it simple, but I am not sure what would have been covering the concrete base in the hearth. Does anyone have a similar one, not sure if it would have been tiled originally or not?
Our client Peter had already fitted out his new Workshop just a few days after we completed install!
He's done such a great job!
The best part about our outside nook (which is our deck) is that we have a retractable roof! On Sunday night we sat out there with the eco fire, candles and music. It was gorgeous, especially as it was raining quite heavily and we were protected from the rain enjoying a perfect winter night outside! Here's a picture of it, just took it now. Chia the pomeranian loves it too!
Everybody needs a nook where they can sit back and relax at the end of the day. I am in the home improvement industry and I always find a way to create a personal space outside for my clients. As much as possible, it should close to nature. A pair of chairs on a patch of grass with potted flowers around would usually suffice. We just add some touches according to the homeowner's taste.