Dulux Colour Awards 2015

I'm absolutely thrilled that my Robb Street House is a finalist in the 2015 Dulux Colour Awards in the category Single Residential Exterior. The awards are open to all professionals and are divided into several categories. RBID is in some very esteemed company!

You can read more about the project here and see the complete list of finalists in the awards here.

Winners will be announced at an invitation only gala evening on the 25th March. Stay tuned!

And So To Bed...

Sketch by Renae Barrass

Been flat out in the lead up to the end of the year! Working on some great projects - large and small - with some fantastic clients. Also been to see some finished projects which has been really rewarding. Looking forward to sharing a little more on the Blog when I get a chance.

Recently I was asked by some friends to give a bit of advice on their tricky bedroom. Due to the size of the bedroom (smallish) the only wall for the bed to sit against is the front street-facing wall with a large 3 panel window. The mirrored wardrobe (installed by previous owners) down one side of the room means the window reads as off-centre on the inside of the room. To cap it all off, there is a street light right outside the window which shines right into the bedroom through the venetian blinds. This was a tough room...

What to do?? The first problem to solve is the off-centre window. We need to create some symmetry in the room to align with the placement of the bed. I suggested block out drapes that run on a curtain rail spanning the width of the room. On the left hand side they stack back against the wall, on the right hand side they cover the third pane of the window. This reduces the visible width of the window and creates the illusion that the bed is symmetrical to the wall & window. When drawn, the block out drapes also help with the light shining in at night. The clients can choose to keep the existing venetian blinds or replace with a sheer roller blind for privacy during the day. The second issue is that the window sill is almost level with the mattress height. A new bed with a high head such as the uber stylish 'Gus Carmichael' bed from Globe West was suggested along with new matching bedside tables & lamps. The bed & bedsides just need to sit a little forward of the wall to allow the drapes to open & close with ease. 

Gus Carmichael Bed from Globe West

The final thing I wasn't convinced about were those mirrored robe doors. Sure, mirrors make a small space feel bigger but I think in this small bedroom, they reflected all the furniture back, actually making the room feel more cluttered. They also drew the eye away from what should be the focal point - the bed wall. The decision was to replace them with simple plain doors.


So voila! Problems overcome - bedroom retreat coming up. Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!

Award Winner

I was thrilled to hear that the Inverloch House won a HIA Award this week (entered by building designers Beaumont Concepts).

You can see full details of the award here, and more pictures of the project here.

RBID was responsible for the interior design and was also instrumental in the overall look of the house selecting render & cladding colours, the chartreuse entry colour, the external stonework and the aluminium louvres which add an architectural element to the facade whilst controlling light and privacy within. The clients were fantastic to work with and were thrilled with the result - you can read their testimonial here.

Everything Old is New Again

Just uploaded a few new photos to my online folio on Houzz - In particular this beautiful Edwardian/Californian Bungalow for which I re-worked the external colours earlier this year. I was keen to give the clients a colour scheme that was contemporary yet referenced what would be appropriate to the Heritage of the house.

What a gorgeous old house - and it looks even grander now with the new colours (if I do say so myself)!

Front Door Blues

This is a fabulous external colour scheme I worked on last year where the client was brave enough to go with the bold blue colour I suggested for the front door. You can see more pics from this project on my Houzz folio. 

Inverloch Project

Front Entry - Image by RBID

Last week I took a day trip to Inverloch to see a completed project. It was a wet & wild day and took over 2 hours in each direction so I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I got home, but it was well worth it to catch up with the lovely clients and see their beautiful beach home complete. My photos aren't amazing - it was a pretty overcast day - but the exterior images turned out really well. Interior images in a post to follow...

Rear Elevation - Image by RBID

Stone Fireplace - Image by RBID

Entertainers Alfresco Area - Image by RBID

Canberra Colour Cookoff

Recently Ive been working on a kitchen renovation in Canberra. The house is a fabulous 1960's Bill Batt designed home, largely in original condition. I wasn't familiar with Bill Batt prior to taking this job and there is little about him online, but he was the University Architect at ANU sometime around 1959 (please do shoot me an email if you have any additional info about Bill Batt as myself and the clients would be keen to learn more about him). The clients were keen to rework the kitchen to retain several of the key characteristics of the original interior design such as the beautiful timber lined ceilings and timber paneling in the entry, which I was more than enthusiastic about. As we were working remotely (i.e. me in Melbourne, the clients in Canberra) I used photoshop to render up my ideas for design and finishes. This is a great tool to communicate your 'vision' for a space and makes it easy to tweek the layout and materials as the design process unfolds. We did lots of options on this job and even though we were just working with freehand sketches, the clients found it really easy to picture the suggested colours and materials in their space. 

Stay tuned for completed pics in the next month or two...

Fine & Dande

Up-cycled pallet furniture at Dandenong Market

I was recently downloading some photos and came across these shots I took on a visit to Dandenong Market one Sunday in March. We took a trek down there for a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival event and really enjoyed the variety of stalls and the food available on the day. What also caught my eye were these up-cycled pallete feature walls, planters, stools and tables and the fun colours they were painted with. They really gave the market a groovy inner-city vibe that was fresh and edgy - and they were very well utilized on the day. Great idea for a pop-up cafe or shop - Design food for thought...

Pallet feature wall, Drinks crate planter box, Pallet stools & tables & Great colour combos!

Laundry & Bathroom Renovation Elwood

A client recently emailed some photos (thanks PH!) of a completed laundry and bathroom renovation I worked on late last year so I thought I would share them on the blog.

The client's brief was to turn the pokey laundry/toilet into a powder room & secondary bathroom as well as a laundry space - a tall order from a room measuring just 2200mm x 2400mm!! They also wished to extend their existing family bathroom into the hallway to give them enough space to have a separate bath & shower as well as a toilet & vanity. I've included some plans to show how we reworked the spaces. The house is late Edwardian and the joinery style, colours and materials were chosen to give a nod to the era of the house but with some contemporary flavour.

LAUNDRY / POWDER ROOM 

This room had some very shallow impractical storage and for guest using the facilities, it really did feel like the toilet had been plonked in the corner of the laundry. The clients were keen to give the room more of a 'powder room' feeling also incorporating a shower so it could be used in conjunction with the family bathroom.

Powder & Bathroom facilities in Laundry

Beautiful & Functional - Powder Basin / Laundry Trough

 FAMILY BATHROOM

The bathroom had an existing pedestal basin and medicine cabinet on the side wall - no bench space and no where near enough storage for a family of four! It also had a tiny 1200mm bath with a shower over the top - compromising both the ability to relax in the bath or enjoy the shower. We overcame this by having a shower open to the bath on one side, making the room feel much more open and allowing both a full sized bath and a walk in shower. 

Bathroom BEFORE SHOT

Walk in Shower & Hob Bath

Bathroom Vanity with Medicine Cabinets Above

Bathroom Before & After

Well its taken about 6 months but our 50's bathroom renovation is finally complete!  As I previously mentioned on the blog, I decided to keep the original lilac bath tub as it's the perfect size for a small person and keeps some of the homes original personality.  I contrasted it with charcoal and chalk porcelain tiles, shiny new chrome tapware and an Oak Timber vanity unit to bring it up to date.  I also added a mega-sized mirror to the right hand wall to make the room feel larger and to reflect the beautiful embossed feature tiles on the left hand wall.

Oak Vanity Unit & Sleek Black Towel Rails - Mega Mirror on the right

Original lilac bath set in new hob - charcoal floor tiles & embossed chalk wall tiles bring the colour up to date.

Bath hob extends into shower to become a shelf

BEFORE shot - Ugh!

Pantone Colour for 2014

Pantone, the worlds foremost colour authority for designers, has just released its 'IT' Colour for 2014. I must admit, I had noticed this colour coming through in design magazines, fashion and even graphic design over the past 12 months or so. Perhaps its because I live in a 50's house with the original lilac bath & basin - I seem to be drawn to this colour lately as it is so versatile!

 

What Pantone has to say about Radiant Orchid for Interiors
"Spruce up interior spaces by incorporating this eye-catching hue in paint, accent pieces and accessories. As adaptable as it is beautiful, Radiant Orchid complements olive and deeper hunter greens, and offers a gorgeous combination when paired with turquoise, teal and even light yellows.
Likewise, the vibrant color is sure to liven up neutrals including gray, beige and taupe. Uplifting and bold without being overpowering, Radiant Orchid re-energizes almost any color palette and provides a unifying element for diverse spaces."
From the Pantone Website 

We are currently renovating our little bathroom and controversially we have decided to keep the teeny-tiny lilac bath as a feature piece in the new design. Looking forward to sharing some pics on the blog once its complete!

Mad World

Well its been a long absence from both of my blogs due to the fact that I have been working furiously on lots of exciting projects, renovating my own home and also expecting a baby!

Did the ubiquitous trip to Ikea last weekend (about a zillion other baby bumps on show there!) and thought I would share this snapshot of a cute pink and orange fabric that's new in store. Could be great for a child's room and would make fantastic curtains!!

Back next week with a few shots of a lovely residential project that's almost complete, along with some photos of my updated kitchen!

Back on Board

Luckily I've never had to say this to a client, but it did elicit a giggle from me (thanks to KC for sending it through to me!)

 

Well folks I'm back at the helm of RBID full time again now after a fabulous, fun and inspiring stint at Lombard and Jack.

Looking forward to getting involved in some new projects with new clients. 

Lombard & Jack

Senoritas Mexican Restaurant -  Lombard & Jack

Currently doing a short stint with the awesome team at Lombard & Jack design studio so work for RBID is a little sporadic at the moment. Will let you know when I'm back at the helm full-time - in the meantime, here are some images of L&J's work...

Brighton Residence - Lombard & Jack

The Teak Room - Kath Lombard