Benefits of Concrete Flooring

Concrete flooring has been a trend for a few years now. But many people still see it as a cold and sterile option when it comes to using it in their homes. We reckon it's because many people just don't what can be done with concrete flooring - let alone what the benefits are! So this blog post reveals the benefits of concrete flooring and just how beautiful it is...

Low Maintenance

Concrete flooring only needs to be cleaned once a week and doesn't require any fancy household cleaners to do the job! You can mop your concrete floors once a week with some warm, soapy water. We recommend using a sweeper or dust mop before mopping the floor. Make sure the soap is completely mopped away so it doesn't leave marks or stick to the floor.

Beautiful Designs

With the right techniques and finished, concrete flooring goes from boring to beautiful! Dyes can be added to concrete for colouring. From red through to olive green, brown and gold - polished concrete can be dyed to suit your kitchen or office's design style.

Sustainable

Seeing as most houses have a concrete sub-floor, it’s possible to simply remove what ever is above that and make use of that as your flooring. If you do this, you're not using up any new materials and your new floor doesn't have to pass any regulation tests.

Timeless

 Concrete flooring won't go out of date. It's simplicity suits so many different design styles that it has really stood the test of time. Home owners dress their concrete flooring up or down with rugs or furnishings as they need to if a trend changes, but the appeal of the concrete flooring beneath remains the same. Looking for more kitchen flooring options? Check out another blog here to see what else is out there! Or get in touch with us today to find out about polished concrete for your kitchen.

Outdoor Office Tips and Ideas

We live in a day and age where technology and internet allows us to work from anywhere in the world! As the demand for jobs that allow us to work from home increases, so does our need for tips and ideas for home offices. If you work from home and are looking for some inspiration for your home office - look no further! Here are some outdoor office tips and ideas for you...

The Garden Shed or Playhouse

If you're set on taking your work outdoors into the fresh air but don't want to build a space especially for it - try using your garden shed or playhouse. Many garden sheds store stuff we don't need or could re-locate elsewhere. Turn your garden shed into an outdoor office after a good clean, lick of paint and furniture set up.

The Intentional Office

If you're committed to working outside regularly and actually want to be outdoors, you can build some build or purchase furniture specifically for work. Build or buy a desk and table (make sure it's waterproofed!) and chuck up a canopy if you need the shade. You can purchase retractable and custom made canopies according to your space and needs. This office works well against a wall where you can pin up some art of white boards for inspiration or planning!

The Bare Necessities

There are a lot of awesome outdoor office ideas out there. But if you just want to work outside - it's as easy and setting yourself up with a laptop, notepad and pen on your patio or garden table. We suggest getting an anti-glare screen so you can see your screen outside.

Outdoor Office Tips

• Furniture: Think about what you'll be doing out there so you can work our what furniture or equipment is essential.

• Electricity: If your shed is close enough to home, you might be able to get away with using a power cable from your home. This can, however be hazardous. We recommend investing in a power generator. You can purchase these online or in store from places like My Generator or Adelaide Tools. Consider how much power you'll need before purchasing your generator.

• Internet: Check the internet reception from your home modem before jumping into setting up your office. Or contact you service provider to find out if a separate line can be set up in your outdoor office.

• Ventilation: If you've opted for a garden shed office, make sure you keep the windows or door open to let enough fresh air in!

• Heating: Invest in a heater for winter. Or as a more cost effective option - rug up in jumpers and blankets. Remember to turn your heater off before you leave your office for the day!

• Lighting: This is a tricky one to manage as the natural light will adjust throughout the day. To keep lighting consistent in your home office, purchase solar powered lights that can be fixed to your outdoor office. Alternatively, if you are happy working in natural light and adjusting accordingly, cut out a sky light in the office ceiling.

If you want an outdoor office, we can help build custom outdoor furniture according to your needs, space and budget. Contact us today for a quote.

Kitchen Lighting Ideas

Lighting design. It's a thing! Lighting designers help ensure that your home is lit up where it needs to be. Lighting needs to be carefully selected and placed according to the atmosphere or the room as well as the tasks or activities you'll complete there. Thinking of re-lighting your kitchen but not sure where to start? Here's some kitchen lighting ideas to put you in the right direction...

Recessed Lights

Probably the most common and cost effective, recessed lights sit nice and flush against the ceiling or above your work space. They're relatively versatile if you install a dimmer switch. That way you can adjust the lighting as you need.

PROS:

• No fixtures required.
• Get full coverage in your kitchen.
• They're completely trend proof.

CONS:

• They're inflexible unless they have a dinner switch.
• If they do have a dimmer switch it usually dims all the lights not selected ones. You may want to keep some brighter than others.

Pendant Lights

Pendant lights are super trendy and really versatile. They're a great way to achieve a modern, contemporary look but can also look more traditional if you need them too. There are loads of different styles to choose from so if you're keen on pendant lighting you'll definitely be able to find ones to suit your kitchen no matter what style it has.

PROS:

• A great way to make your kitchen look hip and trendy.
• Provides beautiful soft lighting that creates a calming ambience in the kitchen.
• Versatile styles to suit most kitchens.

CONS:

• They can get dusty and require frequency cleaning (inside and out).
• If not installed properly they can swing around or hang too low that it becomes a hazard.
• Only offers pools of lighting in the direction it faces (mostly down and slightly to the sides) which isn't great if you're looking to light up a work space.

Lighting Design Tip: Choose lights that will complement your kitchen design and colour scheme. Carefully select the brightness of the bulbs to create the atmosphere you want (ie: avoid large lighting with big bulbs if you want to keep your kitchen intimate and cosy.

Chandeliers

If you're looking to dress up a kitchen, a chandelier is the one of the many ways to do it. The pros and cons are much the same as the pendant lighting. The main difference is that a chandelier is generally quite delegate. Accidents happen in every household (especially if you're a clumsy cook like me!) so if you want a chandelier but are precious about potential damage I'd give it a skip. They are also a bit of a nightmare to keep dust free. Chandeliers used to be seen in more elegant looking kitchens . In recent years however some brilliant modern chandeliers have reached the market!

Track Lighting

Track lighting is better suited to trendy lofts or bachelor pads.

PROS:

• Easy to install and wire without an electrician (we're not recommending this, but this is the feedback we've received!)
• A good way to highlight certain areas of your kitchen. If you've got an artsy kitchen and want to highlight a vintage poster or paining you can set up your lighting to bring the poster to life.
• You can move the light around if you need to (unlike recessed lighting).

CONS:

• Track lighting tends not to lend itself to ambient lighting. For more ambient lighting we'd suggest a pendant light.
• The ceiling may look a bit cluttered. They need to be dusted off regularly too.
• They not very versatile from a design perspective.

Combination

In some cases you can do a combination of lighting styles. Check out the image below that pulls off recessed and pendant lights.

Pantry Storage Pros and Cons

We all aim to have a super organised kitchens, but it's not always easy to do - especially your pantry. So we've come up with five pantry storage systems and their pros and cons to help you get your kitchen organised :)

1. Shelves

Pros: Adding shelving to your kitchen is pretty easy and cost effective. Generally there's a lot of flexibility with shelf depth and width too.

Cons: If the shelves are too deep and not U-shaped it can be frustrating to reach back and pull out several items before you get what you need!

2. Pull out drawers

Pros: Easy to install and generally flexible in size and height.

Cons: Weight restrictions, runners getting stuck, depth variety and needing to pack the shelves specifically to get everything to fit are just four cons that we came up with for pull out drawers.

3. Pull out baskets

Pros: Commonly used to store vegetables. Easy to clean/require minimal cleaning. Create the illusion of space and are cost effective. They also come in a range of materials from stainless steel to plastic or coated steel.

Cons: Don't allow for as much customisation as other shelving types.

4. Stand alone baskets

Pros: Super easy and affordable to 'install'. They come in all different shapes, sizes and materials (plastic, wicker, plastic, steel, etc.) Great if you want to achieve a traditional or boho kitchen look.

Cons: Can be hard to clean (if you've chosen to go with the wicker option). Can be tricky to maintain as kitchen items need to be packed a certain way to ensure they fit into the space. Can be dangerous  if you have little kiddies around who may pull the drawers down as they aren't fixed.

5. Combination systems

There's no rules here! Pick and choose a mix of shelving/storage systems depending on your personal needs, requirements and/or style. Use wicker baskets for tea, coffee and cereal, pull out drawers for your pots and pans and shelves for your food and groceries.

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.

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.

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.