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 Concrete flooring won't go out of date.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.

Hidden Fridges

I've worked with a few clients who want a hidden fridge. Why? Some people believe it ruins the aesthetics of a kitchen. Others have old appliances in a modern kitchen they want hidden away.  Some people just reckon hardware appliances shouldn't be seen.  Whatever the reason - this blog showcases a couple different ways you can hide the fridge in your kitchen.

Cooler drawer

Disguise your fridge as just another drawer in your kitchen. Drawer coolers are great for water, cheeses, snacks and the smaller things that would usually go in a bulky fridge. Price range varies from $1,500 - $2,800 depending on brand, size and design. The drawer featured in this image is from Fisher & Paykel and can be found on Appliances Online. Some of these cool drawers are multi-temperatured - they cn have up to five temperature settings depending on what you want to put in there. Freezer, chill ,wine and pantry are just some of the modes these drawers can be set to allowing you full flexibility to use your drawer how you want!

Cooler cabinets

If you're single or a couple, a small hidden fridge can be integrated into one of your kitchen cabinets. Bear in mind that the space will need to be specially prepared for a fridge to go in as it needs to have the right level of ventilation so it doesn't overheat. There are some 'how to' guides out there on how to fix a fridge into a cabinet base if you fancy giving it a go!

Wine/ drink coolers

There's a lot of awesome, sleek wine cooling fridges and these are our favourite kind of hidden fridge! These fridges work well in your outdoor or indoor kitchen. Like the cooler drawer they come in single or multi temp with the single temp fridges coming in at around $1,500 and multi temp between $1,800 and $3,500 for something top of the range.

Integrated hidden fridges

If you're looking for a family sized fridge that will fit seamlessly in your kitchen there are some incredible hidden fridges to look at! An integrated fridge is designed to specifically be hidden. They have smooth lines and perfect symmetry to ensure this.

Standalone cabinet fridge

If you'd like a hidden fridge in your kitchen without the hassle of re-designing or re-building you can buy these really neat standalone cabinet fridges. Some are portable, some are fixed, but either way these standalone cabinets are a good place to start if you want a hidden fridge in your kitchen.

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.

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.