Tropical Homes Design Elements

Entertaining Area

Sat, 04 Jan 2020 05:50:41 GMT

Outdoor Entertaining Area

Under cover Outdoor Entertaining Area

We, Far North Queenslanders know how important it is to have a covered outdoor entertaining area so we can use it ALL YEAR around especially if you love entertaining with friends and family.

My number one consideration was to create a space that was versatile in all weather conditions, inviting, spacious and self sustainable.

The outdoor entertaining area is connected to the main house this keeps the minimalistic design, it is directly opposite from the detached parents retreat that has a simple box shape but the same exterior black colour(dulux night sky)which gives it plenty of dramatic aesthetics. The most practical & functional thing about the entertaining area and parents retreat is they form a U shape and the swimming pool is right in the centre which means all areas are there to be used on a regular basis.

Adding extra toilet & outdoor shower

We added things like an outdoor shower (exposed copper finish) and another toilet room with vanity as well as access via a side gate to ensure you don't need to enter through the main house.

Features in my outdoor entertaining area

It has a single span opening of nearly 10m that means no posts to obstruct the view of the pool... When you have an opening like that everything looks even more spacious.

We have installed a full outdoor kitchen, complete with BBQ and a range hood specifically for BBQs , sink, floating shelving with LED strip lighting installed for beautiful ambience, full set of crockery, dishwasher and fridge - so that when we have guests over we are ready to rock n roll. We also included a pool table, a TV which is mounted so it is viewable from in the pool.

My hero piece in this design is the emerald green, fishtail tiles I chose for the splash back that wows everyone who walks in to the area as it is such a contrast of what I have created it visually draws you to the colour. It is very important for my interior design flair that I love a simple envelope however there does need to be a bit of colour to lighten things up and make a more casual & fun place rather than being too intimidating with black & white simplicity. This Interior design & styling flair will truly make who you are... I also bought the same dinner set brand but with all different colours and patterns to funk it up.

Garden is equally important

I love gardening and have a lot of knowledge but I can not seem to create a beautiful garden...on my own. This time around I got my garden design layout from my dear Garden Designer friend, Mark Vowles who has created the most amazing garden I've ever seen in Cairns with his fabulous Interior designer wife, Fairlie Kerr at their own place. He just needed to see my space, know that I was after a tropical feel and take my list of favourite plants. Three months later I have a lush, green, absolutely amazing garden. There you have it... a professional will make your vision come true and often exceed it.

Your home is your sanctuary take care of this and your life becomes all that you wish it to be!

Parents Retreat

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 05:50:41 GMT

Why did you decide to do a renovation/extension?

As our family has grown up our home seems to have gotten smaller!

We love the location and didn't want to move (it is close to the city and still cheap to buy - not to mention the massive potential in the future because of it) but w e knew we needed more space. We had quite a large backyard but most of it was unused. The space wasn't really fit for an all year around FNQ lifestyle.

Once we really started to think seriously about an extension, it came quite simply to us that we wanted something quite separate to the main house....something just for us...a PARENTS RETREAT.

When you're a small business owner, you eat, sleep and breathe your business. At least we do!

And for us, the option to take a lavish holiday is a little elusive so we wanted to create that feeling of being on holiday every time we stepped into our parents retreat.

What was your design & build inspiration?

The brief we set for ourselves was very simple; we wanted a contemporary design, the envelope of the house had to be minimalistic - to achieve my design desire which has been very important to me for many years. It is very modern however, it still ties together with the main house as similar minimalistic exterior design was used and the same exterior colour, BLACK - it compliments each other old and new.

There is a rule in design that states; 'Form Follows Function', and it's true, it does, but I always knew I wanted to use minimalistic, simple line, bold colours. In this case BLACK exterior to make the impression of masculinity - to make a statement all on its own.

What's your parents retreat layout?

The retreat has a master bedroom (3.5m x 3.5m) & an en-suite (3.5mx3.8m) which is a great size for Liam & I. (Approximately $50/m2). I didn't want too big of a room but not too small. There were a few people that asked me "Why is your en-suite bigger?", well, I had to fit my dream bathtub, a shower, vanity and wardrobe... there was no way the 3.5mx3.5m size would be able to achieve that, however, the extra 300mm made it happen smoothly. Saying that, this is designed solely for our life style which means anything can be modified to suit your lifestyle.

What are the materials that I chose?

We used James Hardie Scyon on the exterior claddings. This is well suited to the tropics and the minimalistic design aesthetic which also involves minimal maintenance over time. Polished concrete floor inside - I love polished concrete, it is so smooth to walk on. I chose exposed aggregates which makes it visually satisfying and also is forgiving to a bit of mess not to mention, NO GROUTS!!! For the en-suite, I added a big opening near the bathtub (fixed window)... as I wanted to overlook my swimming pool and tropical garden. You can easily add privacy by using an adjustable shower curtain rod with whatever fabric you desire... in this case I used fabric from Marimekko (my favourite). The bi-fold doors condense to create an almost wall to wall opening across the main entrance to the bedroom - very resort-like and absolutely compatible with the indoor/ outdoor living stye of the tropics, a retractable fly screen means at night time, we can enjoy the cool breeze without the insects.

Parents Retreat Space

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 05:50:41 GMT

Thinking differently about SPACE

LET'S TALK ABOUT SPACE...

What to do if you don't have as much of it as you want. How to make it feel bigger, or more welcoming; how to ensure our spaces function in the way we want as well as look and make us feel the way we want them to.

We didn't have infinite space nor budget available to us for our extension. We considered how we wanted to use our parents retreat, and whilst we always wanted it separate to the house we also knew we would still spend time together as a family in the main house and entertaining area.

So this is how we did it...

Master bedroom

It is a bit bigger than the average bedroom size. Spacious enough for a king size bed and two bed side tables comfortably. This room is more focused on the retreat/holiday feeling that I have craved. It has a big bi-fold door opening, over looking the swimming pool & the entertaining area. Having the bi-fold doors which I leave open most of the time make the master bedroom so much bigger and inviting, as well as embracing the indoor and outdoor life style.

En-suite

The en-suite is a fraction bigger than the master bedroom, increasing the size just a bit more allowed me to comfortably fit a free standing bathtub in as well as a floor to ceiling wardrobe the entire length of the wall, a shower recess, vanity and toilet.

I had to go a bit better than mid range plumbing fixtures and cabinetry for a touch of luxury. It literally makes me happy every time I walk into my en-suite.

Talking about the space...There are so many elements in this room. making this room look more minimalistic and bigger I've chosen 300x600 satin finish white wall tiles(not glossy and busy) floor to ceiling with the same colour grout to make everything seamless. Matching 2 pack cabinetry for the floating vanity & the wardrobe also add a touch of luxury. The big window opening right next to the free standing bathtub also makes this room larger, brighter and the view towards the pool and outdoor area makes you feel like you are in a private resort.

*Privacy...? At this stage we don't have to worry about it whatsoever but I do use a removable shower curtain rod with beautiful fabric now and then if I want to.

Some other space enhancing tricks of the trade:

Choose lighter colours for your internal walls to open the room up
Use slide away doors (bi-fold, stackable) that create large openings to make the room bigger
Use windows to let natural light in. I love louvres.
Choose furnishings in small spaces that have legs; creating a space between your floor and your furniture enhances the feeling of having slightly more room than you do. (In your bathroom - floating vanity)
Mirror, Artwork - size and location are critical for this to work.
NO CLUTTER - you don't need unnecessary stuff to make your room beautiful. These days, less is better.

Work out the priority

Sometimes we find areas we can afford to make slightly smaller so that we can enhance another area where the family spend more time or places of more importance. We are living in the world where we have unlimited resources however, trust me it is very hard to assess this for yourself, which is why its so important to have the guidance of professionals - who know the right questions to ask and who have an eye for providing solutions that truly integrate your home with your lifestyle.