Category Archives: House

Got around to hanging some art on the walls.

Also had Wonderful BFS in to install my retractable screens.

I had the frames custom powdercoated to match.

They slide away completely out of sight.

They look amazing. Almost Japanese!

I had Wonderful BFS install retractable screens on all sliding doors. They did an awesome job (lovely Korean couple) and I’m super happy with how they work and look!

I’ve been looking for concrete themed stuff for the apartment as the whole building has so much exposed concrete (which I love!). I impulse bought this concrete tray from Temple & Webster (along with the super plush rug pictured below) and sadly it’s a lot darker than the apartment concrete, it somehow looks a bit cheap too and feels quite rough as well.

They call the Honda Jazz the “Fit” in Japan. It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff this little car can pack!

Making IKEA furniture can be frustrating IF you don’t take your time following the instructions. I read a review of this couch that complained about the construction process, and that it took them 6hrs! I thought, surely not?! 4hrs later I was done… yup it was a lot more complicated than I thought it was going to be but I find this kinda stuff fun. It’s like playing LEGO!

Not quite the B&B Italia lounge I’ve always desired, but it’s an IKEA sofa bed (for guests) which I thought was both interesting looking and highly functional. The sofa backs can be moved around (I could put them in the centre so I can sit and play the guitar on the other side for example), the whole top half lifts up and there’s a tonne of storage space (perfect for 2 pillows, sheets and a blanket for guests).

I’ve been enjoying parking in the middle of my 2 carpark spaces which has made loading easier, but today this rude bastard’s Maserati was parked in one of my spaces.

I left a note on his windshield. Bastard!

2 of the spare bedrooms have these ugly mirrors. Mirrored wardrobe doors were so in fashion once. Personally I hate them! Gotta figure out how to cover up the mirrors somehow. White vinyl (temporary wallpaper) might be the go.

The walk in wardrobe in the master bedroom is an IKEA PAX system. It’s a beautiful dark brown wood finish but it’s covered up with these really dated bevelled door which are a MUCH darker brown (almost black) and just look so heavy. I’ve decided to remove the doors and rock an open closet (the shelves and other systems like shoe holders and drawers) in the lighter wood will look amazing. I just need to find 2 door replacements at IKEA for the last 2 doors closest to the wall (will most likely use full length mirror doors).

Wasn’t a fan of the cheap and high wearing rental carpet on inspection and it’s not grown on me over time either. It’s far from plush, and looks a bit corporate. I did a lot of research on carpets and it seems like wool is out, and polyester is in as it’s got great stain resistance, which is a great thing as Mia does throw up on my carpet from time to time and cleaning the carpets has always resulted in visible stains.

I found some really awesome looking polyester carpets online that had really nice texture. I went for a trip around the block the other day and it turns out one of the web sites I had checked out has a showroom in Rosebery. Whilst I was there I got a quote for laminate vinyl wood flooring too as they had a range that was on sale. That night when I went back to Maroubra Mia had spewed up in the bedroom! I took that as a sign to avoid carpet altogether and go for timber floors. I’ve since had them over the measure my space for a quote. The hard part will be choosing the right flooring as they can’t match the flooring that’s already in the apartment, and trying to match it might look silly, so I may have to go for something completely different (to contrast) to make it an obvious design choice.

Previous owners drilled this ugly IKEA console into the wall at the entrance with HUGE ugly white brackets. So annoying! Will remove it and either replace it with another console, or a bookshelf/display shelf for my toys, or a bench and shoe holder. Needsa more thought.

Still one of my fave original art pieces. This painting by Artist Abbey McCulloch adds a lot of colour to a white wall.

I was determined to never buy another IKEA product ever again, but after talking to Nick (Turner) about it the other day I think I came off as a bit of a brand snob. He mentioned that some pretty awesome designers are doing stuff for IKEA these days so I thought I’d drop in. I got there too early though, so thought I’d have a $5 breakfast whilst I waited for the store to open!

Impulse buying. I ended up buying WAY more stuff than I intended!

Respected British designer Ilse Crawford did some vases for IKEA so I thought I’d check them out. Bought the little matte black one for the bathroom and also bought a cheap IKEA 3 piece set (soap dispenser, toothbrush holder and tray) as it was also in matte black.

Perfecto! The matte black finish matches all my matte black bathroom hardware.

Also picked up this vase by Ilse Crawford.

Looks huge in the picture but it’s actually really small. Couldn’t resist this lamp. A solid marble base with a black braided cable which I paired with a naked LED bulb that looks great.

I was eyeing The Post Floor Lamp by Muuto design. Not cheap at $1,349. This looks and works a LOT like it for a fraction of the price so I pulled the trigger on it.

It’s very adjustable (can even point it up to the ceiling) and the back of each lamp is a massive push button so you can turn them on and off individually. The braided black cable is a nice touch too. IKEA are upping their game!

I’ve been really picking up the pace with the move and have been moving a car load’s worth of stuff every day for the past week. My Grandma used to check the lunar calendar to find the best date for me to move in to my previous houses, she’s not around anymore so my Mum has found a friend who can not only come over and bless my place, but she’s able to find me a good fortune date to move in too and it happens to be the 8th of Feb (my lucky number!).

Just bought this.

I did a car load the other day (the Jazz can fit a LOT!) and the multiple trips up and down from the carpark to the top floor almost killed me! This should make moving my crap so much easier!

Mia having a sniff.

You beauty!

Settlement today and I was given the green light to drop in to the Real Estate agent’s office to pick up the keys to my new apartment. The girl at reception surprised me with an Xmas Pressie!

And what a great gift! Love Riedel glassware, love red wine even more! Perfection! Thanks PPD!

I’m blessed that the sale of my house was such a quick process (it sold in less than a week and never made it to auction). I’m also blessed that (despite having a 6 month settlement) I’ve managed to find an apartment that I actually like (both the apartment and the area). I inspected this apartment twice, did as much research on it as I could before having lawyers look at the contract, and after a little to and fro on an offer I’m happy to say that my offer has ben accepted and the apartment is mine!

The apartment building itself is 3 years old (still quite new) and massive at 100 units, but it doesn’t feel that way as it’s actually 2 buildings, and it’s got a really open outside/inside internal void design which is unlike most apartments with dark hallways and residential doors. Being on the top floor I see open sky instead of ceilings when the lift opens up on my floor, and my apartment also doesn’t have any shared walls which is a huge plus for more quiet and privacy.

Designed wise, the building exterior was designed by Environa Studio and the interior was designed by Bennett Murada who have chosen to use a lot of concrete facades which I love. It’s a spacious three-bedroom penthouse apartment with high ceilings and a massive wrap around balcony, plenty of sunlight and an awesome private rooftop terrace. It’s also directly under the flight path, but hey… I don’t mind planes! Reminds me of sci-fi films and anime where people living on earth dream of flying to a better place!

Deck before.

Deck after.

Deck steps into garden before.

Steps and deck after.

Entrance before.

Entrance after.

Kitchen before.

Kitchen after.

Bedroom before.

Bedroom after.

Bathroom before.

Bathroom after.

Floating bench in bathroom.

Just for the record, and the memories. These renovations were done in 2009. I truly had a LOT of fun designing the deck and the kitchen the most.

I’ve been meaning to get these photos back on my blog for ages! At some stage Flickr stopped letting everyone hotlink to their photos, so a lot of my posts on various forums have broken images. My Flickr is still up though, and I still have access to it.