Need help to soften the look of a wall mounted electric fire
frandixon
8 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (11)
frandixon
8 years agoRelated Discussions
My sitting room needs help
Comments (16)A Crew of Two - Thanks for your thoughts. Excellent point about the sofas. I'll have a move around later and then re-photograph. Re the coffee table. I'm not keen on rattan. I was thinking of this ottoman for the centre of the room as it would serve well as a surface on which to place a tray of drinks and nibbles. http://www.made.com/sofas-and-armchairs/ottomans-and-footstools/branagh-large-ottoman-barley-beige What do you think? groverlaxle Thanks re the rugs. I think you are right I'd best source a rug locally. Perhaps it's a good idea for me to choose my ottoman/coffee table first as the one above might get entirely lost on a cream/beige rug. Perhaps a hazlenut sisal would work better in that respect. I like the texture of sisal....See MoreNeed help choosing range colour, wall colour and tiles in kitchen
Comments (27)Update - alabaster painted oak units, oak worktop, (curved end units and worktop corners) belfast sink, 1100 stainless steel rangemaster porcelain large high gloss ivory 600x600 floor tiles, ivory grout - please see attached look book just still to decide on shade of sage on walls - deciding between F&B Mizzle, Vert De Terre, Ball Green and Cooking Apple Green... Also metro sub/way tiles on walls - whether to go for a sage tile or cream/white... The dining room area off the kitchen will have oak parquet floor which will follow through from hall and will also be in the lounge but Im thinking of following the wall colour in the kitchen through to the dining room for continuity and potentially painting the chimney brest or wall furthest away from and facing the kitchen a darker green complementary colour... Thoughts please...See MoreHelp make lounge look lovely/warmer
Comments (17)My initial thoughts would be to change the layout. It seems very awkward and has no focus at the moment. It might be worth investing in moving the radiator as it is very tying where it currently is. I don't know what your budget is, but it might not be too costly to move it to the wall next to the door leading into the room from the hallway. You could have a smaller double depth radiator fitted so you do not loose any heat. You could then move the 3 seater sofa onto the wall where the TV currently is and, if you are needing to keep the 2 seater, move it down the end wall (with the external doors) but to the other end where your lamp currently is.. You can then move the TV to be positioned on the long wall, at the sofa end of the room, either on a media unit or hung lower - ideally at seated eye level. Your piano can also move onto the long wall. You will also get a clearer definition of space by doing this, the larger end for living space and the narrower part for dining. By changing the wall colour, adding some cushions/throws to the sofas, and adding some artwork and photos to your walls it will feel a lot more homely and welcoming. I can't really see the dining area of the room, but from the bit I can see I think turning the dining table and moving it away from the wall will also improve the flow of the room coming in from the kitchen.. I hope that helps!...See MoreAdvice - Integrated Garage Conversion, Rear Extension Fire Safety
Comments (12)There are some really valid points made here so far and some thought-provoking space planning ideas so thanks so much for those. I wasn’t sure if people were interpreting the drawing lines near the dining table as a wall but they are in fact the outlines of where the RSJ structure would need to go. Also, the existing patio doors are drawn in but to tell you the truth I would remove those once I have building control sign off. Too many doors would be impractical and each one would need to have a door closer on it! But a necessary evil for fire reasons. I think the sprinkler systems are around £10K so I would rather not thanks. I see one design shows the living room open on the 1st floor but from what I understand that would not be allowed as there needs to be a safe protected means of escape from the bedrooms right down to the ground floor. The stairs need to be in an enclosure but correct me if I’m wrong. Using the garden doors as safe means of escape is a possibility and we have a side alley/access so a door could be added. On one design there is a utility which I am trying to fit in rather than just using the under stairs space for the washing machine etc. I don’t like the idea of walking through the kitchen instead of a hallway but I can see the point about that they wasted space. Although corridors are good place to hang art work and paintings! Also people might get in the way of the cook! One question which I’m finding hard to phrase…. At what stage in a property renovation does building control become applicable or more specifically when do the fire regs start to make an appearance? Is it because I’m adding a potential fire source to the garage? The neighbours opened up the existing kitchen on the 1st floor (see estate agent drawing) and combined the dining space with the kitchen. But there is no record of them consulting with the council but they did have to get building control for the garage conversion. Seems odd. But I just wander will the inspector be looking at the entire house (such as if toughened glass on patio doors) or just look at the conversion work in the garage? If I have to pass though the living room to get to the other staircase will this be an issue for example? I feel that I need to get a clearer ideal of what is really necessary and strip everything down to the essentials. I wish to spend a lot of time with an Architect but their time is expensive so I guess I’m trying to work out the best way to proceed in terms of the layout and design. The architect costs £80 per hour and he studied at a well-recognised University. He didn’t really listen or interview us but did one plan on top of my drawing and said shall we go with that then? He also said that access and egress is taking a lot of space which others are saying on Houzz. In one design I have opened up the whole ground floor space and changed the stairs to the front in a design but at what cost? At the same time I think I need to be quite pragmatic and too much structural changes are going to cost. The budget is not going to be huge for this house. Its not worth spending say £100K on this house as its next to a busy road and the property could end up being a real money pit. I was hoping for £50k finished but that’s with me laying the floor, decorating and making my own kitchen. Possibly being a laborer and doing the project timeline charts and ordering materials. Essentially, we need a family sized kitchen and since I have built a studio in the garden and park on the driveway it makes sense to convert the garage. The garage is long and narrow and more space I think is needed for a kitchen diner/family room. I am hesitant in placing loads of expensive RSJ’s everywhere and having sprinkler systems installed. Also, I don’t really want building control legislation to have to come into force on the whole house top to bottom. Maybe I’m being over fearful of Building Control! We had done drawings for a whole house recon fig including the top floor bedroom and where going to put two new staircases in. Building work got really expensive (Covid/cost of living etc) I got Nervous of increased materials costs too, builder so decided to scale back original plans and be a bit more pragmatic. We may have placed some constrains on the overall ‘ultimate’ layout design. But making use of the spare time available during the Covid restrictions was essential when it came to renovating the top floor bathroom. The top floor bedrooms work quite well as they are so I didn’t see much point in re-configuring everything. But I do get the message and it does make sense to have holistic approach in an ideal World. For me to take up the decking ready for the extension and cover up the astro turf is no real concern. I really wanted a home studio workshop and as the garage is going it gives more storage etc....See MoreSi Xian
8 years agoAmber Jeavons Ltd
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agofrandixon
8 years agoAmber Jeavons Ltd
8 years agoStaged for Perfection
8 years agoAkiva Projects Ltd
8 years agoIan Dunn Woodwork & Design
8 years agofrandixon
8 years ago
minnie101