sunnycoastgirl's ideas
A glass floor that is completely transparent to the room below not only provides drama in a double-height space, it makes for a great talking piece with guests. This transparent bridge heightens the senses and makes you feel the volume of the room, and it creates an ideal spot for shelving. Tip: Glass floors must be designed to carry the weight of the people walking on them. Stay within budget by keeping the width of the area to a minimum, so you minimise the size of the structure needed to hold the glass in place.
towel rails near bath and shower for easy access
wall mounted vanity so beautiful
with white cabinetry the marble look waterfall bench is stylish
white cabinetry very striking but needs some greenery
white cabinetry works well with lots or airyness from the greenery
handleless cupboards and colour works with white interior
Normally shoved under the sink in an unruly mess, your cleaning and/or laundry items can be organised into some semblance of order with a drawer divider system. Small compartments can be created to help larger, heavier bottles stay upright (and not leak through your cupboards), but also can be useful when you are trying to locate smaller items often kept here, such as bin bags, washing up brushes, sponges, and so on.
Today we are much more inclined to consider ways in which we can sort our rubbish, recycle where needed, and compost what we can. The excellent set-up pictured here has a top drawer for fresh off-cuts which can be composted. There’s also a removable tray to make it easy to empty the drawer as it becomes full. Below are two separate bins – one for recycling and the other for general rubbish. This type of arrangement not only helps you help the environment, but it also saves you time when it comes to bin night.
We all know the items used most regularly should be kept in the cooking zone, but who wants numerous bottles cluttering up the benchtop and encroaching on preparation and serving space. The answer is a drawer for oils, vinegars and sauces. Each drawer can be segmented to ensure the bottles do not bump into each other or fall over as the drawer opens and closes.
Big pots, large saucepans and unwieldy frying pans are a storage nightmare in most kitchens. Simply utilising deep drawers can help, but may not be helpful enough when trying to locate the one you need. Pictured here is a brilliant storage solution: drawers with extra segmentation to keep the pots apart. Note how the segments only extend part of the way into the storage space, cleverly allowing for longer handles to protrude across.
separate space for mugs
stainless steel splashback with a difference
Honeycomb tiles only around the spalsh areas
10. Low-maintenance Depending on their placement, built-in planters can be more difficult to access than other areas of the garden. Choosing no-fuss plants such as sculptural agaves and evergreen shrubs can cut down on maintenance without compromising style. In this Perth, WA, backyard, a simple planting of foxtail agave (Agave attenuata) in front and ‘Spring Bouquet’ laurustinus (Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’) echoes the clean lines of the decking and built-in seating area, and neither plant requires much care to look good.
4. Quick-growing There’s nothing quite like bamboo for a fast-growing green screen. In this interior courtyard in Melbourne, Victoria, the narrow growth habit of bamboo makes it a good choice to fill a blank wall with lush foliage without taking up much floor space. If you plant bamboo in sturdy built-in containers, you won’t need to worry about its spreading to other areas of the garden (a valid concern with bamboo planted in the landscape). ‘Golden Goddess’ hedge bamboo (Bambusa multiplex ‘Golden Goddess’) is a particularly attractive yellow-stemmed clumping form that grows well in containers and can be maintained at 2.4 metres tall.
Another way to organise the under-sink area is to install sliding racks on either side of the space. No more reaching into the dark depths of the cupboard to find those little-used cleaning products. This also frees up the base of the cupboard for larger items such as a bin and dustpan.
Overcome these issues and restore order with a purpose-designed drawer unit that neatly fits around the sink and pipes, allowing you full access to the remaining space. The drawer unit pictured here even includes a handy spot to store the dishcloth, right under the sink.
Electronically operated cupboards glide open and shut at the touch of a button. Lever arms open the door in an out-and-up motion, allowing clear access to the entire contents of the cupboard. This system also keeps the space in front of the cupboards clear, so you can keep them open during prep and move about freely without having to dodge intrusive doors. The open-close operation button can be discreetly installed at the base of the cabinet.
Fortunately for all, technology has come to the party in the form of in-bench downdraft range hoods. These fabulously streamlined units pop up out of the bench to suck away steam and smells while you’re cooking – without any risk of head injury.
Queensland kitchen designer Kim Duffin put technology to work in this super-streamlined Brisbane kitchen. This electronically operated appliance storage unit, which is large and sturdy enough to hold a number of heavy appliances, pots and pans, emerges from the bench when needed, and completely disappears when prep’s done leaving a clear, uncluttered work space.
lovely rattan wall sconce and bedside table decoration
Charging station great idea. make big enough for ipads and laptops
Lights can adapt to the daylight It’s very common in new office buildings to utilise ‘daylight harvesting’, and it’s quite an amazing technology. Essentially, a designer will nominate the light level required in an open space up front. Light level sensors are installed throughout, then when the daylight coming through the windows is less than the designated light level, lights are automatically turned on and are dimmed to a level that brings the ambient light up to that pre-determined level.
undercupboard lighting
LED lights can be dimmed, and new technology is emerging that lowers the colour temperature of the light as it is dimmed down. Imagine the light is on full and looks natural, then the further you dim it down towards off, it becomes warmer and warmer like a sunset. Install these appropriately named ‘Sunset Dimming’ lights in the bedroom and lounge room
polished concrete with timber and the great use of lighting
beautiful gradient hexagonal tiles for splashback
The vanity floats above the floor, with special lighting that gives it a glow from underneath and behind. The top is oak wood stained slightly black and it has a live edge. Like the aged copper fittings, this adds warmth to the graphite room. The drawers and mirror-front medicine cabinets provide all the storage
Q