Tag: meir

Interiors Addict bathroom reno 2: what I chose and why

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date November 12, 2019
25 Comments on Interiors Addict bathroom reno 2: what I chose and why

There is so much to share about my recent bathroom reno and I couldn’t possibly fit it all into the reveal post, so I’m sharing a little more detail today, with why I chose the things I did and how those decisions have (thankfully!) worked out really well. Phew!

TILES: In some ways, this is the starting point; the blank canvas! In the 2.5 years of saving up and waiting to do the bathroom, I was sure I’d go for a feature patterned floor, therefore keeping the walls simple. And feature floors certainly only got more popular during that time. But when it came to it, because we were knocking the WC and bathroom together and trying to get so much (i.e. separate shower and 1700mm bath) into a still quite small space, I decided it wouldn’t be the best idea. A simpler floor has, I’m sure, given the illusion of more space. And with the other choices I made, I was very conscious of not having too many heroes (hello gold tapware and hardware, solid timber vanity and big tub!).

In my last bathroom, we used subways but I wanted something a bit different as subways are definitely everywhere! I loved the smaller and uneven look of the tiles we chose and the size makes them a bit different to the more popular larger format wall tiles. So although we went for white tiles with white grout, I felt there was enough texture there for it to still look interesting. And I couldn’t love the end result more! Until the grout went in I was a little worried it was looking like a public toilet, and I did question and re-question the decision to have them stacked rather than laid in a brick pattern. But all’s well that ends well! I also almost went for a feature tile in the niche (probably a pastel coloured version of the same tile) but with the brass trim on those, I felt that was enough. Restraint is hard though, let me tell you!

I knew I wanted something matte and simple for the floor and I love these (they’re more greige than grey although the name of them is grey). So far, they’re hiding dirt and a variety of hair colours very well! They also dry quickly which is a consideration with an open shower.

My selections

Floor tile: Noosa Matt Travertine Look Grey tile from TileCloud

Wall tile: Avalon Gloss Large Square White Tile from TileCloud

TILE TRIM: Probably one of the cheapest things in the bathroom, but one that gets a heap of comments and compliments, is the brass tile trim, which I found online. It caused me a fair bit of angst because although chrome would never have worked, it was quite a brave choice and I knew it wouldn’t match perfectly with the tapware. But white wouldn’t have looked half as good! And without a feature tile in the niches, they needed this little je ne sais quoi!

I’m totally okay with the two golds not being exactly the same too!

My selection:

L Angle brass trim from Tile Stone Paver

BATH: I cannot rave enough about this bath! I have always been against squashing a freestanding bath into a small space because I don’t think it looks great visually, not to mention the issue of cleaning behind it. So when I started to see a few of these back-to-wall or D-shape baths on the market I knew straightaway this was my perfect solution! So while it is technically freestanding, it is right up against the wall on one side.

We had a hob bath in my last bathroom which we tiled up the side of and I didn’t like how many right angles there were! Here I love that we have the curve of a freestanding tub without it really being one. It definitely adds to the sense of space as well. And a curve is always a good thing in a room full of squares and rectangles, which a bathroom usually is by default.

So there’s technically still a gap at this end to clean around, but you can’t have it all when you’re working with a tight space!

Regular readers will know I love my baths and have a soak almost every single night, summer or winter! I really wanted to have a decent sized bath if we could manage to fit it. And this one is so deep and amazing! The good thing about a deep bath is that you can lie back against it, without your head being above the top of it. It’s like a bedhead in the bath, if that makes sense! We switched out the waste it came with for a tiger bronze one from Meir to match the taps and shower.

My selection:

Eden Freestanding 1700mm Bath from Highgrove Bathrooms

VANITY: After getting custom blackbutt solid timber vanities from Ingrain Designs in our last bathroom, I didn’t even consider getting the vanity for this room from anywhere else! But while blackbutt is quite a statement, knotty timber, I wanted something more subtle here so we went for reclaimed Tassie oak (more on this in a future blog post).

The clever and stunning handle-free design of the vanity was a very easy choice! And the matching shaving cabinet above is a larger version of what we had in the old place and has so much storage (seriously, we must have increased our storage ten-fold from the old bathroom) it makes me very happy! And yes, all our regular toiletries live in here while only the fancy stuff is allowed in the bath and shoer niches. We’ll see how long this rule lasts…

I knew the timber would warm up the all-white space and work beautifully with the warm tones of the tapware and other hardware. It’s a real showstopper!

My selections:

Vanity: V1 Bathroom Vanity from Ingrain Designs (available in a choice of timbers and sizes)

Mirror cabinet: Mirror Mirror from Ingrain Designs

TAPWARE & SHOWER: This was one of the easier choices because I’d already used a Meir tiger bronze tap in my kitchen and I love it! And as well as wanting to make the bathroom somewhat consistent with the kitchen, I was always going to choose gold! If you’ve seen the rest of our home, that will be obvious!

My selections:

Meir Tiger Bronze round wall mixers, round combination shower rail, round curved spouts, round toilet roll holder, bath popup waste, square floor grate and robe hooks (instead of towel rails).

TOILET: I’ve never cared much for fancy toilets or putting much thought into which one I’d like, but that changed with this bathroom. Bringing the WC and bathroom together meant, obviously, having a loo in the bathroom. and because space was tight it ended up right next to the bath and there was no space for a nib wall or anything like that to disguise it (although it is behind the door, so when the door’s open and you walk past, you don’t see the toilet).

This wall hung one not only adds to the sense of space, but it is so simple and compact, it just blends in. And you don’t really want to make a feature of your toilet! The white glass flush plate also adds to the streamlined and subtle look. I can’t believe how excited I got about this toilet with its in-wall cistern! Who knew?! And it’s a Philippe Starck collaboration. What more can I say?!

My selection:

Duravit ME by Starck Wall Mounted Toilet from Bathe

Viega Visign white glass flush plate from Bathe

Viega Eco Plus in wall cistern from Bathe

BASIN: I love a lot about this basin, from its generous size to its white ceramic waste (so sleek) to its beautiful and simple curved shape (see above under bath choice regarding curves!). I also learnt from my last bathroom reno that it would be best to right align rather than centre it, giving more useable space to the left side. It’s a large sink (600mm wide) but it works perfectly on the 1200mm vanity. You can’t go wrong with an established brand like Duravit and once I told the staff at Bathe what I was after, they helpfully shortlisted a few for me and it was love at first sight!

My selection:

Duravit Luv Washbowl 600x400mm from Bathe

I have so much more to share about choosing and working with our builder, our electrical choices (mostly fancy lighting!), getting the floorplan right from the start, but I’ll leave it here for today! I hope you find this useful!

This bathroom before & after

More of our home reno

Photography: Jacqui Turk

Tags back to wall bath, bathroom, bathroom before and after, bathroom remodel, bathroom reno, brass tapware, gold shower niche, gold tile trim, highgrove bathrooms, Ingrain Designs, interiors addict bathroom, interiors addict home, interiors addict house, jen bishop bathroom, meir

Architecture Design Designers Interviews

Downsizers’ luxe yet low-maintenance Sydney townhouse

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date October 30, 2019
No Comments on Downsizers’ luxe yet low-maintenance Sydney townhouse

Another fabulous development by the team at Sydney’s FutureFlip, this expansive new townhouse is one of three that sit on a corner block in Caringbah South. Home to a downsizer couple, whose children have left home, this townhouse was chosen by its owners for its luxe yet low-maintenance credentials.

TileCloud‘s gorgeous Avalon Gloss square and subway pattern tiles adorn the kitchen island

“They wanted something that was easier to maintain than their five-bedroom home with a large backyard, but they still wanted lots of entertaining space and luxury finishes,” says the home’s designer Neil Hipwell, founding director of FutureFlip.

High-end finishes, such as tiger bronze tapware by Meir and ceramic matte tiles from Tilecloud are paired with exposed recycled brick to create a contemporary, coastal vibe.

Having come from a large family home, a sense of spaciousness, in the townhouse, was key. “Natural oak flooring and oversize, 3.3m floor to ceiling windows mean that this three-bedroom townhouse has an impressive sense of space and light throughout,” says Neil.

Each of the three townhouses was designed with a different look in mind – bohemian, minimal and coastal. This particular abode is the ‘coastal’ themed one and its interiors complement the home’s water views.

The rocky corner site certainly looks very different these days – it was previously home to a single level, fibro, dilapidated house. “It wasn’t easy to transform a rocky, difficult corner block into three luxury townhouses in a way that was both ecologically and economically efficient,” says Neil.

TileCloud's Avalon Gloss square and subway pattern tiles make a fabulous feature wall in the bathroom — TileCloud’s Avalon Gloss square and subway pattern tiles make a fabulous feature wall in the bathroom

The home’s new owners are very happy with their purchase – its neutral spaces providing plenty of scope for personal touches. “The townhouse is perfect for its owners who love to entertain and enjoy the finer things in life, without a lot of maintenance.”

Photography: Alexander Hoy

For more on FutureFlip | “Concrete bunker” Sydney apartment takes out top gong

Tags architecture, design, futureflip, interior design, interview, meir, meir tapware, real home, sydney, tilecloud

Appliances Shopping

Australian kitchen trends: Spring 2019 edition

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date September 26, 2019
No Comments on Australian kitchen trends: Spring 2019 edition

From a variety of Smeg newbies (a fun Mickey Mouse fridge and new high-tech dishwasher), to a new speed oven and the dark kitchen trend, Spring is proving an interesting season for kitchens.

Smeg: The special edition Smeg Mickey fridge was released in the UK a little while back but Aussie Disney fans can now get their hands on it locally through Winning Appliances and Appliances Online. The fridge pairs the FAB fridge’s signature 1950’s retro style with a bespoke drawing of a cheeky Mickey Mouse front and centre. $3490.

The same iconic fridge as above (but without the animation!), Smeg has added a few new colours to its FAB28 fridge line-up of late – taupe, ruby red and emerald green. $2990.

SMEG fridge — The new Smeg FAB28 fridge is now available in this chic taupe tone

Smeg has also just released a new range of dishwashers that feature a new way of washing and promise sparkling dishes with zero effort. Yes, please! The dishwashers feature an aerodynamically designed orbital wash system (for maximum efficiency) that includes nine spray jets that clean up and down simultaneously. They also feature the patented ‘Planetary Wash’ system that offers a unique rotation around two axes, delivering the brand’s most intensive wash action to date. The range has good eco-credentials too. From $1390.

Wolf ICBSPO30 60cm speed oven: Treated as a primary cooking device, or paired with a conventional oven, the Wolf Speed Oven is compact and super quick. Available in two sizes (60cm and 76cm), the oven can prepare entire meals or even just simple tasks such as defrosting or melting – in some ways it’s like a far superior alternative to a microwave. $9495

Caesarstone: Global trends forecaster (and Caesarstone collaborator), Li Edelkoort has noted a dramatic shift away from the all-white kitchens of old with dark tones firmly in vogue. “While at first, choosing black for the kitchen seems surprising, it is actually logical and connected – it is as stylish as the black bowls and plates we now choose to present our food on,” says Li.

Caesarstone offers four finishes that epitomise the look. ‘Vanilla Noir’ features a deep, dense black base with delicate traces of greyed-white veins while ‘Jet Black’ is a rich black that has subtle, yet consistent patterning. ‘Raven’ is a deep slate grey (almost black) that features subtle dappling and ‘Piatra Grey’ is a deep slate grey with chalky white veining.

Caesarstone 'Piatra Grey' — Caesarstone ‘Piatra Grey’

Electrolux: Echoing the sentiments above, Electrolux notes that Google searches for black and dark colours in kitchen design were up 93% in the past six months, with tastes turning to the dark side. “What I love about dark appliances in a kitchen is that they become a more subtle part of the room, working beautifully in a space where darker more earthy colours and materials are used,” says interior designer and Electrolux ambassador Anna-Carin McNamara.

Anna-Carin also believes that concerns about dark colours making spaces appear smaller are misplaced. “Space and size doesn’t really influence what colours work best. For example, a small room can be dramatic if dark,” says Anna-Carin.

Electrolux 90cm dark multifunction steam oven, from $3299.

Electrolux fridge — Electrolux 681L dark stainless steel French door fridge, from $3299.

Haier freestanding oven: Affordable household appliance brand Haier has just released a new 90cm freestanding cooker featuring nine functions, a spacious 138L capacity, as well as a five-burner gas cooktop. $1749.

Meir Lavello sink: Created by Meir, the gorgeous Lavello kitchen sink range has just won the Architectural Product Design Award for 2019 via the esteemed Architectural MasterPrize organisation, based in Los Angeles. The award recognises the greatest architectural product designers and manufacturers around the globe, so it’s a pretty big deal for the Aussie brand!

Lavello sink in gun metal — Lavello kitchen sink in matte black gun metal, from $590

Artusi 90cm AFG999 Pellegrino freestanding cooker: Designed and manufactured in Italy, this oven combines vintage aesthetics (chrome fittings and retro styling) with modern technology. It’s available in matte black, white and stainless steel and we like the handy storage drawer underneath. $4799.

Australian kitchen trends: Winter 2019 edition

Tags artusi, Australian kitchen trends, caesarstone, electrolux, fridge, Haier, kitchens, meir, oven, ovens, Smeg, Wolf

House Tours Jen's reno Kitchens

The big kitchen reveal

Impressive Ultra in classic oak beige in my own kitchen

Photography by Jacqui Turk

I am so excited to finally share my new kitchen with you today! Seeing these beautiful pictures makes the last two months of mess and chaos seem more than worth while!

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home and in this house, it really is. Not just because everyone hangs out in this room, but because it really is in the middle of our home. And the light here is the best in the house. It used to drive me nuts that people gravitated towards this room because of the light when it was unrenovated, as we had much nicer spaces to entertain in like the living room! Now I am no longer embarrassed of my kitchen, I am happy for people to congregate in here and admire it whenever they want!

This really is my dream kitchen. I’m going to blog about some of the finer details separately, but today’s post is just the first overview of what we chose, what we did and why. In terms of layout, this has not changed drastically, but we did get rid of the back door (see before pix at the end of this post) to allow the cabinetry to go right to the end of the kitchen. We were also able to move our fridge freezer into the kitchen (it’s the little things, right?!) because previously there was nowhere to fit it and it lived in the dining room!

The starting point for this room was the cabinetry from Freedom Kitchens. I always knew I wanted white shaker style doors so when I found out this was possible using their new, more affordable flatpack option, the Essential range, I was thrilled. I saw flatpack as an opportunity to make great savings, which would allow me to still have the other things I dreamed of like stone benchtops.

My good friend, TV interior designer James Treble, sketched me out a rough layout I loved over dinner one night and we were off! I then worked with Freedom Kitchens design consultant Nina Hughes to turn that sketch into a detailed plan, taking into consideration the flatpack options available. This in-home service is included for everyone buying from their flatpack range, as well as a site check to make sure nothing has slipped through the net, before your cabinets are made. This really made me feel confident. I think buying a kitchen off the shelf with no professional advice or checks would have made me worry myself sick!

The next thing I chose were the handles. Anyone who knows me or has been to my home knows I just love a brass accent! I was always going to have gold handles and I sourced these from Kethy (available through The Block Shop) after seeing similar in Julia and Sasha’s beautiful Block kitchen. It was a winning combo from the start. I didn’t look at another handle so this proved to be one of the easiest decisions!

Then benchtops: through my job, I know Caesarstone by reputation and I loved their designs. I had three samples on high rotation but I finally went for the most subtle, Noble Grey, for a few reasons. I liked the contrast of the grey with the white cabinetry, and while the Calacatta marble-look designs have been hugely popular recently, I wanted something a little different. Then I saw blogger Briar Stanley from Sunday Collector use Noble Grey in her amazing kitchen and that sealed the deal.

Of course, then I needed to decide on a complementary splashback. I absolutely love tiles but trying to choose some left me paralysed by indecision! There were just too many amazing choices. I could have opted for subways, and I am a fan, but again, I wanted something a little different. So I decide to carry the Caesarstone up the splash as well; a decision I have not regretted for one second! The splash behind the cooktop is really quite deep so it makes a real feature. When the light through the opposite window hits it, it really shows off the veins in it. I also think the streamlined look it has created has allowed me to add my other, more bling touches, without it feeling cluttered or over the top.

Speaking of bling, the gold tap is from Meir and I am so in love with it! Taps really are like jewellery in a kitchen. You can’t miss them so you might as well make a statement! Their new Tiger Bronze colour was released at just the right time a few months ago and I was lucky enough to be one of the first to get my hands on it! Would a gold sink as well prove too much? I must admit, I did really worry about my decision, but in the end, it all came together beautifully. And nobody can believe that sink came from Bunnings!

Of course, a kitchen can (and should!) look beautiful but it needs to function too! Having room for a fridge freezer was a great start! But I needed to think long and hard about the appliances, which I chose from Italian brand Ilve. I was really excited to get an integrated dishwasher from an aesthetic perspective but this one works brilliantly and even has a light inside, plus one which shines onto the floor so you know it’s on (being that it’s hidden behind a cabinet door). I just love how it seamlessly blends into the kitchen.

Choosing an oven was a lot harder than anticipated and something I’ve never done before. I eventually decided on a 90cm electric oven and having that extra space is already proving a Godsend when entertaining. I can’t wait to give it a really good workout on Christmas Day.

Then of course you have to match that with a 90cm cooktop even though I’m not sure I’ll ever use all six burners at the same time! We first wanted gas but had a delay finding out if we could get connected, which led us to opt for induction. I’m so glad we went this route because I bloody love it! I cannot believe how quick it is to heat up, it’s a dream to clean and, importantly, it’s safe, which when you have an adventurous climbing toddler around is one less thing to worry about. I’m also thrilled with our hidden rangehood which allows me to have an uninterrupted row of overhead cupboards.

So, we had the bones of a great kitchen, but there were two other things I needed to achieve: replacing the dated sliding door to the laundry, with a modern take on a barn door and black hardware was the first. I wanted the door to have VJ panelling so we did this by cutting Easycraft panels (I’m in love with this product) to size and fixing them to the front of a very cheap, plain door. We then decided what the hell, why not panel the entire wall and wow, wasn’t that the best call? This wall has become a real feature of the kitchen. We also did the back of our breakfast bar in the same paneling and colour.

Secondly, I wanted to tie in the dining area, which adjoins the kitchen and previously had a cork floor, much better. I did this by adding VJ wainscoting to this room and painting it in the same grey (the panelling is in Haymes Paint Chinchilla Fur and the walls are Haymes Paint Greyology 4). It has made a huge difference. Of course, having the same floor helped massively too.

The icing on the cake of all this was our new Quickstep Impressive Ultra laminate floor (more on that next week) which we have also laid in the living room, hallway and my home office. Once that went down, we were finally finished!

A few other things I’m really glad we did and are worth a mention were:

adding bulkheads for a more finished, streamlined look (and no dust or clutter accumulating on top of the overhead cupboards)
putting a power socket in the back of the pantry so I could hide the Nespresso machine and toaster away in there
making sure there was a space for the microwave under the breakfast bar out of sight, so it didn’t have to use precious benchtop space
making one of the five powerpoints (you can never have too many) a USB one (we use this every day to charge a phone or laptop and it has proven really handy)
opting for a pullout double bin under the sink so there’s no ugly bin on show or in the way (I obviously need to get out more but I really love this!).

I could rave about my new kitchen all day but I’ll focus on some other aspects in future blog posts.

Overall, I am thrilled with kitchen and that it is finished before Christmas! I’m just waiting on my blinds (Romans) and looking for the perfect new kettle! A huge thank you to our friends at Integriti Bathrooms who helped project manage this reno.

Now, we could finish this without taking a look back at the before photos!