STEP BY STEP: Body Corp approval!
Step by Step documents the projects that I’m juggling alongside setting up my interior design business, Kate Kerin Interiors. My clients Joanna and Pam have kindly agreed to being the subject of this blog, and I thank them for sharing their projects with readers.
Petersham Project – bathroom reno
Super exciting – we have received permission from Joanna’s body corporate to proceed with her bathroom renovation. This means we can lock in Stephen Hughes from Modern Edge Renovations and place orders for the tapware, toilet, sink and wallpaper. Joanna also starts looking in earnest for somewhere to stay during the 4-6 week renovation period and thinking about what to box up and protect while the builders are in her home.
Joanna’s vanity is being custom built by Three of a Kind Furniture, and I have completed several SketchUp design options for Joanna to choose from. I’m really pleased with how these drawings are looking; they allow her to see what each option might look like in her space and to tinker with the details. I’ve drawn units with two drawers, some with three drawers, the cupboard on the left or the right, a sunray pattern or plain sheet of glass, scalloped detail or unadorned. An array of decisions around the handles must also be navigated. I suspect that reducing the number of options might have been a bit less overwhelming for Joanna, but I’m having so much fun drawing that I present them all to her. After a few days she selects the one she likes best, and I pass detailed drawings (including measurements) to the fellas at Three of a Kind. Their timeframe has blown out but luckily we have some wriggle room and are able to agree a new delivery date of mid June. This will still give builder Stephen enough time to work his magic and install the vanity towards the end of the job.
Greenwich project – Seniors’ Resort refresh
Rug shopping in Sydney is on the agenda for this week. Due to the unusual shape of her foyer, Pam wishes to stick with a circular rug of a similar size to the one she has currently. I agree this is the best way forward and we settle on lightish colours (to offset the dark floorboards) with glimpses of olive green to match the bar stools and either pink or rust to add warmth and match the armchairs in the open plan space. Pam is open to a modern design which will complement her new furniture.
I start with a lot of online research. Off-the-shelf rugs are relatively inexpensive on the internet, but finding one that has the required shape, size, quality and colours is proving challenging. There are many rugs that offer some of these elements, but not all – and as previously noted Pam is not keen on making major purchases online. Although rugs can be returned, it would not be without hassle and cost. So we line up some physical rug retailers in Sydney and set a date.
Having made an appointment with my trade manager Shaun at Designer Rugs, we are thrilled while browsing to spy a large, rectangular rug that has almost the perfect combination of colours for Pam’s foyer. Shaun is quick to explain that this rug can be customised, and that it won’t cost the earth to do so. He settles us down with a huge box of colour samples (small cylinders containing compacted wool fibres of a particular colour, graded by hue a little like a paintbox). There are eight individual colours in the rug we have chosen, and some of them are perfect. But we want the background to be a little lighter, and to introduce a rust tone as well as a particular green that aren’t in the original rug. Guided by Shaun, we pick the perfect colours to complement Pam’s décor and he uses his computer to generate a design for exactly where the circle will be cut to maximise the pattern.
The whole process is pain-free and so much fun. We are nervous about the price, but it turns out not to be substantially more than a quality off-the-shelf rug and the only downside is the 16 week lead time. We console ourselves that it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect actual people to make an actual rug, by hand, in less time than that! We move on to visit the wonderful teams at Armadillo, The Rug Establishment and Hali Rugs. All of them have beautiful rugs, some handmade and all of glorious quality. The staff in each of these companies are helpful and informative. But it is our first stop and the glorious custom-made option at Designer Rugs that has won Pam’s heart and we place an order later that day.
Kate Kerin Interiors specialises in working with residential clients in Sydney, particularly older people who are downsizing or live independently in lifestyle resorts. Contact Kate for an initial consultation to talk about your project.
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