STEP BY STEP: Moving Ahead
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 our readers.
Petersham Project – bathroom reno
We have been waiting quite some time to confirm Joanna’s builder, and we really can’t progress the project until this key decision is made. Having received two similar, competitive quotes we agree that one builder is particularly simpatico with Joanna’s desire for a sustainable project. And – well, we both just like him! But he has had an illness in the family and we haven’t felt it would be appropriate to push him. Until we get some firm answers to our questions about levels and the degree to which Joanna’s renovation will impact the apartment block’s slab, we don’t think we should submit the application for permission to build to the body corporate. So we’ve waited… and waited… and then there was Easter… and finally we are meeting with Stephen, our preferred builder.
Luckily Stephen’s family health issues have resolved and we are truly glad for him. We grill him on exactly what needs to be done (no major changes to any plumbing or the floor slab, so we are hopeful the application will pass smoothly through the approval process). Stephen checks my measurements (very similar to his own, TICK!) and advises on a few details. We talk about a timeframe and he gets back to his busy day.
I am liaising with Karl from Three of a Kind Furniture to try and sort out timing for Joanna’s custom vanity and mirror. Karl is incredibly busy; he receives commissions from all over the place and he has a long waiting list. As a repeat customer, we are hopeful that he will squeeze Joanna’s job in, but we are also willing to wait for this masterpiece. It’s all a bit of a juggle to ensure all of the fittings and fixtures will arrive in an appropriate timeframe, and that the custom-made elements can also be slotted in. And the body corporate hasn’t even met yet!
More details to come next time.
Greenwich project – Seniors’ Resort refresh
Pam was so happy with her sunroom that she has asked KK Interiors to advise her on furniture selection for the rest of her north shore apartment. She already has many beautiful items – some are particularly sentimental and it’s important to keep these within her apartment. All of her furniture is in terrific condition; it is all good quality and mostly not very old. But she wants a change, and her key goal is to lighten the overall look of this lovely penthouse apartment. She doesn’t want to waste anything, so part of the job is to work out how to pass the items on to someone who might value and need them.
Pam’s penthouse apartment features a large, open-plan foyer which adjoins the kitchen, dining and living rooms. Altogether this is a very large space, but can easily be separated into zones. Each zone will have a separate function, but will “talk” to the other zones – we are aiming for consistency, elegance and quality. Some of the items Pam wants to maintain include two newish fabric couches, which are in very good condition and most importantly, are comfortable. These are in a lovely neutral pattern and face each other across a beautiful wooden coffee table. The coffee table matches the dining table and a lowboy which houses some of Pam’s china, both in the dining zone. These wooden items are special to Pam, and have a distinctive yellow-toned finish which will be fairly hard to match well. We therefore agree to avoid light-coloured wood accents on any of the new furniture we select.
Items that Pam wants to replace include three armchairs, several side tables, the bar stools at her kitchen counter and some of the foyer furniture. I begin with some desktop research and start sending Pam links to retailers that we can visit together. I also have contacts with a number of trade-only furniture wholesalers who may have items that Pam can’t access on her own. I send her loads of Pinterest pins and images to help her narrow down the style she’s after and I share my own ideas for what might work to lighten up the space, modernise the look a bit and still be comfortable and practical. She has a number of guests each week, some quite elderly, who will need armchairs with arms to support them as they stand up from the chair. There are other practical considerations regarding the height of side tables which must also be taken into consideration. We settle on a list of “must-haves” and a few “love-to-haves” and set up a date to go shopping.
Next time… back to the shops!
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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