A Guide to Customising Your Home

Open Plans

An open floor plan combines different spaces to create a larger room. For example, it could combine the kitchen, living and dining room. This floor layout encourages everyday living as someone is able to watch television while cooking dinner. For smaller houses, it creates the illusion of space and allows for the flow of natural light.

Kitchen Splashbacks

Glass splashbacks in the kitchen have become very popular as not only are they easy to clean with a simple wipe, they also come in a variety of colours that can be easily customised to match the interior design of your home. Glass splashbacks also create a luxurious feel, being bright and clear.

A Cook’s Kitchen

Gas stove tops are a chef’s best friend as they offer more precise temperature control. Bench space is also important, so a large surface made from an easy to clean material is a must. For enthusiastic cooks a deep sink is ideal. Regular kitchen sinks designed for storage underneath are usually too shallow for things like roasting pans and pasta pots, so the deeper the better.

Entertainer’s Kitchen

For entertaining inside the home, an island bench provides a place for guests to sit and talk while their meal is being prepared. It also provides plenty of surface space for cooking large meals and share plates. Severy windows are also a great feature, as they can open up to the outdoor entertaining area.

Smaller Kitchen

If you don’t cook often you can afford to have a smaller kitchen. But even small kitchens can be made to feel spacious with the right storage. Floor to ceiling cabinets create extra space, and accessories like tray dividers and spice racks help organise small spaces. Adding skylights and using lighter cabinets and countertops also brightens the room, making it appear larger.

Country Kitchen

Country kitchens create a warm and inviting feel in your home. They usually feature timber finishes on cabinets, benches, flooring, table and chairs, as well as check, gingham and floral patterns. The colours are generally neutral with greens, yellows and oranges complementing the timber. Country kitchens are modern in functionality and equipment, yet easily recognisable as country with painted wood cupboards and draws, retro country cooker and sink. These designs can also be dressed up with interesting decor pieces like an enamel bread tin and canisters.

Modern Kitchen

Modern kitchens are all about clean lines, uncluttered benches and the materials used. Use glass for splashbacks and stainless steel for appliances. Benchtops are usually marble or granite and colours are kept to a minimum. Drawers are also a popular choice, being used to store large pots and bigger items.

Industrial Kitchen

Unlike modern kitchens, an industrial kitchen moves away from clean lines and towards more personalised looking spaces. It includes raw architectural features like exposed beams, unfinished walls, vents and pipes. Materials like concrete and timber are used, as well as dark cabinetry and can create a unique feel to your home.

Family Bathroom Layout

Family bathrooms are designed for practicality and privacy. A bathtub is necessary for bathing small children and if you have a small space, it can be combined with a shower. If you have several children using the bathroom at the same time, two sinks is a good inclusion. Separate toilet closets are ideal for privacy, otherwise you can keep the toilet out of direct line of sight behind tempered glass.

Toilet Location

For homeowners, the choice between a toilet within the bathroom, or in its own separate room can be difficult. Having a separate toilet means better privacy, hygiene and ease of access, but can also decrease the overall size of the bathroom. If the toilet is within the bathroom, privacy can be created by adding glass dividers to screen the toilet from the rest of the room.

Bathtub or Shower?

Bathtubs are ideal for families with small children, however can be difficult for older people and require a lot of water. Showers use less water, are faster to use and easier to access. Showers generally get used more but most houses require at least one bath. Alternatively, a shower/tub combined in one is a great space saver if you don’t have room for both.

Double Basin Vanity

Double Basin Vanity features two sinks in the bathroom side by side. They are a great timesaver in households where multiple people are using the bathroom at the same time. The bigger vanity required for the sinks also means extra bench space and storage beneath.

Heated Bathroom Floor

Heating in the bathroom floor is perfect for winter, especially in colder climates for early morning showers before work. They cut down on noise and energy use from other heating systems in bathrooms such as exhaust fans and provide an even distribution of heat across the whole room.

Walk-in Wardrobe

Walk-in wardrobes take up extra room so you might have to compromise on the size of your ensuite, but they provide a range of practical benefits. Walk-ins create more hanging space and you are able to see everything easily. You can also install shelves for folding clothes and can display shoes and jewellery neatly.

Bedroom En suite

In family homes, ensuites allow more people to get ready at the same time. They also add value to the home as buyers appreciate the convenience of an ensuite bathroom. For holiday homes, an ensuite for each bedroom is ideal for privacy, particularly if you are sharing the house with other couples and friends outside your family.

Workshop

Don’t try to convert your garage into a workshop. The best spaces for a workshop are the ones designed for the purpose of being a workshop. Make sure that you are able to isolate noise and mess from the rest of the house while ensuring there’s plenty of ventilation. A custom workshop should have high ceilings so you can move larger building materials and machinery around without fear of damaging paint or flooring.

Artist Studio

An artist studio needs enough room to store supplies, accessories and paintings. When you design this area of your home keep in mind the potential for spills, so make sure the floor can be easily cleaned, or handle becoming messy. Make sure there is also plenty of room to install shelving for art supplies, working benches and partition walls to hang completed art.

Home Office

If you work from home, including a home office in your house design is a necessity. Use carpeting to make the floors warmer and cleaner, and allow lighting to come in through the windows. Adding heaters for winter and fans for summer, as well as lighting and furniture can transform the area into a comfortable office space.

Home Gym

For active families, having a fitness room at home can save the time and cost of attending a gym. Unused garages can be converted into gyms by laying high quality gym flooring over the concrete. Simple use racks and cabinetry to store weights, fitness balls, yoga mats and other equipment, to maximise the available floor space for workouts.

Rehearsal Space

Installing extra insulation will help to soundproof the space. You can also hang curtains or place rugs and other soft furniture against the walls to absorb the sound.

Deck

Deck is a great way to increase the living area of your home. They’re perfect for entertaining guests with drinks and a BBQ on a warm summer night. As the season changes you can add heaters in the winter to keep warm. Timber decks are strong and durable through the different seasons and come in a range of different colours and styles to suit any home style.

Sunroom Studio

A sunroom is a glass and screen outdoor living space. They capture the warmth and light from the sun, allowing you to save costs on energy from heating and lighting, while also preventing flies, wind and rain from entering your home. Sunrooms also benefit your health as fresh air and sunlight are stress reducers.

Outdoor Kitchen

An outdoor kitchen can help to create the perfect entertaining space. Stainless steel appliances should be used as they can handle the changing temperatures throughout the year and are easy to clean. Cooking outside also keeps smells from collecting inside the house.

In-built Bench Seating

In-built bench seating is a great space saver and is a cost effective design element for your outdoor space. Not to mention bench seating fosters a great social atmosphere. They are also less vulnerable to wear and tear. If the seating is built in, the floor cannot be scratched by sliding chairs around and they cannot be knocked over and damaged.

Shade Sails

Shade sails are a great alternative to pergolas in outdoor areas, particularly for pool and play areas. They provide shade from the sun and providing good ventilation to keep you cool in the summer. They are also easy to set up and remove. Many shade sails are made from recyclable materials, so are environmentally friendly. However, for entertaining areas a roof is the preferred option for rain protection.

Laundry Chute

A laundry chute removes the need to have a laundry basket in every bed and bathroom of the house. It also eliminates the unpleasant smells that come from clothes sitting in laundry baskets and saves you the trouble of lugging them up and down stairs. Laundry chutes are generally made from stainless steel, so they are durable and easy to keep clean.

Library

A house with a library fosters a culture of reading and learning in the home, which is perfect when raising children. A library doesn’t have to take up too much room either. It can be a whole room dedicated to books, study and reading, such as a home office, or it can be a few shelves on the wall of the living room that your family can add to over the years.

Pet Door

For families with indoor pets, the up and down routine of opening and closing the door for their pet can become tiresome. Installing a pet door for your dog or cat can remove this a hassle with the added benefit of less “accidents” occurring inside, particularly if they are home alone all day or are still in the process of being toilet trained.

Fireplace

Fireplaces can add a certain ambience to both indoor and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit outside can be the perfect centrepiece for entertaining in winter, and if you add in some fire grates, it can also be used for outdoor cooking. An indoor fireplace adds character to your home and can help save on the costs of heating the home during winter.