Destination Living

Indulge yourself with a Spa

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 06:51:23 +0000

Some people enjoy nothing more than relaxing in a long hot bath. If that’s you, then you may prefer something a little more luxurious than a standard tub.

A Spa Bath can offer the ultimate relaxation therapy at the end of a hard day.

Whether you have chronic aches and pains that need soothing, or just like the idea of indulging yourself, a spa bath is a wonderful retreat.

A Spa is typically installed in place of your standard bath or outside as a portable or inground spa.

The word ‘Spa’ is an acronym for salus per aqua, which means healing by water.

Available in an endless range of styles, sizes and configurations to suit, they typically have a number of jets located in the optimum positions to target acupressure points and quickly soothe tired muscles and aching joints.

All spas rely on a pump that is responsible for the circulation of the water.

Most are made of acrylic using a vacuum formed mould. They usually come with a base frame to provide support for the bath once installed.

The ideal temperature is a personal preference, but for best effects, studies have established that 28-30C is the optimum. This is a pleasant level of heat, and it’s also the recommended level for water training and therapeutic purposes.

These temperatures are also the usual design standard, so your spa won’t have any trouble maintaining the temperature as you like it.

No matter how you enjoy the water, Spas claim to deliver many positive health benefits.

These include less stress, better sleep, relief from muscle soreness and symptoms of arthritis and back pain.

So whether it is an enjoyable afternoon with family and friends, a party or an intimate retreat, a Spa can be the ultimate escape from the today’s busy lifestyle.

Concrete & Fibreglass Pools

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:54:47 +0000

When it comes to your backyard swimming pool, you have a choice between fibreglass and concrete. So what’s the difference?

If you are looking for a particular shape in pool design then concrete is the perfect choice as they can be built to any shape or size that you desire.

Modern Indoor Pool

Concrete Pools can be built in just about any location, and you can install them inground or above ground.

Concrete swimming pools are poured just like any other concrete slab is poured. A mould is shaped and formed in the ground and then steel braces set to keep the concrete in place. Once it hardens it’s ready for treatment and then water.

Modern Outdoor Pool

You can also add many features to a concrete pool including islands, pebble beaches, split levels, or even a disappearing edge.

You can finish the inside off with a wide range of different finishes. Some of the options include paint, pebblecrete, marble sheen, fibreglass or quartz-coloured cement render.

Modern Pool

Be aware that concrete pools take a while to install. You can be looking at around ten weeks for the entire install process to be completed.

They can also be a more expensive option depending on how complicated your site is and what finishes and optional extras you choose.

Traditional Pool

New advances in fibreglass technology means Fibreglass Pools are now a popular and viable option.

Of course, there is a range of benefits to choosing a fibreglass pool shell. Fibreglass pools come in all different shapes, colours and sizes are amazingly fast to install.

Large Modern Pool

Once you’ve got council approval and the excavation has been done, you can be swimming in a matter of days. This is in stark contrast to concrete swimming pools.

As well, fibreglass pools have an attractive smooth finish with no rough edges for swimmers to scrape themselves on.

Modern Pool With Water Features

The smooth finish is also very low maintenance so there easy to clean and resistant to stains and algae.

Of course, you can easily add optional extras such as pool covers, lighting, heating, water feature and so on, to help you create the pool that you’ve always dreamed of.

Travertine: Classical Beauty with Modern Appeal

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:16:05 +0000

Some things never go out of fashion.

In the sometimes fickle world of interior design, travertine – a natural stone loved for its stunning beauty, durability and practicality – has stood the test of time. This luxurious stone was, in fact, the ancient Roman’s prime building material for the Colosseum.

Although the limestone and marble-like stone has never lost its classic appeal, it’s making a dramatic resurgence as one of the interior materials of choice in 2013.

With its versatile range of colours (there are hundreds of tonal variations from lovely beige to delicate rose) and highly dependable qualities, travertine tiles are popularly used in bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms.

It works beautifully as a material which seamlessly bridges the interior and exterior environments.

With its visually appealing neutral tones, this stone can also be used as a subtle accent in fireplaces, entrances, hallways, columns, walls or even swimming pools. Travertine’s inherent colour variations and unique textures simply add to its sophisticated charm.

The stone’s ability to inject glamour and understated opulence into a space has made it the material of choice for both classic and contemporary homes worldwide.

Home owners who opt for a touch of travertine in their build or renovation will be rewarded with a timeless beauty that will only add value to their properties.

Green with Envy for an Exquisite Shade

admin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:02:02 +0000

From precious gemstones and lush rainforests to shimmery seas, emerald green is a luminous hue that turns heads wherever it appears.

This exquisite shade has been named Colour of the Year in 2013 by Pantone, which for the past ten years has set the trend for colours in interior design, homewares, accessories, fashion and various product lines.

In selecting ‘Pantone 17-5641 Emerald’ as the hottest colour on the scene, Pantone described it as “Lively. Radiant. Lush…a colour of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony”.

The choice has been widely embraced by diverse industry professionals across the world, and it’s no wonder.

Emerald green lends an air of sophistication and boldness to a space. It also creates a harmonious and serene energy that will give your home’s feng shui a great boost.

You can introduce this striking colour in different ways. It works beautifully either as a block colour (say on a feature wall) or as an accent through well-appointed accessories or furnishings such as throw rugs, vases, pillows, curtains or tableware.

Although emerald green is undoubtedly strong and multi-layered, it’s a colour that can blend effortlessly with almost any interior decorating scheme.

It works particularly well alongside earthy and neutral palettes as well as quieter pastel shades, blues and other greens. To create strong visual interest, the hue is also ideally matched with complementary or contrasting colours.

Elegant Splendour in French Provincial Style

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:06:57 +0000

For chic elegance and a natural rustic look, the French Provincial style is as enduring today as it was during the 18^th century.

This popular style of furnishing, decoration and architecture combines country elements and details inspired by French royalty of yesteryear. French Provincial is ornate, though not excessively so.

Traditional Dining Room

In the interiors, the style is characterised by the use of dark wood, stone or tile floors covered with showpiece wool or cotton throw rugs. Armoires are typically used for storage or closet space.

Traditional Living Room

French Provincial furniture is partly influenced by the Baroque period with tasteful features hand carved in wood with natural, floral or toile upholstery, and decorative curved mouldings. Its a classic look which perfectly complements the streamlined simplicity of contemporary homes today.

Traditional Living Room

For home owners committed to a French Provincial style inside and out, the key features of this period’s architecture include balanced, symmetrical proportions, steeply pitched roofs and a brick exterior with a render or stucco finish.

An Air of Sophistication in Caesarstone Colour Range

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:30:03 +0000

White may seem like a simple colour. But beneath its seemingly monochromatic facade lies an infinite world of possibilities.

White Modern Kitchen

For anyone who may doubt this, simply check out Caesarstone’s ever-evolving colour range – in white !

Caesarstone is an internationally renowned manufacturer of quality engineered quartz surfaces, which are used as a contemporary luxury alternative to marble and granite in kitchen design and interior renovations.

Modern Kitchen

The company describes its Pure White as “the purest, cleanest, dense white available” while Snow “is a warm white with a finely textured grain”.

Caesarstone Benchtop

Leveraging its position as a global pioneer and researcher in the field, the company has used new state-of-the-art colour combining technologies to create Organic White “a white surface with a number of tones, subtly blended to create a warm and natural appearance” and Buttermilk, a “soft, warm and natural aesthetic”.

Modern Kitchen Benchtop

The manufacturer also offers a wonderful range of finely textured patterns in neutral tones such as almonds, creams and browns, and is constantly releasing individual new ‘supernatural’ colours in its standard Classico, Supremo, Motivo and Concetto ranges.

Caesarstone’s sophisticated selection of colours is crucial for any home owner planning to build or renovate a kitchen or bathroom.

Modern Bathroom

The company’s exquisite colour palette will certainly add a touch of luxury, beauty and innovation to your kitchen bench top, splash back or bathroom vanity. Lift the potential and value of your kitchen and bathroom (two of the most used spaces in the home) by discovering the ideal shade, colour and texture from this range.

Overcapitalisation

admin — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 23:33:40 +0000

If you have been to one of the numerous property investment seminars that have been doing the circuit over the years, chances are you have heard the term ‘overcapitalisation’. There is also a chance that you have been told that it’s potentially a bad thing.

If you’re building a new home with a view to selling it quickly for profit then yes, overcapitalization is something to be very conscious of.
But if you’re building a home with the intention of living in it for a number of years, then chances are you need not concern yourself whether or not you have overcapitalised.

To understand ‘overcapitalisation’ stop and think for a moment what it really means. Put simply it means you have spent more money on building or renovating than you are likely to recoup should the property be put immediately on the market for sale.

So if you have no intention to sell the property in the near future, then the extra money that you have invested will more than likely be offset by the capital growth you will receive over the coming years.

Of course there are exceptions. If you purchase a property in a street where all homes are similar for say $700,000 and you then invest $3 to 4 million on knocking down and rebuilding then chances are it will take a long time before the home will be anywhere near the amount you have spent on it.

As long as the level of investment is within reason, then there is no reason to not create your home the way you want it. Of course if you’re concerned or unsure, talk with your accountant or financial advisor.

So many people get hung up about overcapitalisation that they go without many things they want just to keep the property value at a somewhere near an immediate sale price yet they have no intention of selling in the next 10, 15 or 20 years. By that time the extra they could have spent to get everything they wanted would have been more than offset by the growth in property prices.

Some people cut back on their desired wish list on properties they never intend to sell. They build homes that they intend to live in until the day they die and yet they cut back because they might overcapitalise.

So whilst you may have heard horror stories about the pitfalls of Overcapitalisation, it is only an issue if you intend to sell your home immediately. If you’re not looking to sell within the next 5 to 10 years then chances are it’s not something you need to lose too much sleep over.

Aussie Beach Style Architecture

admin — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:38:09 +0000

Despite our international reputation as a nation of ‘bushies’, Australians are essentially coastal people. All our major cities are near the water and most of us choose to holiday near it especially over holiday times. The term ‘beach house’ conjures up the sounds and smells of the beach and is synonymous with relaxed casual living. All the great pleasures of Australian life revolve around the beach – talking around the BBQ, walking, fishing, surfing and summer holidays.

Almost every Australian has memories of childhood holidays by the beach and the ubiquitous beach shack. Many of us aspire to the dream of owning one as a ‘weekender’ and when we retire, heading to the coast to live. We love the outdoors and our homes are gravitating that way as well. Many are open-plan, flowing to the outdoors with dining areas and even complete outdoor cooking and entertaining centres. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Australian beach house.

The archetypical Australian beach shack is a simple fibro cottage, many of which have been converted into cool coastal pads. With seaside land now at a premium, these traditional shacks are giving way to modern architectural masterpieces. The once-humble fibro shack has metamorphosed into a designer retreat with Australia leading the way in innovative beach design. What began as beach shacks, fishermen’s’ huts and boating sheds of timber, fibro, corrugated or rusting iron, have evolved into a distinctive kind of architecture… structures that blend into or sit high above the landscape.

Typically, the beachside living structures designed by the new generation of architects, are open-plan pavilions with wide sweeping ocean views and lots of glass. Some have timber battens and sweeping roofs, others resemble square boxes of light and still others are made of concrete and earth and bunker into the landscape.
However, many of our coastal beachfronts are still characterised by typically Australian fishing shacks, boating sheds, bathers’ pavilions, changing rooms, surf lifesaving clubs and the occasional beach kiosk selling ice-cream, sun cream and fishing tackle.

The quaint and colourful beach bathing boxes at Melbourne’s Port Philip Bay, the Bathers Pavilion at Sydney’s Balmoral Beach and the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club ….. are all iconic Australian structures. And all across the country, old swimmers’ changing sheds and surf lifesaving clubs are being refurbished and transformed into swish restaurant-cum-leisure facilities.

Kitchen Appliances

admin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:17:14 +0000

Increasingly we are finding ourselves time-poor…Holding down a job, having a family and socializing, leave most of us with very little time to do the one thing we should be doing more of, and that’s creating delicious homemade meals.

Well, technology has caught up with the way we live today, which is allowing us to do just this ! We are seeing appliances with increased usability and intelligence.

Not only can we now use our smart-phone to control our appliances but we seeing appliances that can virtually think for themselves, thus allowing the daunting task of tackling the antiquated and often intimidating household appliance, a thing of the past! Not only this, but most appliances now must be energy saving, leading to lower energy costs and lower carbon emissions…now that’s smart !

Consider transforming your kitchen with steam assist ovens, for faster cooking times, and healthier dinner options! Most of these little beauties are fully computerized and monitor the amount of steam needed to cook practically anything! Time saving AND healthy? I’m sold !

What about induction cooktops? Who would have thought 10 years ago,that we would be using electromagnetic fields to heat up our pots and pans ?

We are now seeing both dishwashers and microwave drawers….who really needs the bother of doors any more?

We will increasingly see appliances that are almost “out of this world”. Take the Whirlpool fireplace grill for instance, where you can not only adjust the height and colours of the hood ,but the table surface is interactive ! Wow !

So go on, make your life easier, and talk to your friendly designer or appliance supplier !
Your Friend in the Kitchen,Emily

Innovative approach to design – “Form as function”

admin — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:22:48 +0000

One innovative way to approach problem solving when designing in any application is to look at the “function of form”. Some used to say, and still do, that “Form follows function”, however, in this day and age, where external materials are being utilised on internal applications, and internal spaces are merging with the great outdoors, It’s become far more prevalent that objects just aren’t what they were originally designed for.

Some innovative designers will use the one material to create a “form”, a centrepiece if you like, amidst the layers of surrounding “skins” that is uniform in fabric, bold in appearance, singular in “object” and more to the point a functional element. Creativity meets practicality, form becomes the function, and the space becomes the backdrop for a highly textured, and decorative “feature” element.

The use of timber as screening on this upper floor decking, allows the privacy of the bathroom to extend beyond the envelope of the dwelling, natural light filters through and provides for an “additional space” that is different and curved against the flat facade, protection from the western sun allows the western facade to open up and engage with external sorrounds.

The clever use of ply sheeting as a seemless transitional material makes the balustrade the dominant feature in this organic spiral stair case. Glass and steel is a common material for balustrading in effort to minimise impact on the actual stairs as a feature. However clever and innovative approach reverses the importance of the balustrade, and a beautiful and organic sculpture is formed.

Another great example of material as a “Form that functions”.

In summary, new materials are constantly being recycled in application or use, just as recycled materials find a new home and identity.

This concept has been around for a long time, but their never seems to be an end to the possibilities,
It is a “moulding” , or a discipline that you can apply when testing your ideas for your new home, and see what comes to light.