Homeworks
From Mod Mania
My Mod project was the adaption and personalisation of the space we inhabit. Below are 3 separate projects that I completed over the last few months
First was the redesign of my sisters new house. With most people building their homes through large building companies like Porter Davis and Metricon most peoples homes are a simple neutral canvas, giving opportunity to personalise and modify the space as to the owners taste.
As a result I found myself decorating most of the spaces in the house to my sisters taste.
Initially the house started with neutral bone walls, light large tiles and a neutral brown toned kitchen. Without the architectural cue's you would normally find in an older established house, picking a style was tricky as there was nowhere to start the process other than the somewhat contemporary fascade chosen before the build date.
Below are pictures of the house as they moved in
The first major part of the renovation and single part that would have the biggest effect is the wall colour. Due to the tiled floors and the neutral colours warmth was the most important factor of the colour choice which was why we went for a deep rich red wall colour on the main wall space. Because of the light floor and wall colour, as well as the opposing walls bi-fold doors we didn't have to take into consideration the darkness of the room.
The other wall colour choice was a metallic gold and was painted to both backdrop the console table and painted canvas which would be placed there. as well as this the Gold was also painted to give the room texture. Because of the light tile floors and new shiny surfaces, it was critical to introduce some sort of texture into the room to further enhance the warmth inside the space.
In terms of furniture I was limited to finding a leather couch as that was a requirement of my sister. Due to this it was critical to enhance the warmth and texture of the room via a shag pile rug in a light colour as well as soft textured cushions on the couch. In addition to the couch and rug a set of 2 dark brown console tables were utilised to fill the space.
Project 2 was the redesign of the room now vacated by my sister moving out.
This room was originally half clad in timber paneling with a pine stain and white plasterboard walls. It was then painted the blue and cream scheme and the picture rail installed. This however did not date well and i therefore painted it. Unlike the last project which had no architectural features to draw inspiration this room with the painted panelling and 3/4 height picture rail meant i could incorporate a look that i personally like which is the Federation/Colonial American style. The green paint was the most crucial element, too green and the small dimensions of the room would intensify the colour, making it very green and quite dark, too grey and the room would lose the warmth. In addition to the green was the white that was also changed. In changing to a subtle off white as opposed to a piercing yellowy cream meant that it kept the room open and light despite the darker shade that is the green.
I also took advantage of the picture rail and wall capping to separate the wall sections, tricking the eye to believe that the room is larger than it actually is.
The blue sofa and plain white box mirror on the wall were kept simple to avoid the style clashing with the rest of the house which is not in a federation style.
Project 3 was my final design and different to the others as this was all about the furnishings and due to it being a rental house i was unable to make permanent changes.
The inspiration started with a single IKEA bedside table that was chosen to complement the style of the rest of the house. Being my bedroom i wanted it to also have a masculine edge which explains the grey and black colour scheme. To contrast the dark tones of the furniture I searched out metallic surfaces for the accessories like the mirror and bedside lamps. The biggest challenge was finding a suitable bed head and since i didn't find one i like i made one.
First i measured and had Bunnings cut a piece of 6mm MDF to the width and height required. In order to reduce the material needed I also had the MDF cut just below where it would not be seen and had 2 pieces of Pine cut to form the legs.
After this i attached a piece of wadding to the base and covered the MDF side. Then attaching the legs and fabric at the base. I then stretched the fabric over the wadding and stapled everything together. In order to get the studded look simply stapled it and covered the staple head with a button from a costume tuxedo.
This in combination with the silver finish mirror and reproduction Kartell Ghost chair gave me a look that i am happy with, incorporating my taste with a style that also reflected the look and feel of my mums house.
