You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Design & Trends' category.
The latest featured luxury property from Marquette Turner Luxury Homes is certainly a standout, and is one of the finest renovation examples that we have come across in a very long time.
View more images and information for 17 Curry Street, Merewether
For more information please contact Michael Marquette by phone on +61 433 170 170 or via email michael@marquetteturner.com.au
View all luxury listings from MTLH
Stories of renovation failures are nothing new. Over the last few years we have become accustomed to watching countless homeowners and their DIY disasters, often to our sympathetic but all-knowing amusement.
We always think we could do better, and many of us have decided to prove so, sometimes with good results and other times with equally lame results.
During a boom market these efforts and their results are seen as excusable and escapable as we ride the tide on our continued path to real estate heaven as a ‘developer’.
Things have changed. Lame is still lame and poor quality just as shabby, but now taking chunks out of walls and ceilings can not only irrevocably damage bricks and plasterboard, but can be seriously damaging the value of the home. Where’s Johanna Griggs and Jamie Durie when you really need them?
For those whose highly geared home loan depended on a luxury palace being the outcome, this is of serious concern.
Botched do it yourself (DIY) alterations, David Gaffney, a regional director with building industry organisation the Housing Industry Association (HIA), can quite easily damage the value of the property as well as its long-term safety. What is often seen as a money saving exercise or a get rich quick scheme can ultimately turn in to a nightmare.
Selling a property in the current market can be tough enough, without shooting yourself in the foot! With banks tightening up on their lending criteria, they are looking more closely than ever at building inspection reports. Any alarm bells will reduce a valuation and thus the amount a bank will lend a borrower. This has immediate ramifications on the value of the sale property.
Renovations can be complicated and it is therefore better to let experienced hands take charge: hire a licensed contractor and make sure they have their licenses and insurances in order.
If in doubt with DIY the simplest and most cost-free advice we can give is don’t.
Simon Turner
Property owners considering renovating their homes in order to increase value may be taking a gamble, according to experts who say it is no longer a sure investment in the current real estate market.
People get in trouble often thinking everything they do is going to add value, and when real estate prices are struggling regardless, over capitalisation could be the kiss of death.
There are, of course, things that owners can do to add value to their homes or increase buyer interest, which cost little or no money.
A new coat of paint, cleaning up the garden; and other small things like making sure your bins are not in clear view when buyers come to see your property: not all renovations have to cost an arm and a leg
Be ever mindful when you are spending your money, is the simplest thing to remember!
A new concept for bringing builders, other tradespeople, designers and suppliers into contact with thegeneral public will be launched in Newcastle in late June or early July 2008.
The HIA Hunter Home Ideas Centre, a new complex in the industrial estate of Steel River at Mayfield West, is set to revolutionise the way the home building industry does its business in the surrounding region.
Well located alongside the Industrial Highway , just a few minutes’ drive from the central business district and within easy reach of Newcastle ’s satellite suburbs, the centre rejects traditional concepts of how building products and services should be displayed. HIA’s Home Ideas Centre Manager, Steve Jeffries, said its design resulted from extensive consultation with members and consumers.
Mr Jeffries said research indicates that kitchens and bathrooms are the current ‘hot’ items with consumers. “We will have eight kitchen displays in the centre, all by established cabinet-makers, so consumers will meet the people who will actually be doing the work,” he said. “The same goes for the bathroom exhibits.
This state of the art HIA Homes Ideas Centre showcases local construction industry services in addition to 15 display modules each two metres high by a metre wide, leased by local builders, architects and home designers.
Not all of us have the proverbial room with a view, so to keep things lively on the inside, here are 5 easy tricks for transforming your living space:
1. Repaint, with colour: Like music, colour can work some major mojo. Generally speaking, warm shades (reds, oranges) are energising and cool shades (greens, blues) are calming. Don’t stress about whether you’ve got the exact right shade; you won’t really know how a colour makes a room feel until you lived with it for a while. If you decide it isn’t right you can always paint over it. Or, limit the colour to a single wall, playing it off the neutral white of the rest of the room.
2. Throw away as much as possible. Clutter is the undoing of many a wonderful space. Cull through your stuff and have no mercy. If you have trouble deciding what to get rid of, make a dated list of the items you’re unsure of, stash them in a closet or basement, and keep the list on your fridge as a reminder. Anything you’re not pining for after a year should be offered to St Vinny’s.
3. Add wheels: Mount your furniture on wheels so that you can reconfigure a room on the fly. Casters come with a wide variety of mounts and in a wide array of styles, materials and colors. Some great sources: the House of Antique Hardware, Cool Casters.com, Mockett.com. and Closet-Masters.com.
from CoolCasters.com
4. Play with light: Add plug-in dimmer attachments to fixtures so that you can dial the mood down at night. Add atmosphere with a light sculptures and if the room has a flat-panel TV, make it work double-time by tricking it out with a screen that will turn the picture into a dancing pattern. Try TV2Art, or simply use fish-tank or fireplace DVD’s.
–
–
5. Organize artfully: make sense of paper, magazines, and odds and ends by organizing them in open bins that are attractive enough to keep out and at hand. Give a prized collection its due by devoting some wall or shelf space to it, and then light it well with spots.
THE LOOK
Kitchens are being integrated into living areas. Rather than using one dominant surface, grey, black, dark timber or veneer is teamed with a contrasting shade or texture, including gloss or dark mirror glass, to simulate the feel of a living room. The preparation area might be stainless steel with an integrated sink and the central bench elongated for dining.
Upmarket kitchens have a second pantry – effectively a mini kitchen – so that preparation is out of sight. The pantry houses the dishwasher, coffee machine, kettle, toaster, microwave and big sink, with a smaller sink in the main kitchen.
The interest in plain glass splashbacks is on the wane, with pale glass is being replaced by stronger colours. Patterned wallpaper is also being placed behind glass, using mirror or black glass. Textured splashbacks in oversize tiles reflect textures in doors and drawers.
APPLIANCES
Steam ovens are nudging microwaves aside, which can come built-in or freestanding. Combi ovens can be used with or without steam. A Gaggenau in-bench steamer costs $3800 and a combi steam oven $4500.
Must-have bench-top appliances are a steamer, gas wok burner and a two-burner induction hob. Extras include a barbecue, deep fryer and a teppanyaki plate. Coffee machines are also increasingly popular.
Another modern component is St George appliances’ Cool Touch technology, which ensures their quadruple-glazed oven doors are always cool.
OUTDOOR KITCHEN
The outdoor kitchen is the new must-have and almost as glamorous as its indoor counterpart. Defining features include the trusty barbecue, sinks, stainless steel benches, cupboards, drawers, overhanging rails, char grills, wok burners, kegs, wine coolers, deep fryers, fish smokers and pizza ovens. Warmth is added through a patio gas heater, chiminea or brazier.
COOLROOM
How about being the definition of “cool” by replacing your refrigerator with a walk-in coolroom.
The coolroom, which some designers say is a growing trend for large families and keen entertainers, will run in an L-shape under the stairs. Most-used items, such as milk and butter, will go in door shelves and the walls will be fitted with pull-out drawers and shelves for everything from wine to fruit and vegetables.
Benchtop Facts:
Granite and Carrara marble have to be sealed:
No. The sealer is toxic, shows marks and has to be re-done. Leave them honed and matt and scrub with a cream cleaner and scourer.
Stainless steel looks too commercial.
Who cares It’s practical for hot pots and can be teamed with something organic such as timber to integrate it with the living area.
Reconstituted stone has to be sealed and is hard to clean.
No, it doesn’t – and it scrubs up with cream cleanser. Just don’t put super-hot pots on it.
Laminate doesn’t wear well
Yes, it does if you look after it.
Concrete is the toughest option.
It’s unpredictable. You can’t be sure of the colour, finish or texture and it needs sealing.
Timber doesn’t stand up to wear
Keep it away from water, oil it three times a year and it will last for years.
Interior trends are increasingly looking outside for inspiration, and River Rock – a new premium textured special finish paint from Dulux – epitomises the latest direction in effortless, natural style for the home. It draws inspiration from the great outdoors, resulting in a grounded, confident finish.
The beaded texture gives rooms a depth and sensory appeal, and is a lovely link back to nature. River Rock delivers a seamless shift from outdoors into the home, particularly for those who live in urban dwellings and otherwise miss out on that connection with nature.
The palette, comprising 30 directional earthen colours, gives plenty of scope for new moods in the home. European Stone, Spring Sage and Thistle Ridge are some of the softer shades on offer for rooms exuding understated sophistication. Warm, instantly-inviting environments would look to Oyster Farm, Weathered Rock or Charcoal Wash. Those with a penchant for bolder, dynamic colours can turn to Wild Rivers, Mulga Downs or Anglers Dream for striking feature walls.
Dulux knows that leading fashion comes and goes, and with that in mind River Rock has been developed so that walls can take on a new look and feel when it is eventually time for change. It is available nationwide from Bunnings, paint specialists and hardware stores, in 250ml sample pot, 2L, 4L and 10L sizes. RRP starts at $17 per litre.
Visit: www.dulux.com.au
Simon Turner simon@marquetteturner.com.au
“Give your room a makeover” is the proclaimed purpose of Design My Room, which launched into beta in August. The site lets users test out interior designs either on sample rooms provided by the site, or by uploading a photo of the real room they have in mind.
They can paint, furnish and decorate the room by selecting from thousands of products—from sponsoring brands Armstrong, Benjamin Moore, Kohler, Smith & Noble, Whirlpool and others—and then dragging and dropping them wherever they want. Rooms created by professional designers are also available for inspiration and copying. Users can save multiple versions of their room and offer them up for rating and comments to friends or the site’s audience at large.
Then, once they’ve settled upon the look they like, shopping for the items they’ve chosen is made easy via an automatically linked shopping list, which keeps track of their selections all along.
Basic members of Design My Room are given one free project, which they can save and redesign as often as they like. A “plus” membership enables 5 projects for USD 4.95 a month, while premium members get 25 projects for USD 9.95 per month. Uploading a room photo costs an extra USD 25.
“When my wife and I renovated three years ago, we had to sign out samples from retailers and lug them around—a heavy piece of granite, a cabinet door, ceramic tiles, carpet swatches, paint chips. They must have weighed 50 pounds,” explains Jesse Engle, vice president of business and product development at Massachusetts-based Swatchbox Technologies, which created DesignMyRoom.com. “Next time, we do it all on the site.”
In addition to the obvious benefits for users, category-specific sites like Design My Room give brands a clear line of communication with the consumers most likely to listen. Style-forward consumers are eager to create and share content, acting as curators for peers who are looking for inspiration. Time to apply this concept to the niche of your choice!
Website: http://www.designmyroom.com/
Website: http://www.designmyroom.com/
Their owners think that they’re just ordinary chimneys, letterboxes and driveways but to council bureaucrats, they are irreplaceable state treasures.
Such is their historic and social significance they have been nominated to be preserved forever on the NSW Heritage List alongside buildings such as Sydney Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building.
Nineteen otherwise ordinary suburban homes in Toongabbie, Epping and Wentworthville have been singled out by Parramatta City Council. Most were built about 40 years ago. The nomination documentation cites special heritage-worthy features including a “metal letterbox stand”, “massive brick chimney”, “mature palm trees” or “traditional symmetrical form and appearance”.
In one case, inspectors praised the way a house “integrates the carport”.
The proposal is part of the council’s draft local environment plan, a document prepared by all local government areas to guide land use and planning decisions.
Owners of the properties are furious. They have been told the value of their properties will fall by as much as $60,000 if the heritage-listing goes ahead.
Buildings entered on a heritage database cannot be knocked down and a development application must be lodged with council for any changes to the house that could affect its heritage significance.
Pensioner Sylvia DeMeur, who owns one of the houses in Toongabbie, said she was horrified to discover her unpretentious bungalow was being considered for heritage status.
Although her massive brick chimney is said to introduce “verticality into an otherwise horizontal architectural composition”, Ms DeMeur believes her Lamonerie Rd property has no historic value.
“If it was built by convicts or 100 years old, that’s fair enough, but this is just an ordinary fibro house that the next-door neighbour could have built,” she said.
She said her chimney hadn’t even been used in the two-and-a-half years she had lived there.
She also said if the listing were successful she would be financially worse off in the future.
Her frustration is shared by Darrell Hooper, whose Wentworthville property was included in the list because of its “original metal letterbox stand and the pebble-impregnated driveway”.
Mr Hooper said the idea that his fibro property was deemed worthy of preserving for future generations was crazy. “Why would they want to heritage-list a place that’s all asbestos?” he asked. “The beams running through the house are rotting, the windows are rotting but they don’t know that because they didn’t even come into the house.”
Mr Hooper, who has been living at the Doig St address for nine years, said while he realised the importance of protecting significant landmarks such as sandstone buildings and churches, he was afraid of the consequences.
“My plan in the future was to demolish the house but, if they heritage-list it, I won’t be able to do anything, not to mention how hard it will be to sell,” he said.
It is up to each council whether or not to nominate buildings for heritage listing.
According to the NSW Heritage Office, more than 25,000 heritage items have been identified as having local significance.
Among the more renowned landmarks already listed are Hyde Park, the NSW Art Gallery, Sydney University and St Mary’s Cathedral.
While it is common for residences to be listed, the bizarre reasons for these latest inclusions have left property valuers scratching their heads.
Kristian Nguyen, of John Virtue Valuers in Parramatta, said there was a market for heritage-listed properties but the 19 residences flagged were very ordinary.
“The homes don’t really have any significance. They were mainly built in the 1960s and ’70s and are your typical cottages,” he said.
As a result, Mr Nguyen estimated the value of these properties would severely diminish.
But Parramatta City Council is determined to press ahead.
Mayor Paul Barber said the decision to update the area’s heritage listing, which was about a decade old, was necessary to provide others in the future with a link to our current way of life.
“It is council’s view that, if we fail to preserve our local heritage, our reference to the past will be lost for future generations,” he said.
The final version of the local environment plan will be on public exhibition from early next year.
Sunday Telegraph
Homes in Japan last for only 30 years. The government wants to change that!
Even though Japanese houses are supposed to be built to withstand earthquakes, few of them defy demolition for more than a few decades. The housing stock is amazingly young: more than 60% of all Japanese homes were built after 1980 (see chart). That is because there is almost no market for old homes in Japan. New legislation to be put forward this month will try to remedy that.
The roots of Japan’s unusual housing market go back centuries. Buildings were often razed by earthquakes or fire, so durable houses were rare. Earthquake insurance largely did not exist until the 1990s (and even today is little used).
In post-war Japan land has value but buildings do not. The law separates the ownership of the land and the structure, so the two are distinct in Japanese minds. After the war, the government sought to foster private home-ownership by offering tax incentives for new buildings. The policy was a great success. Arguably too great: by 1968 there were more homes than households to occupy them.
At the same time, tax burdens abound for selling land with old buildings. After around 30 years homes are demolished for new ones to spring up. Because the lifetime of houses is short, cheap construction materials are used and the buildings are not maintained. There is no tradition of do-it-yourself home upkeep. Just as there is little interest in secondhand furniture or clothes among the sanitation-obsessed Japanese, so too home-owners prefer to build anew rather than refurbish the old.
There is also a dearth of institutions and expertise that might oil the gears of a market in old houses, from surveyors to judge the quality of a property to banks that assess its value and provide a mortgage. As a result, where 89% of British homes have had more than one owner, and 78% of homes in America and 66% in France, only 13% of Japanese homes have ever been resold.
But attitudes today are changing. The constant rebuilding places an unnecessary drain on people’s financial resources, says Koichi Teramoto of the Ministry of Land. A couple easing into retirement may demolish their house to sell the land in order to move into a smaller abode that they must then build from scratch. Although better-built homes cost more up front, they cost far less over time—as much as one-third less after a few generations, according to Mr Teramoto.
The ministry also worries that the constant demolition is terrible for the environment. The costs to the wider economy are also great. A home is more than a man’s castle: it is typically his most important financial asset. Not in Japan. For most of the post-war period land prices soared, so the lack of a housing resale market was not a problem. But since the bursting of the property bubble in the early 1990s, most land prices have fallen: some are as much as 80% off their peak. That houses also depreciate in value constrains consumption and adds to deflationary pressures; which in turn pushes people to be particularly cautious savers (more than 50% of Japan’s household wealth is kept as cash in bank accounts) and helps to keep interest rates barely above zero.
To remedy the problem, the prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, this month plans to introduce new tax rules to encourage the construction of more durable buildings. Under a draft of the “200-year homes” policy, national, regional and municipal property taxes may be reduced by between 25% and 75% for up to seven years for houses that adhere to robust building standards. Mortgages for such homes can be longer (50 years as opposed to the traditional maximum of 35 years) and building approvals will be simpler.
Property experts think these measures are too timid, however. They argue that a true market for used homes needs standardised methods of construction, as well as more transparency about the quality and value of houses. Far more generous tax incentives are vital too. Until then, homes in Japan will continue to fare like the country’s ubiquitous electronic gadgets: be treated as disposable.
Jan 3rd 2008 from The Economist print edition
Your home is your Christmas holiday oasis and decorating it can be overwhelming. By the time you find the right style, budget and energy to start and finish the project, stores are decorated for Valentine’s Day.
This season, don’t let holiday decorating get you down. Follow these basic tips from Marquette Turner to make decorating a positive experience.
1. Have a plan.
Take time to decide how you want to decorate and plan ahead before you start shopping. Collect ideas and images from magazines to pinpoint the holiday style and theme you want in your home.
Whether it’s a focus on the outdoors, vintage toys or a color scheme (try silver and gold versus the traditional red and green), identify these cues to focus your search and make it easier to transform your home.
2. Be patient and delegate.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your seasonal décor style won’t be either. Craft a personal theme or style through the years, buying and collecting holiday accents as you go.
Also try to make holiday decorating a family affair. Use your family to help unwrap decorations to reveal favorite holiday themes and include them in your shopping to create new traditions. Collecting your family’s input involves them in the process and cuts down on holiday work and stress.
3.Find Bargains
The holidays are an expensive time of year, so finding ways to save money is important. If you see a holiday idea or accent in a store that is priced beyond your reach, look for coupons online. These sites offer deals for various retailers that carry holiday decorating items. Taking a few minutes to shop for these savings can be well worth it in creating your holiday haven.
Don’t forget to shop post-holiday sales and benefit from the cost savings offered on leftover seasonal items.
4. Be versatile.
Buy items you can use in a variety of ways. For example, holiday-themed tins have many alternative uses, including adding color to a table setting or making a fun display of tins you’ve collected over the years. Items like Arnott’s Tins add nostalgia to your décor and can also be used as stocking stuffers or teacher gifts.
5. Use nature.
Try using elements from the great outdoors to spice up this year’s decor. Gather foliage from outside, including pine branches to create a rustic feel in a centerpiece or on a windowsill.
A simple and affordable way to add style to your home is by filling a large glass bowl or colored dish with an array of nature or food items. Foods with vibrant colors, such as berries, add rich texture and fragrance to your entertaining area.
6. Let it shine.
Lighting is a simple and classy way to set the holiday mood. Place candles throughout your home to evoke holiday scents and add a soft glow.
Wrap holiday ribbon around votives to add a special touch or lower lighting levels for a cozy feeling. Try to conserve energy by purchasing energy-saving bulbs and turning off holiday lights during the day. And remember, a fire in the fireplace sets an enchanting scene.
All the best! Simon Turner, Marquette Turner
Listed at: $35 million
Bought from former Heat teammate Rony Seikaly in 2004 for $18.8 million, O’Neal’s 20,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style Star Island home has eight bedrooms, an indoor basketball court, an outdoor tennis court, swimming pool and a dock.
Mitchell Hartmann
Building a deck can be a very pleasant home improvement – you will be able to enjoy more time outdoors at your home, and increase its value.
Before you begin, make sure you check the building codes for your area. Each code will be different based on the size of your lot, how high from the ground it will be, the area of country for frost lines, etc.
Building any home extension which isn’t up to code can be a huge headache.
Planning and designing your deck should include where you are going to put your deck and what the deck will be used for.
You should also think about how much sun and shade the deck will have throughout the day. Trees are a nice addition for your home improvement deck, but be careful what types of trees. Some trees will drop a lot of debris on your deck. Berries on the trees can also stain your deck, your deck furniture and the railing.
If it is a very sunny spot, consider a trellis roof to help shade the area. If you are building your home improvement deck to house a spa, you will want to place your home improvement deck to maximise privacy.
Then sit back, relax, and enjoy your fabulous idea to build a deck!
Mitchell Hartmann
Remember how paint-by-numbers took the angst out of arts and crafts when you were a kid?
Well, now Wallpaper-By-Numbers offers the same “freedom” to express yourself on the walls of your home. Designer Jenny Wilkinson developed an idea of printed outline designs on wallpaper which can then be filled in using paints, colouring pencils or felt tip pens – easily manageable for anybody who’s capable of colouring within the lines.
A “Borders” range is also available if you or the kids don’t feel quite up to colouring in an entire wall. For more information visit: www.2jane.com/walls-and-windows.aspx Simon Turner
The Kosmic steam and shower cabin can be illuminated with a choice of eight colours to best suit your mood.
From the vitality of red to the harmony of green, the feel-good fitting offers light relief by the bucket-load. The chromotherapy-equipped unit works to ease away the winter blues. Chromotherapy – or colour therapy – is a form of holistic medicine that uses light to promote relaxation and stimulate wellbeing.
For more information visit: www.kositalia.com/eng/homepage.html
Simon Turner
1. Make your kitchen really cook. The kitchen is still considered the heart of the home. Potential home buyers make a beeline for this room when they first view a home for sale, so make sure your kitchen looks clean and reasonably updated. For a few hundred dollars, you can replace the kitchen faucet set, add new cabinet door handles and update old lighting fixtures with brighter, more energy-efficient ones.
2. Give appliances a facelift. If your kitchen appliances don’t match, order new doors or face panels for them.
3. Buff up the bath. Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are often the most important rooms to update. They, too, can be improved without a lot of cash. Even simple things like a new toilet seat and a pedestal sink are pretty easy for homeowners to install, and they make a big difference in the look of the bath.
4. Step up your storage. Old houses, particularly, are notorious for their lack of closet space. If you have cramped storage areas simply add do-it-yourself wire and laminate closet systems to bedrooms, pantries and entry closets.
5. Add a room in a week or less. If you have a three-bedroom house with a family room or study, the only reason it can’t be considered a bedroom may be because it doesn’t have a cupboard. Therefore, if you add one you’ve now got a four-bedroom house. That adds a lot of value.
6. Mind the mechanics. It’s often very worthwhile to hire an electrician and plumber for a couple of hours to look over your electrical services, wrap or fix loose wires, fix any faulty outlets, and check for and fix any water leaks. Those details tell a buyer that someone has really taken care of the home and can really influence its price.
7. Look underfoot. Carpeting is another detail that can quickly update a home and make it look cleaner. A professional carpet cleaning is an inexpensive investment, especially if your rugs are in good shape and are neutral colors.
8. Let there be light. If you have boring recessed lights in your dining and living rooms, consider replacing one of the room’s lights with an eye-catching chandelier. Home stores offer a wide range of inexpensive, but nice-looking, ceiling fixtures these days. If you have a ceiling fan and light, you can also buy replacement fan blades (leaving the fan body in place) to update the fixture’s look.
9. Reframe your entry. Do you have a flimsy little knob on your main entry door? If so, spring for a substantial-looking handle-and-lock set. A nice, big piece of hardware on the front door signals to newcomers that this is a solid home.
10. Consider curb appeal. Although it sounds obvious, a nicely mowed lawn, a few well-placed shrubs and a swept walkway makes a great first impression. What buyers see when they first drive by your home is tremendously important.
Actor Jason Lee has just paid $US 3,350,000 for 5745 Hill Oak Drive in The Oaks area of Los Feliz.
Built in 1948, the Hill Oak Drive house is a “one-story European”-style house, with two and a half baths and a living room with beamed ceilings, hardwood floors and an Arizona flagstone fireplace, according to public records and listing information. Other features include a dining room with an adjacent patio, a kitchen with a Viking range and a SubZero refrigerator, a separate office/guesthouse, a secret garden with a spa, a rear patio with a fireplace and a barbecue area, a wine cellar, and a large driveway with room for eight cars, according to listing information. The 1.412-acre property has a pool and views of the Griffith Observatory.
How many times have you left the house then wondered if you’d left the lights – or even worse, the iron or oven – on? There are plenty of home-security systems on the market that will alert you if someone tries to break in, but what if the danger is coming from within your home?
The Home Heartbeat home awareness system monitors up to 30 high-risk locations in your home via three components (base station, home key and sensors). The base station monitors your home by way of sensors placed on things like windows, doors, water heaters, etc. and then relays messages to the home key (a key chain receiver), although you can elect to have messages sent to your phone or email. S
o you don’t have to worry about the state of your home while you’re out, because you’ll be the first to know. Simon Turner
Having overcrowded plug-boards around the house can be dangerous, yet there never seem to be enough outlets at times.
If you really need to utilise all the power available to you, the Eubiq System – an electrical power outlet system that allows you to add, remove and reposition power outlets with a simple twist – is a great idea.
Available in a wide and versatile range, it consists of tracks onto which power points can be clipped wherever they are needed around the house. It also has a safety feature which grounds all conductive objects that come in contact with it, making electric shocks virtually impossible. Simon Turner
The Norcool Drawer Fridge, a sleek metallic refrigerator that is built right under your existing counter top space and consists of easy pull-out drawers, adds a whole new dimension and sophistication to your kitchen.
As with dishwasher drawers, if you are just a one or two person household and/or have a smallish kitchen, then this is the best way to optimize space. You could have your fridge installed into your island so that when you’re chopping, you can just grab below for that egg or shot of milk instead of trekking across to the big beast on the other end of the room.
If your space is big enough, you could even keep your old fridge for bottles but use your drawer device for the things you cook with all the time. The refrigeration drawer module has a total capacity of 170 litres. It includes two outer drawers and an inner drawer. The drawers can be pulled out completely and have an easy-glide self-closing mechanism and shock absorption. For more information visit Norcool’s website.
Stumble It!
Seed Newsvine
