Give me a home decoration mag and I could read it from cover to cover.
I can't get too much of those excellent lounge room chairs, the spa-inspired toilets and the kitchens that make you want to unleash that inner master chef.
I have read these types of magazines for a number of years, typically for pleasure, but always hoping that one day I'd be able to take the ideas off the page and recreate them for myself. So of course when I set out to renovate my very own kitchen last year, I turned to my loving pile of mags for some inspiration.
The options seemed endless - from chic marble worktops to retro-inspired cupboards from swish wooden flooring to rustic concrete finishes, and everything between.
I ended up going for a rustic, homestead style kitchen.
It's the sort of design one would expect from nan's house, except my design would have modern features and modern facilities. No coil stove tops or lino flooring for me! I like to dub it "old world modern".
With my perfect kitchen all planned out started to get to work and hired numerous tradesman. I had a painting guy, a cabinet guy, a colourist, and all kinds of other specialists doing their part. While each guy was professional and tried his best to get the job finished, the whole project turned out to be one massive disaster.
I did not understand how complicated it'd be to line up all different professionals, get the timing right, order all of the materials on time, etc, for example. I entrusted them all to build my kitchen, thinking I'd be well placed to relax and let them handle it. On the other hand, I ended up busy planning and coordinating all of these different crews of tradesmen, and trying depressingly to make it all come together.
To get to the point, my dream kitchen eventually changed into a reality - even if it was many months later than hoped for.
That is the best news.
The bad news is that it took far too much time, effort and running around to make it happen. This seemingly straightforward job ended up turning into an all-out nightmare. I was consistently strung out, obsessing over all kinds of details, on the telephone all day and just plain sad. I have nothing bad to say about the guys I worked with, however if I had to do it again, I'd definitely try to strip down the process by hiring one kitchen renovator to take over the entire project.
That way I can get the kitchen I've always dreamed of, minus the headaches I never required.
I can't get too much of those excellent lounge room chairs, the spa-inspired toilets and the kitchens that make you want to unleash that inner master chef.
I have read these types of magazines for a number of years, typically for pleasure, but always hoping that one day I'd be able to take the ideas off the page and recreate them for myself. So of course when I set out to renovate my very own kitchen last year, I turned to my loving pile of mags for some inspiration.
The options seemed endless - from chic marble worktops to retro-inspired cupboards from swish wooden flooring to rustic concrete finishes, and everything between.
I ended up going for a rustic, homestead style kitchen.
It's the sort of design one would expect from nan's house, except my design would have modern features and modern facilities. No coil stove tops or lino flooring for me! I like to dub it "old world modern".
With my perfect kitchen all planned out started to get to work and hired numerous tradesman. I had a painting guy, a cabinet guy, a colourist, and all kinds of other specialists doing their part. While each guy was professional and tried his best to get the job finished, the whole project turned out to be one massive disaster.
I did not understand how complicated it'd be to line up all different professionals, get the timing right, order all of the materials on time, etc, for example. I entrusted them all to build my kitchen, thinking I'd be well placed to relax and let them handle it. On the other hand, I ended up busy planning and coordinating all of these different crews of tradesmen, and trying depressingly to make it all come together.
To get to the point, my dream kitchen eventually changed into a reality - even if it was many months later than hoped for.
That is the best news.
The bad news is that it took far too much time, effort and running around to make it happen. This seemingly straightforward job ended up turning into an all-out nightmare. I was consistently strung out, obsessing over all kinds of details, on the telephone all day and just plain sad. I have nothing bad to say about the guys I worked with, however if I had to do it again, I'd definitely try to strip down the process by hiring one kitchen renovator to take over the entire project.
That way I can get the kitchen I've always dreamed of, minus the headaches I never required.
About the Author:
If you are after a new kitchen and need a kitchen manufacturer or cabinet maker in Melbourne, see what dLook has to give.