Design and decoration

As land prices increase, gardens are getting smaller. For the busy family, that means less to do in the weekend. Many new home buyers choose to add landscaping to a new home build so ongoing maintenance is minimal. The days of huge vegetable gardens and home orchards are gone, and with good reason. Not only do vegetable gardens take up a lot of backyard in modern homes, but buying fruit and vegetables is easy and often cost effective. But some people still
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Choosing windows for your new home can be a daunting task as there are so many aspects to consider. Decisions must be made on the style, frame material, type of glass and how the windows open. Windows can show off the view – either a distant panorama or a beautiful garden. They can let light and sun flood in, offer diffused light, provide ventilation, give light but also privacy and add style and symmetry to a house design. The desire
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Choosing flooring is one of the most important decisions to make when building a new home. Today, there are many more choices available than just carpet or timber flooring and some of those choices are more cost efficient. It’s very popular in Australia to install hard flooring in the living and hall areas for easy cleaning and indoor/outdoor living. Traditionally, timber flooring has been the first choice, but modern methods of tiling, and other more sustainable materials have become more prevalent. The cheapest floor
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Do you frequently lose shoes, clothes and even small children in your overfull and disorganised wardrobe? It doesn’t have to be a battle every time you open the wardrobe door. If you are considering building a new home, ask Berstan Homes about custom wardrobes at the planning stage. Berstan Homes prefers to work with Regency Screens who have a wide selection of options for custom wardrobes. Custom wardrobes don’t have to only be walk-in to work. A regular double wardrobe that usually
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Choosing window treatments for your newly built home can be a confusing process. There is plenty of choice in the market and it often depends on your house style, location, views, family preferences and budget. Blinds are cheaper to buy and install than curtains and are much easier to maintain. But nothing beats curtains for heat retention and light block-out. They also give a room a cosy, warm feel. Roller blinds One of the most popular options for new homes across
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What is the best choice of roof for your new home – concrete tiles or Colorbond metal? There are benefits and disadvantages for both materials and often is comes down to which roof the homeowner prefers the look of. Concrete tiles have been the preferred roof material for Melbourne houses for about 75 years. Tiles come in a variety of designs and colours, offering both a traditional or more modern look. Concrete or cement tiles are most commonly used, although terracotta tiles,
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Choosing lighting for your new home can be a hit and miss process. What looks great in the lighting showroom may not suit your room once it’s installed. The size, colour or style may be all wrong, but it’s a mistake you will have to live with. Beacon Lighting has taken the guesswork out of your lighting purchases with an in-home consultation process, as well as an app which shows exactly how their lights will look in your home.Beacon Lighting
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Painted feature walls may have fallen out of favour but the accent wall is still very popular. These days a feature wall is all about texture, using timber, tiles, bricks or wallpaper. A feature wall is the focal point of a room where you can highlight a bold colour or texture you wouldn’t dare use on a larger scale. Large rooms suit a feature wall to break up the expanse and add interest. Modern materials are all about natural, recycled
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Bathrooms are transforming from rarely visited functional rooms to luxurious sanctuaries where lingering is encouraged. Natural colours and materials, mood lighting, dramatic design and greenery combine to create an atmosphere which alleviates stress and promotes relaxation. Wall and floor tiling adds a luxury look and come in natural stone options like marble, quartzite, travertine and even cement. Large format tiling, up to 1500 x 700 mm, is very popular this year and combined with expoxy grout, can reduce stains and
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Highlight windows are wide, short windows positioned high on the wall of a room and offer many benefits to the homeowner. They are also known as clerestory (clear story) windows and are positioned at the top of a wall above eye level. Historically, highlight or clerestory windows were used in the upper level of a Roman basilica or a Gothic church. Often they were tall and curved at the top and made of stained glass – very different from modern
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