Ask Alex
Adding finishing touches can be one of the trickiest parts of a reno. Whether it’s choosing rugs or tackling a teenager’s room, Alex can help
Advice on finishing touches for renovations
Dear Alex,
We are finally at the end of a two-year renovation, which has been exhausting, exciting and expensive, but we are really happy with the final look and feel of our home. We love our open-plan living area as it works well for our young family, but we have hit a hurdle with rugs. We have installed wood-look laminate floors throughout the house and need some practical floor coverings in the kitchen and living areas. We don’t have a huge budget for this but are hoping you might have some advice about sourcing and pricing. Thanks in advance. Wendy Grant, Wanaka
This is a common question that I get asked about in my store (AFD Store). Rugs tend to be last on the list when designing home interiors. People often find they just can’t afford anything to decorate their floors and complete the design. Rugs are great for defining areas, identifying zones, providing warmth, adding a textural element, bringing in colour or pattern and providing floor protection. They can be made from wool, synthetic fibres, plastic, jute, silk, or a range of other natural fibres. Like most interior design products, you tend to get what you pay for and the more expensive they are, the longer they tend to last. Consider factors such as foot traffic, sun exposure and cleaning requirements to help narrow down what sort of rugs should go where.
For example, under the area in front of the kitchen sink, it pays to have a plastic washable mat that you can throw in the washing machine or hose down as needed. Pappelina woven-plastic rugs, designed and made in Sweden, are excellent for areas such as under a dining table, in a kitchen or laundry, or across an entrance.
For areas such as living spaces and hallways, try a woollen rug, which will provide a hard-wearing, plush look with myriad decorative options to choose from. Armadillo & Co supply off-the-rack options in various sizes, colours, patterns and textures, as well as a bespoke range which you can design to fit your space perfectly.
When choosing rugs, size is a major consideration as proportions can help make or break a room. My best advice is to tape out an area first to see what size you need, then work with that to see what is available (as that’s cheaper than making to order). Also, whenever you can, ask to take the rug home on approval first so you can see for sure if it works in your space.
Hi Alex,
This is an SOS of the teen-boy variety! I’m struggling with my 14-year-old son’s room. He couldn’t give two hoots about trends, design and interiors but I want his room to match the rest of our house while still feeling like it’s his space. Are you able to give me some ideas that will turn a pubescent male’s bedroom into a design-worthy teen dream?
Lisa Richardson, Titirangi, Auckland
This is a very common conundrum indeed. Finding that happy balance between man-boy and mum-design will require all your life skills. First, you’ll need to get some buy-in from your son by talking to him about redesigning his space. I’m assuming you have a good grip on deciphering his grunts and can work out what is negotiable and what isn’t.
For example, a recent client of mine worked out that all her son wanted was to keep his hideous, giant, faux-wood desk (which housed his computer gaming consoles) and to have black walls. I took that eye-popping information and turned it into a more design-friendly solution. Luckily the desk was a dark charcoal (try Dulux ‘Taihape’), which we matched to a nearly black paint for the walls. Instead of painting the walls entirely black we did half-walls with a pale grey (try Dulux ‘Franz Josef Half’), which meant the black wasn’t so overpowering and also cleverly disguised the behemoth workspace. Tick and tick. The rest was easy as he “really didn’t care” as long as it wasn’t “girly” or “dumb”.
Now design away to your heart’s content! Throw in some manly fabrics such as denim and corduroy, some earthy elements like concrete and wood, and you are back on the design track.