& the rest...
looking out
“There are currently no window dressings in the bedroom,” says Lisa. “And that’s understandable when you see how incredible the view is – you really wouldn’t want to cover it up. But this room is up in the roof and it gets cold in winter and hot in summer, so some sort of covering would help. If you build a pelmet out a bit at the top, you can hide motorised blinds from view when they aren’t in use. Make sure the blinds have the reverse roll to the window as the closer they are to the glass, the better the insulation. To minimise the visual attention of the curtain fabric, select a fabric that is similar to the wall colour; for Sandra, a light linen tone would fade into the wall space and will also add softness and frame the view. Also, to make sure the view isn’t obstructed, I’d ensure the curtain rod was long enough for the back of the fabric to clear the window when the curtains are open.”
brick by brick
“Anthony says they have huge piles of old bricks on the property that he’s planning to use to build a fire pit,” says Wayd. “There’s quite a market for reclaimed bricks so if he doesn’t use all of them, someone will pay good money for them. The couple has been told that some of the bricks used to build the house are convict bricks and you can see evidence of that in the bedroom wall. Some are rough-hewn sandstone but the ones that are easy to spot are those that have the special mark of the brickmaker on, them like these ones (pictured above). Arrows, hearts and diamonds are common patterns; sometimes the year of production, too.”
up high
“In the kitchen, Anthony and Sandra have already pulled out the low ceiling to reveal the raked ceiling behind it, which looks great,” says Andrew. “A vaulted ceiling makes a space bigger and it creates a kind of optical illusion so visually the benefits are even greater than the pure air footage. Exposing the roof layers, rafters and battens really suits the rustic style of the house. I’d suggest doing likewise in the adjoining living space and painting it all white to extend the effect. When designed properly, raked ceilings can also provide a venting area for unwanted hot air, which will cool things down in summer. One downside that comes with any high ceiling though is that changing a light bulb becomes a challenge. But I think that’s a small price to pay for a stunning effect.”