Creating a Cohesive Look Throughout the Home
Provide some insight into the home that you renovated; what was it like prior to the makeover?
A: House 8 was a small weatherboard 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom original 50s home in need of a lot of love. Think pink lino, floral wallpapered bathrooms, and moisture-ruined, unlevelled Tasmanian Oak floorboards with a lot of gaps. We saw huge potential in the home due to its location and it had these big front windows that we fell in love with.
Tell us about the style of the renovation; what inspired this look?
A: We wanted to keep the charm of the original weatherboard façade, but inside there wasn’t much charm left. Using what we had from a layout perspective, we extended and then modernised the entire home in a neutral, timeless style that still carries the interest and character it had by considering carefully our selection of materials and textures.
When it came to the selection of your hard flooring and carpet, what was the brief?
A: For House 8, we needed our flooring and carpet to tick a ton of boxes. We needed it to be cohesive, beautiful, timeless, neutral, and durable for this renovation. We were on the lookout for a type of flooring that felt and looked warm and was hard-working whilst delivering on style.
What is a cohesive design and why is it so important?
A: A cohesive design is where all the elements of a home work together to create a unified and consistent look. It’s important because it helps to create a sense of harmony and balance, it is more visually appealing and can help convey feelings of calm and rest.
How did you achieve a cohesive look in your home that speaks to your style and flows beautifully from one space to the next? How did your flooring and carpet influence the overall look and feel of this?
A: We achieved cohesion in House 8 by covering over the poor quality, mismatched original flooring with neutral flooring that we ran through the hallway, connecting each space with a consistent look. We kept the palette neutral to complement our other style decisions throughout the house.
Why did you select Florence Rigid Hybrid?
A: For our main living areas, laundry, and hallway, we wanted something warm, comfortable, and durable. With two young boys, a builder husband, a large pup and an inside-shoe-wearing wife, this was a must. When figuring out the right colour, we were looking for something that was neither too dark nor too light, and while we had a few good options, we ultimately decided on the Florence Rigid Hybrid in the colour Ghosted Blackbutt, and we’re very glad we did.
During the planning phase, we knew that Hybrid would be great. It’s made from a combination of high-quality materials, including a commercial grade wear layer on top and an acoustic foam underlayment, which helps cushion the floor and make it more comfortable to walk on.
Its composition makes the Florence Rigid hybrid flooring resistant to scratches, dents, and stains, so it’s a great option for high-traffic areas or homes with pets or kids. Hybrid is also great as it is easy to install and maintain making it a great option for DIY projects.
Why did you select ECONYL® Genesis carpet?
A: We have always gone with Solution Dyed Nylon (SDN) for our carpet because of its durability, but when I heard about the environmentally friendly option of ECONYL®, I knew I had to try it. For those unfamiliar with ECONYL®, it is a regenerated nylon which is 100% recycled yarn made from nylon waste such as old carpets, fabric scraps and fishing nets. Love that! The Genesis Eaves carpet was the perfect colour and texture for our neutral palette and style, and it has turned out to be our most favourite carpet we’ve ever laid.
As experienced renovators, what are your top three tips for undertaking a renovation?
A:
1. Create a master plan, a solid vision for your home that uses what you have and maximises your space. This plan will help you create cohesion and ensure you don’t waste time, money, energy, or resources redoing things. We create design plans for clients to ensure their renovation is well-thought-out from the very beginning!
2. Work with tradies and suppliers that you trust. If you don’t know of any, ask people you trust for recommendations. Word-of-mouth recommendations and ‘tried and true’ tradespeople are worth waiting for.
3. Be creative with your budget. Following point number 1 and having a well thought out master plan will mean you can source cleverly from a variety of places and utilise savings whilst staying true to your overall, cohesive vision for your home.
What are your top five tips for selecting the perfect flooring or carpet for your room?
A:
1. Stay neutral. It’s timeless.
2. Select materials with texture and colour variation. They are more forgiving from a cleaning perspective.
3. Consider its purpose. Everybody loves real timber, for example, but in a high traffic area with pets, kids, and scraping furniture, it may make more sense to go for something more durable.
4. Complement your furniture and style, but don’t try to match it too perfectly. Flooring can be a beautiful statement in and of itself.
5. Keep it cohesive. Select one type of hardwood flooring and one type of carpet for the entire house; don’t try to mix it up from room to room.
How did you make an informed decision on your hard flooring and carpet selection?
A: Having gone through this process eight times, we now always do the same thing. We have an idea of what we think will fit with the overall vision, then head into our local Carpet Court. We chat with the experts there, who all know us by name now, about what we want to achieve and let them suggest products they think will suit. They’re always up to date with the latest styles and designs, and it doesn’t take long to pull 2-3 samples together to take home and try in the space. Easy!
Interior Design & Styling: @the_reno_life_
Photography & Video: @j.parsons.photography
