Dreaming of a Staircase

I am having a staircase in my dream house & I am a little unsure at this point how it will look.

I originally had it all planned but it would appear with the design challenges of a sloping block & the fact we have a budget the stairs have had to change. At this point in time I have no idea how my staircase will look or even if we enter from the family room or the entry.

So I have been stalking staircases online so I have plenty of ideas when I have some insight into that part of the project.

traditional staircase design by Chicago general contractor Stone breaker Builders & Remodelers

I love white painted stairs & the extra storage is a fantastic idea

contemporary family room design by Toronto interior designer Jennifer Brouwer

I'm thinking of a white painted staircase & a carpet, perhaps sisal, stair runner...

traditional staircase design

I just love dark timber floors with a traditional white painted stair rail

Image via Decor Pad

 This staircase is definitely the WOW factor of this home...

Image via Decor Pad

A very creative & unique touch, a hand rail fashioned to look like a tree branch

Image via White Cat Vintage

I just love the white on white, its so restful & clean

image via The Five Year Project
This is a fabulous design for the family home, not to mention the striped stair runner.

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Total glamour

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This actually came from an add for smart technology in the home but I just thought it was a beautiful
 stair case.

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Everything about this stair case & entry is Divine, EXCEPT, the kid on the scooter....Take that thing OUTSIDE!!!!

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I love the storage & mirrors, they bring a little extra glamour to an already beautiful space. I look at an image like this & dream of painted white floors

Image via Sarah Richardson Design
I have to admit Sarah Richardson is definitely one of my favourite designers, everything she presents oozes class. She mixes pattern & texture & colour with such ease, I wish she was an Aussie. I would invite her round for coffee, for sure!!!

Don't you just love a beautiful stair case, do you have stairs at your house!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

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Splash back uncertainty!!!

Well my dream kitchen is all on the drawing board & the floor tiles chosen...

eclectic kitchen design

Turns out I have expensive tastes, with Shaker style being in the expensive choice range, Oh well!!!

The kitchen guy was fabulous, the tile guy was extremely helpful & my dream guy was so well behaved, Ive never loved him more xxx

I am hoping to have sea grass or bamboo blinds in my kitchen, something like these ones...

Images via Cotedetexas

My dream guy loved all of my ideas & added a few very good suggestions of his own. We selected tiles for inside & outside, designed a kitchen, laundry & vanities, without one single disagreement.
AMAZING!!!!

The colours aren't so good in this image, but this is a sample of our floor tile, wall colour, kitchen door colour & ceaserstone bench tops.

 I want to paint my walls with

 Dulux-Hogs Bristle in quarter strength

The bench top is

Ceaser Stone-Ivory

The Shaker style Cabinets are a

 Classic White, semi gloss

The floor tiles are a shade darker than the bench top,

a sandy colour

I love the look of a white subway tile in a shaker style kitchen, BUT, I have gone for a 30cm x 60cm rectangular floor tile to be laid in a running bond or brick style pattern, essentially it is a giant subway tile on the floor & I feel it would be overkill to do the same on the back splash.

 I am thinking of perhaps just a plain glossy white square tile 10cm x 10cm, but I am unsure.

What do you think would look awesome. I want to do it in tile rather than a glass panel or matching ceaserstone  so I add some extra texture, hence the choice of a glossy tile. I have such a limited colour scheme I need to add some interest with the different textured finishes.

HELP!!!

Okay my fabulously stylish blog friends, your opinions & ideas are seriously required :0)

CHEERS

Trish xxx

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Expensive property doesn't necessarily mean stylish property!!!

I was looking to the local real estate market for inspiration for my post today & thought I might write about a really beautiful home in my area, so I began my search for properties over the million dollar range. Now one would expect to be swooning over every property, well it wasn't the case.

Here in The Hunter Valley of NSW, Australia, there is an incredible amount of property for sale well & truly over the million dollar price bracket, but as they say, Location, Location, Location.

The Hunter is prime farming country, with large areas used for cattle farms, horse studs & vineyards. It is also one of the fastest growing regions in Australia due to the amount of industry, coal mines, vineyards, tourism, horse racing studs & proximity to the ports of Newcastle. Its safe to say we have it all here, which bumps up land values.

This is why I was able to uncover some fairly unflattering decor in my search for the perfect million dollar home...

You judge for yourself!!!!

I would call this style eclectic, perhaps....

I'm not so sure that canopy is safe....

These last 2 pics are from the same house, a very colourful house...

I love a white kitchen myself....

Perhaps The Hunter Valley needs a few stylists to start marketing to the local Real Estates....

A coat of paint, some rearranging of furniture & curtains the correct length for the windows would go a long way.

We all want to create a WOW factor, but most of these images had me saying OMG!!!

What do you think?

Perhaps all of the beautiful images I see in blog land everyday have given me a false sense of reality!!!

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Paint Transformations

Paint is really among the quickest, easiest, and least expensive ways to transform the look of what you own into what you love.
Here are a few examples from my client's home.

Before: Blah CeilingAfter: Warm CeilingBefore: Boring BenchAfter: Cozy SeatingBefore: Noticeable DetailsAfter: Delightfully Detailed DetailsAnd my favorite paint makeover....
Before: Nice DoorAfter: Gorgeous Door!!!Are you inspired to pick up a can of paint and
transform something?

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