open plan living

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CategoriesHome Renovation

Five Ways to Change Your Open Plan Living

By Period Extensions Team,

At the heart of open plan living is one simple word: connection.

Once upon a time, rooms such as the kitchen or lounge were built for a single function. There was even a door to close us off from the rest of the house. Living within four separate rooms was simply the way it was.

Over the years, lifestyles have changed — and so has our need for stronger connection with family, friends and the digital world.

As we try to pack more into every day, every moment matters — whether it’s preparing meals while helping with homework, cooking while supervising the kids at play, catching up on the news while loading the dishwasher, or preparing a dinner party with friends. Open plan living gives us greater comfort, convenience and connection.

Want to make the most of your open plan living renovation? Try these five tips for your period home.

1. Take Out a Wall (or Two)

Removing walls to open up your living space is easier than you think. Surrounding walls can be adjusted in most homes — including period homes — to achieve an open plan living, dining and kitchen space. You’ll just need some careful planning for your living room renovation.

2. Create Your Own Open Plan Living Island

At the heart of your living space is the kitchen – and the most popular and effective design is a large central island bench. It’s the perfect gathering spot for the family at breakfast and allows ample room for meal preparation. This makes it easy to encourage everyone to get involved too.

It’s also the most social choice for your kitchen renovation — you’re no longer stuck away from the fun when entertaining. Just be mindful of clutter: all that space can quickly become a magnet for belongings.

3. Go With the Flow

Getting the flow from area to area, room to room, is vital to any open plan design. Traffic flow is especially important, ensuring everyone can move freely throughout your space.

When planning to extend your period home, take the time to design a natural flow between the living, dining, kitchen and outdoor areas.

4. The Shape of Things to Come

No matter what size home you have, thoughtful design can create the right shape of living space. In our experience, a long rectangular space works best, providing a great length-to-width ratio. It’s also ideal for arranging furniture of all sizes.

This shape naturally directs activity toward the outdoors, enhancing indoor–outdoor living.

5. Let There Be Light

Two of the most important elements of a successful open plan space are windows and ceiling height.

Natural light adds warmth and welcome while making tasks easier during the day without artificial lighting. The right ceiling height, combined with clever design, can give the illusion of a much larger room — and soaring ceilings also bring a sense of grandeur.

Our Top Tip

From many years of working with clients, our best advice is to talk to an experienced building designer who can add expertise to your ideas, creating a space that flows perfectly.

When it comes to your period home renovations, it’s all about the flow!

Why not talk to Period Extensions about how to transform your home?
Our professional design team would love to help.

📞 Call: 03 9882 5255
📧 Email: admin@periodextensions.com.au

CategoriesHome Renovation

Don’t Skimp On Space – You’ll Always Need More Than You Think

By Period Extensions Team,

[vc_row content_placement=”middle”][vc_column][vc_column_text]“Space – the final frontier.” Just like the brave Star Trek crew, you’ll be amazed at the space you can find in your own home if you are open to exploration and new ideas!

There are so many benefits to thinking ahead about space. A more comfortable lifestyle, extra years in your current home before you have to move, the lifestyle benefits of having more space for the whole family to enjoy and ultimately, a better selling price.

And while you’ll need to make some compromises in your period home, most likely due to council restrictions, your original façade and foundation walls, your larger block offers an enormous range of options.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-40t”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

HERE ARE OUR TOP SEVEN TIPS FOR CREATING MORE SPACE IN YOUR HOME

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#1 THE FIRST STEP IN YOUR VOYAGE?

Think big! When you begin planning for an extension, always allow for more space than you think you’ll need. It won’t be easy to adjust your renovations if you realise you don’t have enough space. Think ahead about all the possibilities for your family and their needs. Cut corners now and you’ll regret it in the long run.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3199″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-40t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

#2 THINK ABOUT FLOW

One of the biggest planning mistakes people make is not considering the way their home connects together. The flow of your extension needs to be a seamless connection between the old and the new, which can be cleverly achieved through selection of fittings, paint colour and architectural features.

You may be interested to know that the most popular trend amongst Period Extensions’ clients is to extend out, not up. Due to changing lifestyles, more people are choosing to lose yard space to create a larger footprint, single storey home rather than extending up.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3200″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-40t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

#3 TAKE IT FROM US AND OUR CLIENTS

There are certain areas of your home you will always want more space – living areas and bedrooms. As your family grows, so does the need for more bedroom space. The kids will need desk and study space, as well as a place to hang out with their friends and have sleepovers. And as the kids grow and you have more time on your hands, you’ll also want more space for entertainment and relaxation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3201″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-40t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

#4 OPEN UP WALLS AND RETAIN THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

At Period Extensions the complaint we hear most often is ‘I wish I had more space for open plan living!’ Due to the traditional structure of period homes, many areas may tend to feel dark and closed off from the rest of the house, which simply doesn’t work with today’s preference for open plan living. The good news is that removing walls  – as long as the structural integrity of your home remains intact – is a relatively easy way to open up and breathe new life into dark spaces.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3202″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-40t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

#5 KITCHEN, BATHROOM AND LAUNDRY SPACE

If you want to just dip a toe in the water with a home extension, the three easiest places to find more space and make changes are your kitchen, bathroom and laundry. You’d be amazed what can be achieved through relocating bench tops, adding new appliances, changing window stylesto achieve more natural light, removing doors and connecting walls and installing new fixtures and fittings in bathrooms.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3203″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-40t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

#6 THINK OUTSIDE THE SQUARE!

Clever planning and design will achieve wonders. Use of your attic, roof cavity, basement or yard can deliver extra space and add enormous value to your home.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3204″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-40t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

#7 MAKING THE MOST OF THE SPACE WITH THESE TIPS AND TRICKS

If you’re not quite ready to jump into major structural and architecturalchanges just now, there are loads of tricks and tips to help make the most of the space you have. To deliver the illusion of space, try the following:

  • Choose a lighter paint colour – the use of bright white and pale tones will lift and brighten any space.
  • Consider a skylight. The addition of natural light is a cost effective, low impact way to bring a sense of space to a dark hallway or room.
  • Change your windows! Period homes often feature traditional heavy wooden sash style windows that can restrict the flow of natural lightinto your home. Replace with new style, sleek windows, with narrow frames and maximum glass, to bring the outside in.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3205″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you want to talk about how Period Extensions can accompany you on your ‘journey into space’ and transform your home, the professional design team at Period Extensions would love to help. Contact us today by calling (03) 9882 5255 or email admin@periodextensions.com.au[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

CategoriesDesign Inspiration

Heritage meets modern design in Malvern East renovation

By Period Extensions Team,

[vc_row content_placement=”middle”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Every home renovation is unique, but what we love most about our work is the chance to work hand-in-hand with clients to make their vision a reality.

In this stunning extension in Malvern East, our client took the unusual step of deciding to renovate their new home immediately after purchase.

While they were initially attracted to the house because of its traditional architectural features, their main goal was to ensure that their new home would also meet the demands of their lifestyle needs.

Many homeowners debate for months, sometimes years, on what they require from a renovation. Decisions are driven by changes in lifestyle, the need for a larger living space or simply because areas of the house are in need of major repair. In most instances, our clients have lived in their home for some time and use their experience to identify what is missing.

Whilst the new home owners were delighted with the purchase of this property and excited about the prospect of living there, they chose to wait a little bit longer before moving in to a newly renovated home.

This was a well-considered and carefully conceived plan. In their previous home, living space was limited and the bathroom and laundry were far too small. When presented with a brand new space to work with, our clients had very clear ideas on what was needed for their extension.

Our client’s specific requirements of their home renovation included the addition of an en-suite to the main bedroom, a family bathroom, a European-style laundry, increased storage and an open-plan living area. An alfresco area that seamlessly connected to the backyard was also on the wish list.

Our goal with every period extension is to keep the existing character of the home intact, while seamlessly weaving in the requirements of our client. After the renovation project is complete, we want our clients to walk in and see exactly what they envisaged.

As part of this home renovation, retaining the heritage overlay was important and challenging. The existing brick chimney was also to be preserved, requiring significant engineering to support its structure in the newly designed space.

The size of the site also presented challenges, as the design needed to be compact enough to fit
into the space, yet still meet the client brief.

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HEXAGONAL BATHROOM TILES RENOVATION

The en-suite to the main bedroom features black, grey and white hexagonal tessellated floor tiles, a black granite bench top and a modern shower with a glass screen. The functional and spacious family bathroom was fitted with a striking black granite bench top, modern shower with glass screens and a white bathtub.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3175″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-30t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3176″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

SMART SPACE RENOVATION SOLUTIONS

Out of site but certainly not out of mind, the European-style laundry, featuring state-of-the-art appliances, meets the client brief exactly and saves valuable space. Space saving was a major theme throughout the extension with the inclusion of new storage solutions, cleverly located to blend in and ‘disappear’ into the home.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-30t”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

MOROCCAN STYLE KITCHEN EXTENSION

The kitchen extension is a joy to behold with a large, white island bench top and trendy Moroccan-style tile detailing on the splashback. Regular entertaining is a must for our client and they were delighted with the completed renovation were looking forward to hosting their first dinner party.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-30t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

COMBINING SPACES INTO A VERSATILE ONE

Finally, an open-plan living area with bifold doors, opening onto a timber deck seamlessly connecting the interior to the light and airy entertaining area.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3177″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-30t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3178″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

TRADITIONAL MEETS CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

Now as we walk through this light-filled home, there is a strong sense of connection between heritage and modern. Each space is fluid and functional and flows naturally into the next. The interior has been designed with clever use of fittings and fixtures that reflect the architectural traditions of this stunning home, while still presenting a contemporary feel throughout.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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