thehappykowple

Entrance to the little yard area. This is where our washer and dryer will be stacked. To its left is my favourite part of the yard... Our concrete table! We intend to put an old school metal basin (originally a beverage holder) that I got off Amazon to be used as a sink. Can't wait for them to fit it on. It's in the most beautiful copper shade ever. Including shipping from the US, it cost me about S$200 but it looks perfect. Now to pray that it is sound execution-wise. Here is the link to the basin we got: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001E8QWA4/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1436544557&sr=1&keywords=metal+tub

Tonight, I'll take you on a tour of our yard/new store room! The yard was an integral part of our brief to our ID. It was part of the original kitchen space and while it made the kitchen really spacious, we had no room to hide our dirty laundry/washing machine etc. or do messy stuff like bathe our cat. So, we wanted a wet area that was functional but not intrusive, with a basin for washing. Here's what changed basically... The old layout: Storeroom, kitchen (inclusive of space for cooking and washing machine all in one) The new layout: Storeroom (slightly smaller), kitchen (island counter and storage cabinets) and yard area Cabinets work in progress. The kitchen has eaten into the old store room, which used to be by the window. The new store room is just on the left. Slightly smaller but still functional. It will be covered with a door in chalkboard paint so that our guests will be treated with wonderful drawings when they arrive (if our drawing skills are up to mark, that is)! Pretty basic store room. We intend to build shelves to maximise space. One thing to note about the minimalist theme is that it is not for hoarders. It's important to ensure the theme fits your lifestyle. I know it'll take some getting used to for me. But I'm up for the challenge!

Not sure if this has been done before but I thought our cement screed flooring deserves some special mention. When doing cement screed floors, it is really important that you accept that it will crack over time and this is part of the look. Hairline cracks, in my opinion, do not compromise the integrity of the floor. It's just how it is. Our ID made sure this was minimised though as we intend to stay in this house for a long time and needed to ensure it could last long-term. He used steel inlays to demarcate different areas so that sections of the floor are subject to normal expansion and contraction, instead of the entire floor area. Quite smart eh? Geometric patterns too for the laying of steel strips. How thoughtful! Just so you know how it turned out, here's the completed picture. You should be able to see two subtle lines forming a triangle in the picture above. We had about 4 strips in total for the first floor. None for the second floor as it doesn't get much sunlight and the rooms are smaller so no need for strips. We also reused the concrete flooring under the laminates and just re-polished them to save cost.

Been quiet for a while because I've been lazy. Anyway, just wanted to move forward in time with regards to my updates and share pictures of the completed grinded walls with white paint and lights. We love the results. It's raw but not cold thanks to the soft cove lighting and definitely unique. Don't think I've see anything like that around.

I LOVE YOUR GATE!!!! Can PM me the contact please? (: