Happy New Year! What an epic 2016. We finished the renovation (the inside anyway) and after being confined to one tiny bedroom (with a roof leak) for a few months it is a huge relief and thrill to cook in a nice kitchen, walk around in bare feet and not share a bathroom with tradies.
The last few weeks of the job saw us move out to let the tilers, painters, plumber, electrician and joiners finish up without us getting in the way. I also did not fancy being around all the plaster dust and paint fumes because we found out we are expecting our first baby! Our new build shuffled along, although not at the pace we would like, and in between site meetings and medical appointments we went about our day jobs.
Since we are not planning to stay in the house for long, we decided against buying new furniture but here is a sneak peek of the kitchen/dining/family room as it is for now.
Work is well underway on the exterior painting and landscaping. Or perhaps I should say re-painting? Disappointingly, the blue-grey colour I chose for the outside would be better suited to a coast house (and is quite frankly, hideous), so we are toning it down with a light grey that will hopefully tie in better with the interior colour scheme.
This is the courtyard paving in progress. We decided on a patchwork pattern to allow space for a Japanese maple tree and other low plantings in between. This area is accessed from the kitchen by large sliding doors and will lead onto the outdoor entertaining area.
I have never been much good at keeping New Year’s resolutions but I am pleased to say in 2016 I achieved most of what I set out to. It was definitely stressful at times, but the reward of seeing the renovation come together and moving forward with my career and personal goals, has me very excited about what lies ahead in 2017. I hope you are having a relaxing Christmas break and have plenty to look forward to this year!
Jane x
design hamlet 
Hehe, I’m still referring to 2016 as ‘this year’ 😋 I can’t wait to set up the nursery. I’ve chosen a couple of the big items but not sure about whether to get a glider chair or just a comfy armchair. Did you use one much? I’ve read that the rocking chairs don’t work too well on carpet.
Thanks for the positive comments! We are focussing on getting the outside completed now so the inside doesn’t look very finished with our sparse furnishings but I will aim to get the main bedroom done in the next week or so at least.
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How did I miss this update until now! Must have still been recovering from NYE, he he. So exciting you’re having a baby and now you’ll have the fun of planning a nursery in your new home!
Wowzers, this renovation is amazing and I want to see more photos please! What have you done in the bathrooms, laundry too, and bedrooms??
I’ll check out your window update now xx
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