Natural stone continues to evolve offering the industry new technology, new finishes and new products and this was evident at the Xiamen Stone Fair in China earlier this month. With exhibitors from across the globe, there was much to see and take on board.
Lots of new and interesting finishes on popular stones to add some extra wow factor. One example we saw was a feature wall where the stone was presented in a scratched finish to complement the same stone as a floor tile.
We have almost completed Stage 1 of Guestlands, the village section that runs off the main house.
Generally, if the house has good bones, we can use a lot of what exists. The consideration of costs can also come into play resulting in the decision to renovate rather than rebuild. The risk with renovating older houses can be the unknown of how much detailed demolition will be required to get it back to base level can sometimes make a renovation unviable.
With House Burch, we had a great foundation to work with. It is double brick, none of the interior walls were structural, it has a single roof line, and the roof structure sits on top of the external walls. All of this was to our advantage and made our job easier. The front part of the house is the original and we haven’t really changed it at all, apart from windows and rendering it. The internal configuration is obviously different.
With this renovation, the back of the house was removed, which gave us a clean slate to work with. The land size of the block is a standard size for Byron Bay.
It was a balancing act between keeping as much outdoor space and meeting the client’s needs for the internal space. The house overall isn’t massive, however, it still has 6 bedrooms. The new section at the back is two storeys. This was added to increase floor space and retain as much of the garden areas and landscaping as possible. Living in Byron Bay Summer goes well into April. Our clients wanted to be able to use the outside space as much as possible.
Sareen Stone’s natural stone alfresco range is lightly textured yet soft to walk and will always be cool in the hot Australian summer. The Alfresco range offers greater slip resistance especially important in high traffic areas either covered or uncovered.
Architect and designer, Maddalena Vienna from Vienna Design, shares her latest project in Surry Hills, blending the terrace’s heritage architecture of yesteryear with the modern design of the new garage come studio. The result is stunning.
Clever design allows the home to be light and spacious, two elements rarely associated with traditional terrace houses. The charm and history of the terrace house are maintained in the façade and the classic and stylish interiors.
Maddalena is extremely happy with the juxtaposition of old and new.
“What I like was the blend of the new garage/studio at the back with the old heritage listed home. The garage is not only a garage but a rumpus area if required and the upstairs a beautiful room with a bathroom.”
The redesign means there are now three bathrooms in the home. The new garage offers additional accommodation with a bedroom and bathroom. The tumbled mosaics in this bathroom provide a contemporary aesthetic. The existing bathroom and the powder room have been refurbished with luxurious marble wall tiles that are complemented by the warmth of Noce Travertine floor tiles.
A beautiful yet practical outdoor kitchen effortlessly extends the living space outside. Maddalena chose Noce Travertine French pattern tumbled tiles to continue the classic styling outdoors.
Sareen Stone’s Noce Travertine Tumbled French pattern tiles are imported from Turkey and provide warmth with a mix of brown, beige and earthy tones.
The versatility of Classic Travertine is evident throughout this home in Sydney’s north, renovated by FS Hough Builders. As the flooring for the living, kitchen and dining space; the bathroom; the outdoor area and pool coping, Classic Travertine is utilised in its various finishes and provides a timeless elegance throughout.
Indoors, the beige tones of the Classic Travertine flooring ensure the contemporary, open-plan living area is a warm and inviting space. Outdoors a fusion of natural materials, Sareen Stone’s First Choice Classic Travertine and the hardwood timber decking sit in harmony and provide a stunning backdrop.
Classic Travertine is one of the most popular natural stones used for residential projects. This incredibly beautiful and practical travertine, with its neutral beige colouring, is suited to both traditional and contemporary environments.
Classic Travertine may be used in both internal and external areas. They are perfect for outdoors in the harsh Australian environment, as they do not retain heat. The unfilled tiles may be partially filled onsite.
While there are many grades of Classic Travertine available, we pride ourselves on importing first-choice premium quality Classic Travertine, which has minimal large holes, good colour consistency and is free from unwanted inclusions. The grading is based on the size of the holes/pits, colour variation and unwanted inclusions such as onyx impurities.
Sareen Stone’s First Choice Classic Travertine comes in the following finishes:
Custom-sized pieces of Cathedral Limestone were made for the project including tiles, treads, pool coping and paving. The extra deep profile of the 40mm pool coping and step treads provides an incredibly sophisticated look & feel. The result is an absolutely stunning outdoor space.
Cathedral Limestone is a large format, rustic stone, available in an Alfresco finish. Reminiscent of European cathedral floors, hence its name, the ‘aged’ limestone gives an expansive, classic and ageless look. Extremely durable, cathedral limestone is suitable for residential and commercial environments both internal and external.
Image credits: Beecraft
Outdoor Escape Landscaping lived up to its name and made this gorgeous garden an outdoor escape for their client in Sydney’s north. Sareen Stone’s Himalayan Sandstone Natural was chosen for the pool surrounds and two sets of stairs.
Outdoor Escape Landscaping lived up to its name and made this gorgeous garden an outdoor escape for their client in Sydney’s north.
Sareen Stone’s Himalayan Sandstone was chosen for the pool surrounds and two sets of stairs, one harmoniously leading from the pool to the cabana and the other set to the stunning garden, effectively showcasing the individuality and beauty of each piece of sandstone.
Matt Bandiera began Outdoor Escape Landscaping in 2012 with the aim to create personalised, sustainable and liveable ‘Outdoor Escapes’. This project is a testament to this ethos and Matt and his team are extremely proud of the end result.
“We worked with our clients on this project, later to become known as ‘The Dizzy Project’, which first and foremost had an interesting and creative brief.”
Inspired by our client’s around-the-world travels, each section and element of the garden was to have a factor that resembled or reminded them of their favourite travel destinations. As a result, the garden has an eclectic mix of native and tropical, with all elements coming together to create a harmonious, warm and inviting family garden.
When you look around the garden at each element you continue to turn and circle round and round the garden, hence the nickname The ‘Dizzy’ Project”, Matt said.
Offering specialised and unique landscape design, construction and maintenance services, Outdoor Escape Landscaping develops bespoke gardens that fit in with the client’s lifestyle, needs and wants. From lighting to screening and everything in between, they focus on the finer details ensuring functionality and practicality sit synonymously with the beauty of the space.
Sareen Stone’s Himalayan Sandstone is available in a natural or alfresco finish. Both provide a warm aesthetic that works perfectly in most design styles from contemporary to traditional. Himalayan Sandstone Natural comes in a range of sizes and formats from paver to tile, ledge tile, pool coping and step tread.
Last month Sareen Stone’s MD, Duncan Blyth visited the Xiamen Stone Fair in China. We reveal their synopsis of the show and how the future of the stone industry was presented at the stone fair.
We are a Building Design and Interior Design business located on the beautiful Central Coast. As a husband and wife team, we really collaborate well and bring together a wealth of experience and our unique design styles. Michael is all about construction and great spacial planning. I’m all about conceptual design, aesthetics and creativity. Our passion for this industry really shows through in every house we design. We absolutely love our work and spend many hours developing and fine-tuning every project so that each home is unique and a one-off.
Image credit: design by zias building design
Fortunately, we have seen a big shift away from the “McMansions” of the ’90s with 3 or 4 living rooms and enormous bedrooms. I think people today are more conscious of how they spend their time and wasting a weekend cleaning room that isn’t used just doesn’t make sense. Open-plan living and spaces doubling up have become more practical. A home office can also double as a guest bedroom and 1 living room if it’s well-proportioned can be enough when combined with an outdoor living space. The other major change is the use of sculleries or butler pantries – they are now essential in almost every house we design – great storage and mess hidden away. We are also now very passionate about green design and really love working with like-minded people that are keen to work with sustainable materials as well as thinking about ways to ensure the house works well in both summer and winter without needing to use artificial heating and cooling.
Absolutely. We have worked in some spectacular places and this is always a consideration of our designs. Amazing views across a private 2-acre block surrounded by perfectly pruned hedges at Matcham allowed the design to be almost a glass box. Completely private and pristine. Another home we designed at Terrigal was built between two houses on a small block down a battleaxe block so the interior of the house really became a focal point around a central courtyard and felt like you had stepped into your own private oasis. Each location dictates a unique one-off design.
Image credit: design by zias building design
This is probably my favourite home which was very much a reflection of my love of mid-century modern design. The client had a very open brief and was happy to be guided by us which is always a dream project. Clean lines, open plan, pared back and attention to detailing is the fundamentals of mid-century design. Richard Neutra’s Palm Springs homes and Philip Johnsons Glass House were Architects we looked at for inspiration.
Image credit: design by zias building design
Stone is an integral design element of The Modernist Style and helps solidify the house onto the land. The Classic travertine is so important in adding warmth and being the foundation of this design. With so much glass and steel this house could have easily felt cold but adding stone with travertine, marble and stacked stone really adds warmth and textural quality.
We often combine several materials such as blockwork or brick with lightweight cladding, stone, glass and steel. Primarily we like to work with natural materials but are always looking at new and innovative products, especially if they are sustainable.
Image credit: design by zias building design
I’m excited to see the return of warm colours such as browns and emerald green which as far as I’m concerned never went out of fashion. I think the Scandinavian trend will slow down and all-white kitchens have had their day. Texture, warmth, large-scale floral wallpaper and natural materials will make a resurgence along with darker timbers and rich colours.
