So I told you how we came to live on Bridge Rd here. It's our second Terrace House and has a similar configuration to the first, except it's much bigger and has two important improvements on the last one. It has lots of light and lots of storage, a rarity in Terrace Houses. Our Bridge Rd house is an end Terrace, so there are windows and doors down one side of the house. In addition, previous owners have added 3 skylights, 2 in the stairwell and 1 in the main bathroom. And there are cupboards everywhere. It's quite a novelty!
We live on Glebe's busiest road. Bridge Rd runs from Parramatta Rd, through Glebe and into the city. It's packed during peak hour and very busy during the other times. We never even thought about this when we bought the house. Previous owners have carefully sound-proofed the house which makes it a little oasis in the city. All the rooms that face Bridge Rd are double glazed and have air conditioning units. There are thick block-out curtains and a tall hedge in the front yard. When we first moved in I had trouble sleeping because it was so quiet.
For quite a time many rooms had no furniture in them! The only furniture we had worthy of our new house was the Datner dining table. Our new house was like a grown up version of the previous house. Everything was much bigger and roomier. We also found it really hard to get out of the house in the morning. We were used to getting ready in a much smaller area with a lot less stairs. I reckon it took a month before we could get ready and get out in a normal amount of time!
Our Bridge Rd house is in a great central position. Within 2 minutes walk we have about 8 restaurants, a pub, 3 convenience stores, 6 cafes, a cocktail bar, atms....pretty much anything you could need. There is also Foley Park just across the road. All the other great things in Glebe are within a 15 minute walk. We are very spoilt and when visitors come to stay they quite enjoy walking out the door with us for breakfast or dinner nearby. Dad has been known to sneak off to the pub when you are not looking!
The house is in pretty good condition. We don't really need to renovate anything though there is lots of 'decoration' to be done. Most of the house is "cream". Cream tiles, cream walls, cream carpet.....who knew there were so many different colours of cream? I have begun a process of "de-creaming".
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| Cream stairs, cream walls.... |
First job was the lounge/dining room. Arran added a big TV above one of the fireplaces and I did the rest. When we first bought it, the room was big and empty and of course, cream. The colour made the room feel cold and empty. Well it was empty. I saw to that pretty quick. I had the walls painted navy blue (despite Arran's protests) and it looks amazing. It's a real 'evening' room. The colour makes such an impact and affects everyone who walks in there. It's a room you really want to be in.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what furniture to put in there and what colour it should be. Lots of interior design magazines later and I found myself in Domayne, in the section where you can peruse catalogs of furniture and swatches of fabric. You can basically choose the chair or lounge you like and have it made in any fabric.
I picked a fairly classic three-seater with timber legs and two occasional chairs that matched each other, but not the lounge. That wasn't too hard. Picking the fabric was a little trickier. I wanted the room and its furniture to respect the Victorian design features but also have a contemporary feel. I knew I wanted the three-seater to be turquoise. I knew it would look amazing against the navy blue wall. Every book of swatches the sales person showed me were too dull. "Have you got anything brighter?" After asking and asking I was finally handed the swatch books from Designer Guild. I'm in love. I chose a turquoise for the three-seater and matching stripes for the occasional chairs and cushions. Looks amazing!
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| Turquoise "Designer Guild" Three-seater |
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| This chair is sooo comfy! |
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| Looks great with the rug! |
After choosing the chairs I needed a rug to tie it all together. There is a rug shop on Parramatta Rd that makes rugs to order. I went in with the dimensions of the size of rug I wanted and fabric swatches I chose for my chairs. I was able to have my rug made to my specifications. It's hot pink and made of silk and wool. It's beautiful to lie on, and watch TV.
I haven't finished this room yet. Recently we added a mirror above the fireplace and have some art to hang. We bought our chandeliers from our previous Terrace House in Glebe St and had them installed in the lounge room when we first moved in.
Eventually I would like to get a sideboard, have a carpenter install some bookshelves and get some Designer Guild curtains!
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| Vase and side table from my Nan's house |
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