Art must not be concentrated in dead shrines called museums. It must be spread everywhere — on the streets, in the trams, factories, workshops, and in the workers’ homes.
— Vladimir Mayakovsky
Hey, Lovelies.
Ben and I have been at the Treehouse for nearly 2 years now. The first year we were still moving between places and spaces, most things were still in boxes, and everything felt impermanent.
The second year we have been settled in, more or less.
So many of our initial house design ideas we have scrapped. Like my idea that we get rid of the bar in the downstairs lounge – what was I thinking? It’s one of my favourite design features now. Some ideas stayed at the surface of our minds and we kept kicking them over. We needed a new barbeque on the deck. One that actually worked well, and met our needs as frequent grillers! The big double oven and range-top in the kitchen was old and disastrous. We have already acted on those things; a new barbeque is in process and the new stove is in place and just waiting for final cabinetry.
Now we have been here for over a full cycle of seasons we know when the house gets hot, where the breeze comes from, what we use, what we don’t, and what we need. So, we decided to work with a designer and make a few additions and updates to our home.
Our designer came to visit last year, a few times, and walked around the house with us. He also sat and shared stories and we laughed together. Ben and I both thought ‘this is a person I could be friends with’ – and we wanted that kind of connection.
Together we discussed our must-haves, our good to have’s and our wild dreams.
Now, we’re in the process of bringing that all together in a set of designs. Then we’ll start a build and do some new extensions, and some renovations. It’s exciting and engaging work. We’re taking into account passive design for energy efficiency, sustainability, climate change, and healthy building materials, as well as our need for the spaces to reflect our own quirky tastes and the uses we are seeking for each space. We’re also factoring in the need for me to look after my health and manage that into the future. That feels good too.
I’ll keep you updated through this long journey ahead. Right now we’re still at concept stage so there’s nothing to show, but as that changes I’ll share the journey with you!
Love, hugs, and optimism for the details that make a house a home, Nicole xx
May we have a Sokli update? Do fairies move with you or do they remain in their original habitats?
My house is still mostly in a shambles I hope ends up looking and feeling like you want
I always love it when you include pics of your doggies and that pool looks very inviting!