It’s the final details that really count when it comes to creating a distinctive home that stands out from the crowd and makes a lasting impression.
These all-important finishing touches are often responsible for transforming spaces from average to eye-catching, adding value, increasing street appeal and creating atmosphere.
Achieving this successfully can be as easy as choosing from a range of innovative products that add impact and create talking points for years to come.
METAL SCREENS
Many design-savvy homeowners are discovering the multitude of uses for decorative metal screening to add instant impact to indoor and outdoor zones.
Unique Metal Works’ Anna Szczesna says laser-cut or punched-metal screens can be used in many different ways to add privacy, shade, or as a stand-alone feature piece.
“Metal screens and art not only look impressive as a home decoration but can be very functional,” she says.
A screen can be used inside to separate and define a living area, as a decorative feature under kitchen benches, or as balustrading to filter light between rooms.
Add instant street appeal and create shade and privacy by using screens across windows or wrapped around balconies.
When it comes to outdoor living areas, the sky’s the limit with screens used as canopies on patios, as stand-alone garden sculptures, water features, LED-lit light boxes or privacy screens.
Anna says adding a screen is as easy as choosing from the company’s existing designs or having your own artwork transferred to the metal surface of your choice. Unique Metal Works’ design team can even work from a simple drawing or verbal description.
“We can also reproduce a favourite photo with our innovative punching techniques, called metal perforation, which punches thousands of different sizes holes into the screen to reflect the image,” Anna says.
The company has an interactive website where you can play with shapes, designs and colours to see how it will look on your wall and its metal art gallery is constantly updated with new designs and ideas.
DECKING
Decking is popping up all over Perth in different colours, especially greys, to add new dimensions to entrances, outdoor living areas, pools and gardens.
Make a stylish pathway to the front door, create a walkway through the garden, or layer it as a multi-level entertaining area.
HardieDeck is made from cement and boasts lower maintenance requirements than traditional timber decking – which makes it perfect for pools and other exposed areas. It won’t warp, rot or splinter.
But probably its greatest appeal comes from the different looks it can take on with either staining or coating in a wide range of colours.
HardieDeck can mimic the warm wood tones from timber stains, the weathered greys of beachside Hamptons or the dark timber tones of grand Australian verandahs.
HardieDeck’s Jayd Holmes says cool and warm greys are the most popular colour for modern homes, while older homes are complemented by browns, green and terracotta shades. The colour can be chosen from a paving paint colour chart, a timber stain range or mixed to suit individual requirements.
CULTURED STONE
Cultured stone cladding can be used both inside and outside to create an immediate focal point that has all the nuances of natural stone.
Consider using stone cladding to highlight a portico, as a living room feature wall, or to add drama to a staircase, entrance hall or fireplace.
Midland Brick’s Cultured Stone comes in nine distinct ranges of different stone with options in colour, size, shape and texture.
Create natural-looking rugged effects with field stones, or for a subtler look choose a stone that’s smooth and refined – they all mimic the beauty of traditional stone. It sits comfortably in the outdoors in a multitude of uses from water features to planter boxes.
Cultured Stone is cast in natural stone moulds and hand coloured. It is lightweight, making it a cost-effective and versatile product.
MOULDINGS, COATINGS AND CLADDING
Mouldings, coatings and cladding can make a big difference to the finish of a home by completing the style of architecture and adding that all-important attention to detail.
Tufftex’s Peter Karageorge says when it comes to mouldings, there is no limit to the individual looks that can be added to the elevations of new and existing homes.
Mouldings add lines, shadows and focal points and the company’s are lightweight and come in a range of contours to suit all styles, from colonial to contemporary. Its design team can also custom-make mouldings based on individual architectural specifications.
The acrylic-based textures can be tinted to about 5000 colours and will add durability and longevity to surfaces by resisting shrinkage and cracking.
Its Tuffwall product is insulated cladding that is thermally efficient, making second storeys more comfortable all year round. It is prefinished and made from lightweight polystyrene and has high-impact strength due to the fibreglass mesh embedded in the render.
ANNOUNCE YOUR ADDRESS
Often forgotten but always seen, your letterbox can be transformed into a classy introduction to your home with the addition of a face-plate to display your house number and street name.
This type of signage can also be striking on the portico or fence and is one of the quickest ways to improve the street appeal of your home.
Talbot Walsh supplies a range of plaques and fully fabricated 3D numbers to meet the growing recognition of the letterbox being part of the overall look of a residence.
Plaques can be laser-etched, engraved, paint filled or stencil cut and are created from an existing range of designs or custom-made to suit individual needs.
The plaques use durable marine-grade stainless steel that resists the elements.
