Brief For House Design

IDEAS AND WISHES
FOR AMHERST
January 2005
1
CONTENTS
This started out as just a long long list but as I started to

impose some sort of order the points fell into one of two
camps. Either they were just general musings and ideas for a
particular aspect of the way the house was put together, or
they related to features that we wanted to have in specific
rooms. There’s some overlap and I’m sure also still some
gaps, but this is a starting point!
Page
General thoughts
• House shape and overall design 2
• Walls and ceilings 13
• Windows and lighting 19
• Doors and floors 26
• Utilities – power, heating, plumbing, etc 29
Room by room
• Hallways / landings 34
• Lounge / general living areas 44
• Bedrooms 52
• Study area 58
• Kitchen / dining area 64
• Laundry / mudroom 76
• Bathroom 81
• Verandah / garden rooms 90
• Storage spaces 102
2
House shape and
overall design
3
We’d like the house to be very environmentally friendly in terms of the way it is
constructed and to live in. However, we want to do it in a way that still means we
get to have a house that fits our dreams in terms of “look and feel”. I don’t see
why good interior design should have to be sacrificed for sustainable housing; both
are equally important to us.
I’ve only just started learning about permaculture. So far I like the principles but
not always every instance of the practice, because it seems to totally sacrifice
design and “look and feel”. So, I’d like a design that is in line with the spirit of
permaculture (ie: put complementary things together, minimise waste in terms of
energy, look holistically, etc) but also factors in appearance. It doesn’t have to
always be the *most* attractive design option that we go for if that is totally
inefficient, but it is important that it looks nice.
Generally, the house needs to feel right in terms of proportions, with different
spaces for different moods, clever uses of light and shadow. To me, touch and
airflow are just as important to this feeling as the look. I read somewhere about a
house being like “frozen music” – can’t remember who said it, but to me that
encapsulates how a house is more than just a shelter, it’s a work of art in itself and
there needs to be a spirit and flow throughout. I’m looking for a house that feels
right. I want a house that I love so much that I don’t feel a yearning to travel,
because I’m living in my dream home already and nothing else will measure up
We’d like the house to feel as if it belongs in the landscape. However, this doesn’t
mean we want to simply replicate the old pioneer homesteads. I’d like to design a
house that isn’t hidebound to tradition just for the sake of it. If I had to choose
though, I’d like to have a mixture of the best of American style Arts & Crafts
homesteads with dollops of Cape Cod, Australian, Scandinavian and English
farmhouse styles.
We’d like the house to look welcoming and friendly from all vantage points (up
close as well as from a distance). The symmetry and details of the outside of the
house are really important in achieving this. In particular, what the roof is made of
has a big effect. Generally, I like slate tiled roofs (especially if done with rubber
slate tiles – v. good use of recycled material!), corrugated iron aka colourbond, but
only if it’s a bit rusted looking, wooden beams and shingles.
4
5
6
We don’t have a particular shape in mind for the house, other than that pitched
roofs and verandahs seem to be a feature of all the houses we like! I adore Cape
Cod houses and wooden bungalows; I loathe triple fronted brick veneer. I’m
probably more a fan of traditional style houses than modern ones
I’ve always wanted to have a two storey house, because I’ve always wanted to
have a staircase and I love dormer windows. So we would like for there to be a
second storey, even if it is only small
Ideally we’d like to design the house so that it can be built in stages, so we can live
in the first stage comfortably and then extend on from there when we have time /
money / inclination. In the first stage we would like to have a good sized bedroom
(even if not the master one), bathroom, kitchen, lounge area, laundry, and another
room which we can use as a study and guest bedroom.
We’d like to have the potential to use the house for B&B, so in the last stage would
like two extra bedrooms included with a bathroom between them (or an ensuite
each) and a shared small sunroom / lounge area. Although I’m happy for this to
join onto the main house, I’d like it to be in a separate wing, or other such so that
we still have our privacy.
We’re open to suggestions on how to incorporate the existing house into the
design. The front part of it, with the four rooms and passageway seems like it
wouldn’t be impossible to salvage. Retaining those parts would have the added
benefit of giving the house an “old soul” which I think would be a nice feeling,
especially as I’ve always loved old houses. However, we’re open to suggestions –
e.g., if you think it’ll be a huge constraint, then maybe we should treat the old
house as being the “guest cottage” and build our own house from scratch.
Given where we’re situated, so close to forest, we need to be aware of bushfire

danger. We’d like to make sure that in the design we don’t inadvertently increase
the risk – e.g., in terms of having a roof that is a lot more likely to catch embers.
We’d also like to design in simple protection features, e.g., a way to plug the
guttering so it can be filled with water; a sprinkler system attached to the roof so
that when a fire is approaching we can turn it on to make the roof wet. Also, in
terms of farm building and tree placement, would like to try and make a natural 7
firebreak (so that the fire is likely to jump over the roof of the main house)
Overall, would like the house to be designed so that it won’t require an enormous
amount of rebuilding if we want to stay living in it when we’re older. This doesn’t
mean that I want to sacrifice things like stairs or have unsightly railings
everywhere, but just to be aware of it. For instance, if we have stairs, either have
them leading to a space that isn’t essential, or design in a big size cupboard top
and bottom levels with power running nearby that we could retro-fit an elevator into
if it ever became necessary. (I’m counting on elevators becoming a lot cheaper in
20 years!). Even more practically, make sure that the rooms and doorways are
wide enough to easily accommodate someone on a wheelchair; if we have
wainscoting, have the railing bit at the top a little larger than the norm so it could
double as a handrail if ever needed, etc. (I got these ideas from the DreamHome
book but I’m sure there are loads more)
It would be nice to have some flexibility in terms of furniture arrangement, e.g., to

allow for different layouts for winter and summer, like they do in Sweden.
8
Nicholas Saunders house
I’m including this article in full since the website it’s on is temperamental so I don’t
trust that it’ll be there when you go to find it! Even though it’s very extreme and
not fully practical, there’s something about the whimsy and spirit with which he
designed it that appeals…. Ie: allowing for wonderful flights of fancy as well as
thinking practically about how he wanted to live – not just what was expected by
everyone else. I especially love the fish tank, rabbit mowing the roof lawn and the
duck pond. Not so keen on the cave, but I love the concept of designing
something to suit your mood.
http://www.globalideasbank.org/site/bank/idea.php?ideaId=1874
The late Nicholas Saunders's flat in London's Worlds End was famous for
the ducks that swam up into the papier mache living room cave, for the
goldfish in the toilet tank and for the egg-shaped bedroom. In the following
adapted extract from Me, his autobiography, he tells the story of
transforming a derelict flat into a wonderland.
“I'd been thinking about how to convert the basement flat in Edith Grove into my
home while I was in India and had worked out some aspects down to the
smallest detail. I would think up ideas about how I'd like the place to be then 'test'
the design by going through an imaginary drama as though it were a stage set.
For instance, I'd thought about ways of allowing people to stay the night but not
move in, such as hammocks which could be hung from the ceiling in the main
room. I wanted to provide a place that would encourage lots of visitors yet also
allow me to be undisturbed by them when I was working or wanted to be alone.
In the event I kept to the overall plan. The details I'd work out by moving my
mattress to that part of the building and visualising how it would be as I went to
sleep, then next day I'd draw on the floor and walls and sometimes make mock-
ups with scraps of wood.
The site was extremely awkward - a long narrow basement only 7 feet wide and
30 feet long. It was pretty dark, except at the front, and there was another tunnel-
like space at street level even longer and narrower, and so low that my hair
brushed the ceiling. This 'tunnel' led into a broken down workshop behind the
house which was the only decent space, something like 15 feet square. There
was also a narrow concrete yard 60 feet long running behind the backs of a row
of houses, overlooked and overshadowed.
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cholas Saunders house (page 2)
The yard would have made a dismal garden, so I made it into a pond which came
right into the main room. I made a window the full width from a sheet of plate
glass that ended just below the surface of the water, so that it formed an air
seal. I cast the pond in waterproof ready-mix concrete, reinforced in places with
old gas pipes and wire netting. It filled the entire yard, except for the far end,
which I used as a dump for the building rubbish and then covered with earth
to grow plants in. (By making a bank, the effect was greatly to increase the area
of garden seen from the window. In fact it was also doubled due to the reflection
in the pond.)
I got some tufted ducks (those diving ducks with whitish sides you see on lakes in
the parks) to live on the pond with the idea that they could dive under the glass
and come inside. To train them I first tried feeding them spaghetti (which
sank) just under the glass, so they would dive for it and come up inside by
mistake sometimes. But one duck was a bit stupid and just panicked every time it
found itself inside! My answer was to lower the water till it was well below the
bottom of the window, then, when the duck was used to swimming into the room,
I gradually raised the level over several days.
To illuminate the pond I used two car headlamp units (you can get them free
when one filament has gone but still use the other) supplied via a transformer.
The pond looked so unreal at night that people who hadn't seen it in the day
couldn't make out what was going on. Part of the effect was due to the light being
reflected off the waves which made shimmering patterns on the end bank. I also
fixed a pipe along the top of the window with holes drilled along it which
sprayed water at the glass, causing mesmerising wave patterns to flow down it. I
think the cleverest part of all - though seldom appreciated - was the combined
overflow and emptying device. This was simply a piece of standard plastic soil
pipe with a right angle ring-seal bend which acted as a hinge. When the pipe was
vertical it was an overflow; when horizontal the pond emptied.
The workshop needed a new roof. I made it nearly flat and strong enough (using
second-hand steel beams) to support soil. First the roof boards were covered
with roofing felt, then a layer of polythene and finally three layers of turf – easier
to handle and less likely to turn into mud (and actually no more expensive) than
stone-less top soil. It became a lawn and I kept a rabbit up there to keep it mown.
That meant I had to keep plants out of its reach: I did this by using old chimney
pots filled with earth. For access I had a spiral staircase made by a friend in a
very simple way using a 'cage' of posts supporting the steps with a circular
greenhouse on top.
10
It all worked well apart from the grass becoming waterlogged in wet
weather and having to be kept watered very regularly to prevent it drying
out in hot weather. I fixed up a spray system operated by a time switch - (I
had designed a device to keep the dampness just right, which consisted of
a seesaw with a piece of turf on one end balanced by a weight when it was
just wet enough - the sprays would be switched on when the turf was up.)
My first plan for the main room was to shape the floor like a series of sand
dunes, then cover them with foam and carpet in such a way that you could
walk through 'valleys' without going up or down. There were to be a choice
of comfortable places to sit upright, lounge or sprawl, but no tables -
instead, flat and firm enough places to put things on. I thought I could
design it so that people would be encouraged to talk and find a position to
suit their mood. To clean it I was going to build in a vacuum cleaner with
frequent sockets to connect a hose to.
The vacuum would be generated by a venturi using mains water. It would

consist of a water jet blasting into a T-junction connected to the drain: the
dusty air would be sucked by the jet and blown straight down the drain; the
washed air would escape at the roof vent. No dusty bag to empty; no
expensive liner bags to buy and it would be much quieter. As the air would
not have to be sucked through a dusty filter it would use less energy and
always work at maximum efficiency. It would probably be illegal in England,
but in 'normal' countries where houses have water meters it could be a
worthwhile marketable item of domestic equipment.
This space to fill got me interested in what were the ideal size and shape
of a place for conversation, and I made observations wherever I went
about how far from each other people sat, and in what layout. As a result, I
designed a 'cave‘ - a nearly round room with domed ceiling about twelve
feet across, but it was not for another two years that I built it. This was
quite a lot smaller than the room it was in, but I intended to use the space
for little caves leading off the main one, each with a different character:
one with two seats facing a small table for playing chess, one for a mini-
library, one for writing letters, one as a soundproofed meditation cave and
one with a waterbed. That would still have left space for a labyrinth of
tunnels to crawl through, and perhaps a slide – why shouldn't grownups
play too?
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I actually made only the main cave and one sub-cave. It was made out of
papier-mache, and had a floor raised to chair height made of chipboard
supported on legs cut from broom sticks. To construct it I first built the
floor, then made the shell from wire netting. I stapled the ends of each
width of netting to the floor, then arched them over, pulling them into the
shape I wanted by stretching them with wires to the ceiling. Then I stitched
the widths of netting together with more wire and covered it with pasted
sheets of newspaper. To do this I had to get someone to hold one sheet
on the outside whilst I pasted another on to it through the netting - this was
the tricky part, especially as it wasn't always possible to get to the outside.
A better way (which I used later when I made the sub-cave) was to put on
the first layers of paper before erecting the netting. Then I built up about
five more layers of paper all over and some extra where
people would lean, and finished it with lining paper.
For the middle I built a table which could be changed in size. When it was
up I had a table that eight people could sit around - they sat on the edge of
the raised cave floor with their feet under the table - or, with the table
down, the whole cave became a sit-on-cushions-on-the-floor room except
for the small central fixed part of the table. For lighting I had 200 fairy
lights, each bulb pushed through from the outside - just five strings of
ordinary Christmas tree lights - controlled by one dimmer. You could
choose from a bright shadowless light to an effect like stars at night. There
were no decorations except for rugs and cushions.
It was extraordinarily successful. It was quite strong enough and I'm sure
that the physical dimensions were right. Apart from being very unusual, it
really did have a good atmosphere. What I'm not sure about is how much
the long and interesting view up the pond contributed - would an ordinary
window or a fireplace do instead? Maybe I'll try again one day and see.
For the lavatory I had a flush tank made out of glass - in fact it was an
aquarium with holes for the pipes and handle. I fitted it with a bright
coloured plastic ballcock and syphon and kept a goldfish in it! I made two
modifications to make life more tolerable for the fish: I drilled a small hole
in the syphon to break the suction before it emptied the tank, and adjusted
the ballcock so that a little water always dribbled through; this was both to
aerate the tank and prevent a sudden temperature change.
12
The bedroom was the masterpiece of the whole flat. It started out as a nasty
dark basement room only seven feet wide. I slept in there in every possible
orientation until I found the best position (so that I could see the sky while
lying down) and then I visualised what space I'd want around me. The result
was an egg shape completely curved except for a flat oval floor covered by a
mattress. It had a small rounded window in the right position to see the sky,
and another opening near shoulder position into a cubby-hole where I had a
clock, light switch and controls for the ventilator and blind. Even the door was
curved and rounded. The light was outside the 'shell', shining on a blind
between the original window and the shell window so that no lamp was
visible in the daytime.
To plan it, I laid a hosepipe around my mattress, which I curved until I found
the 'right' shape. Then I erected studs, floor to ceiling, to produce an oval
cage. From one third the way up each stud I fixed a diagonal to a smaller
oval on the floor, and this was repeated on the ceiling, so that the shape I
wanted was correct in plan but octagonal in elevation at any section. Then it
had expanded metal lathing nailed to the inside (horrible stuff, it springs and
cuts you) which I bashed until I formed the curved shape I wanted. This was
finished with plaster - I got an old plasterer in who said he used to do cinema
ceilings like that in the thirties! It took half a ton of plaster and ended up so
solid you could have removed the timber frame without it collapsing.
The room had really strange acoustics - you could hear your toes rubbing
against each other clearly. And being so smooth and white it wasn't possible
to tell the size: people tended to think it was much smaller, which I think was
because one tends to assume walls are vertical rather than sloping
outwards.
I had planned to make an alarm clock in the little yard just outside the
window by keeping a live cock there. At night it was to have a completely
light-tight box to roost in with an electrically operated door: this would open at
whatever time I set the alarm to and a light in the box would also come on ...
so the cock would crow and wake me up.
I had one funfair sort of amusement - I used the scaffolding I had left over
from previous building work to make a swing boat on the roof. I made a small
wooden swing boat just big enough for two people facing with legs around
each other, and hung it so that it swung from the edge of the roof right over
the pond. It had cords which you could pull to 'work' it, and it was suspended
from 20 feet above the roof so you could get up quite a speed. It was very
exhilarating but also quite frightening as you could sometimes lose the 'flight
path' if you went very high, and I was scared of hitting the scaffold poles,
though I never did. 13
Walls and ceilings
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I adore high ceilings, for their airiness and ability to make even small rooms feel
big, as well as their practicality in terms of giving you loads of space for shelving. I
also like them as they give me places to hang chandeliers which don’t look as
good with low ceilings. So we definitely want high ceilings in at least some places.
However, I don’t like cathedral ceilings, or double height ones, those ridiculously
cavernously spaces you find in a lot of modern American homes. I find I don’t feel
secure in them.
It would be nice to play around with ceiling heights, to create a sense of cosiness
within alcoves for instance. I don’t want it so low anywhere that I’d bump my head,
but I’ve seen it done very cleverly as a way to signify a change in space
designation even within a big open plan area
We love our conservatory here, it would be nice to have a similar feeling area in
the Amherst house too. It might also make it easier to bring light further into the
house. I really love skylights as well.
I love the idea of this raised up skylight with a shelf

around the base for standing plants on. You can
imagine having wires across that they could grow
across to create a lovely filtered light. This is 15
another example of how we could creatively bring
the garden indoors
We’re not afraid of interestingly shaped ceilings. I know they can add to the
expense dramatically if they were to be professionally made, but I figure provided
we do it ourselves it shouldn’t be out-of-reach. We wouldn’t want to go overboard
on this though, so only do it if it adds significantly to the room feel
Front parlour ceiling at Castel Battlo, an apartment

designed by Gaudi in Barcelona. I love the organicness
of this. I wouldn’t want this kind of ceiling everywhere but
as a special feature it would be great. I’m guessing we
could sculpt it out of plaster built round some kind of wire
Breakfast parlour at John Soanes Museum in mould?
London. As well as the gentle arches, what I
especially like is how little pieces of mirror
have been incorporated into the walls to add
to the light. Overall though, this is perhaps a
little too formal / classical to feel comfortable
in, but I like the spirit behind it
From the attic

laundry at Castel
Battlo. There is
something a little
unsettling about
them all in a row
(makes me feel like
I’m in a whale!) but
the airiness of it was
spectacular and I
liked the symmetry
and way in which the
lights from the
windows played on 16
the walls.
In at least some places, I’d like to have interesting textures and coverings for the
walls. E.g., fabric (maybe covered by a protective perspex or glass sheet), cork,
antique tiles. I like wainscoting too
Pargetry in Saffron Walden
Amazing cork tiles on the wall of the tiny bathroom at

Lawrence of Arabia’s cottage in Devon (near
Dorchester). They had a wonderful texture and it felt like
a softer version of wood panelling
17
As I mentioned when we met, I’m collecting antique tiles so I can create a kind of
patchwork display wall. To the right are pictures of a selection of them to give you
a flavour for the mix of styles / colours I’m gathering. I thought it would be
wonderful to have this patchwork in a bathroom or maybe even on an outer wall
like a verandah. Also, with any that are part of a set I could use them in other
places to make a kind of picture. We did this in our bathroom here (see below)
and I love it, it’s like a piece of art for the bath!
18
In some areas we want to make our own wallpaper. For instance, I’ve always
wanted to cover part of a hallway wall with old New Yorker magazine covers. I’ve
subscribed to it ever since I lived in NYC so have nearly a decade of backissues
now. Some of the cover artwork is just gorgeous.
It would be nice to be creative with walls, eg having some which are room dividers
which can be folded back flat against the wall to have it opened up or closed. This
might be a way of accommodating the wish for a dining area that can be used for
formal occasions, but can be used for other things the rest of the time. Also,
maybe we could use both sides of the folding walls for paintings, like at the John
Soanes museum (see storage section)
Walls don’t necessarily always have to join at 90 degrees. Having some of them at
angles can make for interesting spaces, although I wouldn’t want to do it everywhere
This was the kitchen in a Gaudi-designed

apartment in Barcelona, which also doubled as a
passageway through the flat. I especially liked the
angular lines to this; it’s open plan and yet more
interesting than just straight 90 degree lines all the
way through. The angles made it feel less like a
galley kitchen than it otherwise would have done
We saw a great trick for making ceilings appear higher at a farmhouse near
Cambridge. They had the wall colour stopping at the picture rail and then just white
on the wall above it and on the ceiling. The clever thing was that the ceiling didin’t
join the wall at 90 degrees, instead they’d made it a curved join by shaping the
plaster. It meant that your eye couldn’t pick out precisely where the wall ended and
the ceiling started. Now, I’m hoping that the rooms in our house will be high enough
already that we won’t have to resort to such measures, but it might be useful for areas
like the attic
19
Windows and lighting
20
Rather than just having big picture windows for giving views, it’d be fun to also play
with different window shapes. E.g., to have a mosaic of smaller windows, each
framing a view rather than just one huge window expanse in a hallway. It’s not
that I don’t want any big windows, just I’d like to mix it up a bit.
I like having windows up high in rooms e.g., above door frames. It makes a huge
difference to the amount of light that flows through the house and the feeling of
spaciousness. Even the kind of glass is important – we replaced the hideous lined
safety glass above our doors in London house with clear glass, and suddenly it felt
so much nicer.
Unless there’s a reason for it not to be (e.g., because using stained glass panels),
we’d like all the windows to be double-glazed. I don’t mind PVC units in some
places but I hate the ones that look obviously plastic. The compromise we
reached in London was to have custom made wooden double-glazed units at the
front and back of the house (including the conservatory) where you’d really notice
it, and then PVC units along the side. 21
We really like wooden plantation shutters and louvres. We had some made to
measure for our lounge room here and they’re wonderful. I also like roman blinds,
bamboo blinds, etc generally. I’m not that big a fan of curtains, other than very
simple ones
At Oakley Plantation in St Francisville, US. The shutters

were designed so that the air was always moving up on the
verandas to keep the house cool. It worked amazingly
well. Also, that house in the ABC series SeaChange had
great shutters
I like the idea of having glass shelves across some windows so you can use them
for displaying small things that look better lit up
I I love dormer windows! They look wonderful from the outside and they also
create interesting alcove places inside
22
I’ve been collecting antique stained glass windows of various sizes for the past few
years with the idea of using it in a house in Australia. Now we have Amherst,
that’s where it’s destined! I’d like to use it around the house and maybe also in the
garden – either as actual windows or simply standing up on window ledges to
catch the light (some panels are a bit too delicate to go back into a window frame).
Some could even possibly be used as door panels. Here’s a selection of the
glass I’ve collected so far to give you the idea
We have a set of 14
matching stained glass
panels: 7 windows which
are 51 x 34 cm and a
further 7 which are 51 x
36 cm. These aren’t in
window frames anymore
but they’re all in good
condition so could easily
be put back.
I have two of these bluebird panels,
both are in picture frames at the
moment leaning against windows
The latest addition, I collected these just after

Christmas. We have four matching panels in total,
each measuring with frames approx 45cm x 104cm..
This too is in a frame at the

moment hanging on an interior
glass wall in our house here.
I have a series of 5 of these windows.

They form a country scene, with houses,
mountains, stream, etc. They’re all still in
their original wooden frames and in great 23
condition
I like the idea of windows being interestingly framed or of unusual shape. Not
portholes though, for some reason I’ve never liked them except in houses by the
seaside!
I love window seats of all shapes and sizes, although they ideally should be big
enough to sprawl on with cushions, not just perch on the edge
I’d like for windows to have ledges wide enough to serve as a shelf so I can
display things on it and prop things up
24
I’ve also been collecting interesting light fixtures, here are a selection. Although
(with the exception of the giant one) these are all being used in our London house,
we plan to bring them back with us when we move.
This is a giant lampshade we bought on Ebay in the

UK for peanuts and then shipped to Australia. It’s
now sitting in a crate at Amherst – it’s so big and
heavy we figured it would be safe there (it takes two
people to lift!) It was originally from an old hotel up
north that was being renovated. It is huge – 48
inches in diameter – and held together via the tiffany
style leadlighting with a heavy iron frame. We’re
open to suggestions about how best to use it, but
one idea is for it to be the centrepiece to a room,
and echo its spiral pattern somehow in the roof
We have this big

antique floor
bamboo lamp with
three arms which
We have a set of two of these swing around and
antique glass uplighters are designed to
look like flower
At the moment we have just this one petals. It’s one of
shade but on our last visit to Venice my favourite things.
we found a great shop with hundreds
of them in loads of colours, so we’re
going to buy more next trip. I think
they’d make wonderful lights for the 25
verandah, hallways etc.
I would like there to be wall lights not only overhead. Also, would like to plan in for
there to be powerpoints on the floor in the middle areas of a room (where we
would put a sofa/side table) so we can have table lamps without having to worry
about cords running underfoot
In all rooms it should be possible to dim the lights. As a general rule, I like
interesting light fittings and ones which can be moved around. E.g., pendant lights
which are on a chain and can be raised or lowered; unusual chandeliers
It is OK if some of the mood lighting is candles rather than electrical. For instance
we have a hanging chandelier that holds candles and a giant candelabra that
when fully light with 12 candles is incredibly bright.
Interesting example of mood lighting which could

work really well on the verandah perhaps… it’s just
tea-lights inside concrete block shape things but
amazingly effective
26
Doors and floors
27
I like panelled doors – even ones that are fake panelled (like we have here in
London), they just add a bit more character to what would otherwise be a big flat
panel of wood. Unless of course the wood was beautifully grained / polished of
course. We have quite a few antique panelled doors at the house already
I dislike sliding doors except for very well made glass ones. This is because they
never seem to shut properly and often come off their tracks, and they remind me
of the horrid sliding doors of my youth! Even on cupboards I’d prefer to have a
proper door rather than a sliding one
I’m very fussy about the kind of latches and door handles, the little details make
such a huge difference to the finished effect
Whatever coverings are on the floor, they need to be easy to maintain. I don’t
mind if a small section requires a bit of extra effort (e.g., an area of white carpet)
but overall want it to be easy to look after e.g., just with a daily sweeping.
Ideally I’d like a mixture of floor coverings around the house. Wooden floors are
wonderful provided they’re not the kind that you have to polish all the time or worry
about getting scratched. Painted wooden floors are more practical perhaps. I
especially love parquetry floors. I also like good quality laminate flooring as its so
easy to look after, you just sweep it clean and they’re really soft underfoot because
of the foam backing. I like carpet too although only in solid natural colours. I like
coverings like seagrass matting etc too but it’s not that brilliant when you spill
things on it! We had a rug here that we ended up having to throw out as you just
couldn’t get the red wine stains out.
We bought a mold in Barcelona for making tiles of similar shape to those Gaudi
designed for the pavements outside his houses. They’re really cool, so for a small
area we might be able to do that
28
I really like tiled floors, especially when they aren’t huge expanses but used for
emphasis. The only problem with them is that they’re quite cold underfoot unless
you have underfloor heating. I would never had floor tiles with white grout again
either, it’s a nightmare to keep clean
I like the idea of having a pebble or cobblestone floor in parts, maybe in the
bathroom or back entrance / laundry area. They feel wonderful to walk on in bare
feet and you can make great patterns out of it 29
Utilities – power,
heating, plumbing, etc
30
We’d like the house to be designed to be energy efficient, but not to the extent that
it destroys the look and feel. For instance, I know wrap around verandas are good
for keeping the house cool in summer, but I wouldn’t want them everywhere if it
meant that in winter it would be dark and gloomy inside
We’d like the house and surrounds to be designed in such a way as to keep the
house naturally cool in summer. However, because I wilt badly in the heat, I’m
guessing we might need some back-up cooling at least in one room, especially if
we’ve made compromises on the house design for aesthetic reasons. If so, I’ve
found an air conditioner that might suit – it apparently saves 90% in terms of
power versus normal systems and can run on solar.
http://www.coolmax.mx.com.au
At this stage we’re planning on having a fully solar powered house. Even though
the electricity passes our property and we could in theory get connected, in
practice it’s going to be not that much cheaper. If we have a decent solar power
system we won’t have to worry about how much power we use. Plus at least in
some ways it will be more environmentally friendly (although I know it’s not clear-
cut because of what it takes to make the solar cells in the first place). However, I
really don’t like the look of solar panels so I don’t want them to be in view of the
house. An idea we had was to put them on the side of a barn roof that faced away
from the house, and maybe in places on the main house roof if they were in areas
that were hidden from view (e.g., if there’s a central dip or something in the roof)
It’d be nice to have a ducted vacuuming system, assuming they work well? I’ve
never had one but have heard good things about them
31
Fireplaces
We’d like to have fireplaces throughout the house. I love fireplaces with classic
mantles and tilework, provided it isn’t too carved and ornate, but I also like simpler
styles – e.g., brick, stone hearths. Ideally we’d like to have a mixture of real wood-
burning and fake gas fires. Especially, fake gas fires in the bathroom and
bedroom/s – they’re amazingly realistic now and they’re very easy to look after.
It would be great for any rooms which have a wood-burning fireplace in them to
also have a hatch on an outside wall so that we can load in firewood from outside.
The house my Dad built in Healesville had this and it was brilliant; it was set up so
that under the house there was a place for wood-chopping and storing wood…
Dad could chop it and then stack it up straight onto the ledge near the hatch
Fireplaces need to be able to be shut off when not in use so that we don’t get cold
drafts coming through. It also would be good for any wood-burning fireplaces to
be on an inside wall so they warm the room behind too (maybe even have a vent
or something to help this)
We don’t want anything too sleek/modern/steel, but don’t mind being quirky in
some of the fireplaces, as per the pictures below. However, for the main fireplace
in the lounge I’d like that to be a big traditional hearth
http://www.platonicfireplaces.co.uk
http://www.ecosmartfire.com
Specially made
driftwood, etc which
is fire resistant
This is an Australian company,

the fires apparently burn on
ethanol so they don’t need flues
32
Central heating
We’d like the house to be warm in winter and to have some form of central
heating. I dread the thought of waking up in winter in bed and being able to see
my breath in the air, like I grew up with!
The property isn’t able to be connected to mains gas, so whatever gas systems we
have need to be able to be fuelled via gas tanks. Ideally we don’t want to rely on
gas too much as we’ll have to buy it and it’ll be a pain to get the tanks refilled.
I like UK style radiators (which are heated by hot water circulating) but, unless
they’re beautiful old fashioned cast iron ones – which they won’t be as they’re too
expensive – I’d like them to be covered. We have radiator cabinets across all of
the ones here and besides making it look nicer, it creates handy little shelves too
Don’t want a form of central heating that makes things too dry / dusty, at least not
everywhere
Our old Rayburn wood-burning stove (see kitchen section) has an attachment to it
for heating water which we have, as well as the insulated tank. We could use this
for some of the heating, but we don’t want it to be the only system as otherwise it
will be too hot in summer
We saw a fabulous Heat Exchange system done on a Grand Designs episode. It

works along the same principle as a fridge. A big “coil” is buried in the ground and
gets heat from the sun through the soil. It transfers this heat into the house.
Apparently it gives off a low level heat well suited for underfloor heating. The price
for the system in Ireland was approx 10,000 Euros in 2003/04 and it seemed to me
like it would work brilliantly at Amherst and be a very cheap and low maintenance
way of heating the house in the long-run. They said it was used a lot in the US and
Scandinavia, not sure about Australia but happy to be pioneers in it as it obviously
works. This is one supplier we found for the UK which has more information about it,
if it’s not something you’ve come across before
http://www.earthenergy.co.uk/home.html
33
TV and Internet
We couldn’t survive without fast Internet access at home - it’d be like living with TV
or books; plus I need the connection to support freelance consultancy work / ebay
business / etc if I get bored or need the money. Hopefully by the time we move
there it’ll be possible to get DSL broadband but until then we know we can at least
get it via satellite. If we do resort to satellite, this means we’ll need to have a
satellite dish located somewhere on or near the house, so we’d like this to be well
camouflaged. Having broadband is so important to us that it was the first thing we
checked when we were thinking of buying the property… we can cope without
power, water, telephone connections but to not be able to access broadband
internet would have stopped us buying the property. Bigpond
(http://www.bigpond.com/internet-plans/broadband/satellite/whatis/default.asp)
offer a satellite system that looks OK (although it’s less than half the speed we
have here in London currently and has stupid download limits, it’s tolerable and I’m
assuming they’ll fix it in the next few years).
I’m also expecting we’ll have satellite TV, although don’t know if that uses the
same dish as the broadband or another one.
We would like the house to be compatible with wireless networking (WiFi). The
only thing I can imagine this affecting may be the choice of materials for the walls
– e.g., we wouldn’t want them all to be solid, although shouldn’t be overly
concerned about this as we can always get round it by buying more wireless ports
or resorting to a mixture of wireless and wired networking. Overall though, I’d like
there to be internet access in every room of the house and also on the verandah
and garden room:
“The most important factor in Wi-Fi is location. Distance saps wireless

strength, and so do most construction materials. Keep your base stations
away from solid walls and doors, as well as any metal objects or computer
equipment. Put them near windows or hollow walls instead. Our test
home's lightweight California stucco walls turned out to have impenetrable
wire mesh inside them. To reach outside, we placed the unit in sight of a
window facing the pool. Most home window glass is transparent to
microwaves as well as light, so a window is better than a wall or a door”.
34
Hallways / landings
35
Hallways set the tone for a house as much as
the rooms. If they’re inviting, friendly, engaging
then it helps the house to feel happy. Stairs and
landings are important not just because they take
you upstairs to new spaces, but also because
they give you new vantage points on where
you’ve just been
36
In the main entrance hallway we would like there to be space for a grandfather
clock. We don’t have one yet but I’ve always wanted one so I’m going to get one
here and bring it back. I’d also like there to be a place for putting flowers or a few
pot-plants, candles, etc
37
We would really like to have at least one section of the house two-storey. This is
as much for the views over the (future) garden as it is because I’ve always wanted
to live in a house with a staircase! I would like the stairs to be square rather than
spiral shaped and to be filled in underneath so that we could have a cupboard or
alcove under the stairs. I’d also like the side of the stairs to be framed in well via
banisters but still quite “airy”
38
Overall, we’d like hallways to not just be thoroughfares, but also to have places
and a reason to pause in them. They should be generously wide. I also like
hallways that change shape as you go along them, e.g., with a wider space in the
middle where you have chairs, etc, like we have in London. Taken to the extreme,
I’ve seen some houses that worked well in terms of flow which didn’t appear to
have hallways but instead a series of short lobby-like spaces off from a main room
Our hallway in London has the effect

I’m looking for but it is on too cramped
a scale. I’d like it to be a lot wider
39
As part of making the hallways feel like rooms, I’d like to have built in storage all
along them for books and to display beautiful things. I’d also like there to be little
nooks here and there to encourage you to sit and read. Maybe even make one of
them the size of a single bed which we could fill with cushions… then it could
double as an extra spare bed when we had lots of guests
40
Hallways need to have natural light, whether it be from a window at one end, a
series of windows high up, or on one side, or skylights. We collect paintings so I
suspect the hallways will function as a display space too
41
We would like a big space in the hallway where we can hang coats, hats, put
bags, outside shoes, etc. Some of this could be on display but also would be
good to have a cupboard. There needs to be space for seating near this, whether
it be a bench or a proper chair. Also a space for a mirror. We have two really nice
coat-racks already, maybe one could go at the front door and one at the back
We’d like a place to put and sort mail, ideally somewhere near the entrance and a
cupboard where we can store the paper shredder and put papers for recycling
42
We just bought some amazing railings via ebay from an old church that we figured
would work well for a landing or staircase rail… ““A beautiful set of art nouveau
crafts railing over 36ft of totally original craftsmanship, these date c1910. The most
gorgeous oak, copper and iron work all totally original and undamaged. All oak is
perfect as is hand made iron and copper work, no damage or restorations. This lot
has 4 sections, that when joined together create 2 complete rails, one straight one
curved, the straight one measures an overall size of 18ft and the curved one an
overall size of 18ft. The 4 large metalwork sections measures an overall 75 x 37 x
3cm thick and the 4 smaller ones measure 51.5 x 36.5 x 3 cm. The oak rails
measure 9 x 5.5 cm, ends are obviously larger with the scroll. This is all
magnificent craftsmanship, these all slot together and fix with an internal screwing
mechanism and are concealed by oak pegs. The scrolled oak ends are
removable”
43
*** Essential, “must have” in any design
Importance ** Would love to have, only give up if all other options exhausted
* Would really like, but willing to sacrifice if we have to
*** Space for flowers, candle, etc at entrance
*** Wide hallways with reasons to pause, not just thoroughfares
*** Built in shelves along halls
*** Space for hanging coats, putting shoes, etc with seat at entrance
** Two storey house with square staircase
** Comfy seats in alcoves and window areas in the hallways
** Natural light in hallways
** Use oak, iron and copper railings from Ebay
* Space for a grandfather clock
* Place to sort and store mail
44
Lounge / general
living areas
45
Living rooms are places for relaxing and socialising, and a
real hub and showpiece for the home. They’re a slightly
more formal place you can entertain people than in the
kitchen.
46
We’d like the room to be quite airy and light-filled in parts, but also have some
cosy corners and alcoves. It needs to be large enough to accommodate two large
sofas (or armchairs) placed opposite each other with a coffee table in-between. I
want the room to be able to support having large pieces of furniture in it without
feeling crowded. For the lounge, I’d like there to be comfortable seating for 8
people at least, with flexibility to bring in more chairs
47
I’ve really liked lounge rooms I’ve been in where the main seating area is the
middle of the room with none of the sofas backing onto a wall. That means that
the pathways for walking through can be behind them. It also makes it feel bigger
I don’t want there to be just one “living room” like area, but instead for there to be
lots of places like this spread out over the house. However, there does need to be
a central room where we have the TV and which would be the focus for
entertaining – e.g., where we’d set up the Christmas tree
48
I’d like to have the television and other entertainment devices hidden away in built-
in cupboards. We have about 4 VCR-type boxes that attach to the TV as well as
stereo etc, so the cupboard needs to be roomy and have shelves that can easily
be moved around. Also, it would be great if it were able to roll out on casters at 90
degrees, so its easy to get to the back of them for wiring up. The cupboard fronts
need to be slatted or mesh or equivalent, so that the remote controls still work
An idea I’ve seen done to hide the TV which I think works brilliantly is to have it
hidden behind a painting which can slide upwards when you want to watch TV
The TV needs to be in a position where you can watch it during the day without
sunlight shining on the screen
49
I like room dividers like open plan shelves or half height walls which can create
separate zones in a room but without making them feel cut off
I’d like there to be a big open fireplace for a real wood fire. Maybe this could even
be in the middle of the room and be open on two sides
In the main living room, we’d like to have an area we can sprawl around with
cushions, by the fire and while watching TV. It’s really retro, I know but I’ve also
always liked sunken sections, e.g., around a fireplace. We had one in the library
at my primary school! I can imagine it working out really well, e.g., having plush
comfy carpet in the sunken area for lounging on with polished floors elsewhere
I know that often people use the living room as a guest room too by having a sofa
bed.. I’d prefer not to do that, or at least for there to be still one area around the
TV that was kept free of this.
I’d like there to be places for indoor plants and displaying framed photographs, etc
We need to have a place to put our upright piano. It needs to be on an inside wall
and, ideally, in some kind of alcove 50
There needs to be another large sized room for Dave to set up his bar and a place
to hang out with his mates. Maybe this could be in the ground floor with doors
opening onto the BBQ area. It needs to have enough wall space for hanging up
his collection of music posters. It also needs to have connections to water and
power. Because he’ll often play loud music in the evenings, it needs to be as far
away from the bedrooms as possible. It could even be in a separate building
across a courtyard, although I don’t want it to be too removed from the house.
This place is in addition to Dave’s “shed” for setting up his workshop etc, although
they might be adjoining.
51
*** Living room includes some cosy alcoves
*** Able to house large furniture including 2 sofas facing each other
*** Cupboards for hiding away TV equipment etc
*** Open fireplace for real wood fires
*** Space to sprawl out while watching TV
*** Separate area for Dave’s bar and music
** Airy and light-filled living room
** Main seating area in the middle of the room
** TV positioned so that the sun doesn’t shine on it
** Place for the piano in an alcove
* Room dividers
* Sunken area
* Part of living room that is kept free of being a guest bedroom
52
Bedrooms
53
Bedrooms aren’t just places for sleeping in, they’re also
places for lounging in and escaping to when the house is full
of visitors and you need a break! Also, they’re spaces you
almost live in when you’re sick. I want to have lots of little
nooks around the house that you’d feel safe/comfortable
falling asleep in, but the bedrooms need to feel the safest of
all, places where you can snuggle into blankets, close your
eyes and the world goes away.
54
We’d like the bedrooms to feel spacious but cosy and secure. They should have
lots of natural light but not to the extent that it can’t be blocked out. It’d be
wonderful to have a skylight which you could see the stars through at night (but not
right above the pillow as don’t want to get sunburned if we ever sleep in!)
Ideally all bedrooms, but especially the master one, should be big enough to have
things like big chest of drawers, an armchair, dressing table, blanket box, etc
without feeling cramped. We’d also like it to be big enough that we could have a
four poster bed without the roof feeling dwarfed. I don’t know for certain yet that I
want one, but I’d like the option!
55
We’d like the master bedroom to have french doors opening onto a secluded part
of the verandah or garden, or even it’s own small balcony New Orleans style for
bedrooms on the second floor. In fact it would be lovely to have at least one big
bedroom upstairs as it would feel more private. If other bedrooms could have this
kind of thing that’d be great too
I’d like to have a fireplace in at least the master bedroom, ideally with a fake gas
fire for ease of use and so we don’t have to store wood in the room. Ideally this
needs to be positioned where you can see it from the side of the bed but be a
good distance away so there’s no risk of accidentally kicking anything onto it
56
We’d like all bedrooms to have built in cupboards and plenty of storage. However,
we don’t want them to look like your stereotypical built in wardrobes – ie: not a wall
of sliding doors, not built in an N shape framing the bed. For instance, maybe some
of the storage could be in the bed base itself it it were a purpose built platform that
you climbed up, with big drawers.
I’d also like clever storage for shoes as I seem to have quite a lot – e.g., one of
those sliding pull out multi-level drawers, or a narrow depth cupboard which just has
lots of shoe-box sized alcoves. Or, simplest approach which we’ve done here was to
recess the shelves etc inside the wardrobes back enough so we could hang shoe
pockets on the backs of all the doors
In the master bedroom I’d like to have an adjoining space that could serve as a
dressing area… one idea I had was that there could be storage built in either side of
a hallway leading to the bathroom
Speaking of bathrooms, I’d like the best and biggest bathroom to be an ensuite to
the master bedroom, but it should also have a second door so you can access it
without going through the bedroom.
Bedrooms need to spaced well apart from each other or have walls which block out
sound quite well (e.g., guests snoring!) Also, they need to be apart from other
rooms in the house where people might be being noisy (e.g., the lounge, kitchen). I
like the idea of having a separate bedroom wing
In the first phase would like the study aka guest bedroom to be suitable for
converting to a nursery, in case of emergency. We’re not planning anything but who
knows what living in the country will do to us. 
I would like there to be a switch in the master bedroom at the door, which stops the
electricity from flowing through any of the circuits in the bedroom. Ie: so that we can
go to sleep without electrical currents within a few metres radius of us. This sounds
weird I know, but I stayed in a spa hotel in Germany once which had this, and it was
the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had. It wasn’t that there was a sound that you
noticed had gone when the switch was off, but it did feel more calm. Maybe it was
all in the mind, but I don’t think so… I had some friends do a test for me, switching57
it
on and off and getting me to say which it was, and I got it right every time.
*** Spacious bedrooms with natural light, but cosy and secure
*** Master bedroom big enough for lots of furniture, 4 poster
*** Lots of built in storage space
** Doors opening onto secluded part of verandah or private porch area
** Fireplaces in bedrooms
** Adjoining space in master bedroom as a dressing area
** Best bathroom is en-suite to master bedroom
** Bedrooms designed so sleepers aren’t disturbed by sound
* Skylight so you can see the stars
* Clever storage for shoes in the master bedroom
* Guest bedroom/study able to convert to nursery
* Switch in main bedroom that cuts off all electricity flow in the room
58
Study area
59
A study for us is multi-functional. It’s a place for the
computer and dealing with paperwork. It’s also a library /
reading room and another place for guests to sleep
60
We’d like to have high ceilings in the study because it means we can have lots of
bookshelves built from shoulder height upwards. This gives a lot of storage
without making the room feel cramped.
We’d like for the study to have natural light and a nice view from the windows of
trees and garden areas that are relatively secluded. We don’t want it to look out
over the BBQ area for instance as it will be distracting! 61
We’d like there to be a bed, ideally a small double bed which is built into the study.
This could have storage built all around it, and normally function as a couch
unless we have guests staying
We’d like for the study to be either in a separate room or alcove with a door that
closes to help shut out noise and signal that you’re concentrating / busy.
An idea for making the study multi-functional is to have a mezzanine area that you
reach via a ladder where we have a mattress for guests to sleep. We had
something similar to this in a flat we rented in Earls Court and it worked really well.
It doesn’t need to be full height, so long as there’s enough space to kneel upright 62
We’d like there to be space for a comfy armchair in the study too and places for
table-lamps etc so that it can be made to feel quite cosy if we wish
We’d like to have a fireplace in the study, although it could just be an alcove where
we can put a fake gas or electric fire
The study needs to house the computer and all its paraphernalia, plus also storing
general house / financial documents. This means we need a roomy cupboard for
hiding everything away in and lots of space for hanging files, folders, etc.
We’d like a recharging cupboard somewhere handy, probably near the PC – ie:
somewhere which has lots of power-points and small shelves, where we can plug
in various devices to get recharged, like phones, ipod, digital cameras, etc
63
*** Lots of built in storage
*** Clear space for the computer (ie: big cupboard with powerpoints)
*** Natural light
*** In a separate room / alcove that can be shut off
** High ceilings
** Built in double bed doubling as sofa and reading area
* View of trees and gardens from windows
* Recharging cupboard
* Space for an armchair and tablelamps
* Fireplace
64
Kitchen / dining area
65
The kitchen is the heart of the home and where I
expect we’ll be spending a lot of our time. I’d like
it to be the kitchen of my dreams. It needs to be
the kind of space that is comforting and uplifting
for everyone, even people who don’t like cooking
66
We’d like the kitchen to be designed with lots of bench and storage space. It
might be nice to include some flexibility in terms of shape – e.g., an island section
on a trolley or able to swing around.
I don’t like the style of the kitchens in these photos,

but I like the concept of the moving bench
67
We’d like to have an old-fashioned style kitchen table in a position that gets a lot of
natural light. I’d like this to feel like somewhere you could spread out, not be
cramped for space.
I like the idea of having a skylight or glass roof

section above the table although don’t like
either of these decorating schemes
I like the positioning of this table in an alcove

surrounded by windows, but don’t like that it is
built-in; it feels too much like a caravan.
68
We’d like there to be a comfortable more informal place to sit in or adjoining the
kitchen. We like some open plan designs where a lounge area adjoins the kitchen,
but would like the areas to still feel separate
We need a place to store cookbooks in the kitchen, as we have a lot, and unless
they’re close at hand they don’t get used. Nearby, there needs to be a place to sit
and peruse them
69
We need lots of space for displaying and storing dinner sets and glassware as we
have quite a lot of crockery! Most of these are full sets, inherited from grandparents,
etc so it would be nice to have somewhere to keep them that isn’t jumbled at the
bottom of a cupboard. I’d like to have them easy to get to and at least some of them
in view as that will make it more likely we use them. Most of this storage should be
behind glass so that it’s protected and doesn’t get dusty
We have an old Rayburn wood-burning stove which we bought on Ebay for a song.
Besides needing a polish up, it’s all in working order, and even has an attachment to
it for heating water. It’s the closest thing to an Aga I’m likely to get so we’d like to
have this installed in the kitchen in a fireplace, where there is space to have an
armchair etc nearby – they’re so cosy to sit beside in winter. But, we need to have a
modern stove too.
I’d like there to be a linen cupboard in or near the kitchen for storing tableclothes,
napkins, tea-towels etc as I have quite a collection which I regularly use
70
There needs to be a huge pantry / larder because I tend to be a hoarder even now,
and suspect it will be even worse when we are growing our own food! It would be
great if this could also include an “appliance garage”, where things like bread
machines, mixers, fruit juicers, etc can be easily accessible.
I already have the antique cast iron

ends to build one of these racks
I’d like one of those hanging racks in the kitchen to store pots
We need space for an enormous freezer, although it doesn’t have to be in the

kitchen itself, it could even be in a shed. We need a big American style fridge with
at least a small freezer compartment in the kitchen though, ideally disguised so it’s
not a white monstrosity
We need to have two sinks. Ideally I would like them to be butler’s sink style (ie:
white porcelain, square and deep) rather than the eponymous stainless steel
I’d like space for a dishwasher in the kitchen. I know water may be short, but I’d like
to have the option for including one even if it’s only used when I’m sick or on special
occasions 71
We’d like to have clever fittings and built in fixtures – e.g., a bin built into the worktop
for scraping in vegetable peelings, that can also double as place to fill with ice and
beer for parties. Also clever taps, like with pull-out nozzles, and a tap built in over
the stove so you can fill up pans with water easily without having to lug them around.
72
We’d like a proper cupboard for storing cleaning things, so they’re not just jumbled
under the sink.
We’d also like a proper area for rubbish, easily accessible to the kitchen but hidden
(eg: in cupboards under the sink). This needs to be set up to make recycling easy -
ie: separate sections for bottles, plastic, compost, hard rubbish, newspaper, etc and
space for things like can crushers etc that help minimise rubbish volume. Ideally this
needs to be big enough so you don’t have to empty it every single day
If it doesn’t make the kitchen look too horrid, we’d like it to be designed in such a
way that it would be easy to get “approved” to produce food to sell at markets. Just
in case I decide to make jam. 
We’d like to have a dining area that we can use for the occasional formal dinner
party at special occasions. It needs to be somewhere that it wouldn’t look silly to
have candles, flowers, fancy table settings (ie: not at a table that’s in full view of the
kitchen). But, we don’t necessarily want a dedicated formal dining room, would
rather it be a space that we use for something else and then on the few times a year
we want to use it for formal dining we can rearrange the furniture. We need to be
able to sit 8 people for a formal dinner, and up to 16 on more informal occasions or
at times like Christmas
We need to have a larder / cool-room area for storing vegetables and things that we
grow and need to keep fresh for long periods. This could be combined with the wine
cellar maybe?
73
I’d like to have somewhere within easy reach of the kitchen where we can eat
outside. This ideally would be somewhere that you could get sunshine when you
wanted (e.g., breakfast) but was shaded during the heat of the day (e.g., lunch)
74
We’d like there to be space outside that can function as an outdoor kitchen. Maybe
this could even be where the Rayburn stove goes, if space is short in the kitchen?
75
*** Lots of bench and storage space
*** Display space for storing dinner sets and glassware
*** Include wood-burning Aga-like stove but also modern stove
*** Huge pantry / cool-room / larder
*** American style fridge in kitchen
*** Old-fashioned kitchen table with lots of natural light
*** Area for sorting and storing rubbish
*** Formal dining area
*** Somewhere to eat outside
** Clever fittings and built in fixtures
** Hanging rack for storing pots
** Enormous freezer for food storage
** Two sinks, ideally butler style
** Comfortable informal lounging place to sit adjoining kitchen
** Bookshelves for cooking books
* Flexibility in terms of shape – e.g., section on trolley
* Special cupboard for kitchen linen
* Appliance garage
* Space for a dishwasher
* Cupboard for storing cleaning things
* Kitchen that meets standards for food production (to sell)
* Outdoor kitchen area
76
Laundry / mudroom
77
The laundry is primarily a place designed for
function and chores, but this doesn’t mean it
can’t be an inviting beautiful space. The better it
is laid out, the nicer it will be to work in.
78
The laundry needs to have two proper troughs and some bench space – e.g., so
we can use it for arranging flowers and for messy projects, like candle-making and
things. I’d also like for there to be space for a sewing machine. In fact, it would be
good for the laundry to be larger than you might otherwise think needed, with extra
cupboards for storage, as I’m sure I’m going to find myself trying out all kinds of
hobbies that will have junk associated with them.
79
I’d like there to be a discreet place for drying clothes, rather than only a hills hoist.
For instance, in the laundry itself perhaps there could be a pole up high so I could
hang shirts on coat-hangers to dry (we do that here but it’s hung from the edge of a
bookshelf!). Dave also suggested having a clothes line under a section of the
verandah, which would be useful too – although it would need to be somewhere that
was out of sight of the main sections. Maybe there’s a section of verandah that is a
“working area” rather than for lounging.
I would like to have an airing cupboard and a nice place to do ironing
Ideally in the laundry or else in a hallway somewhere I need to have storage for bed
linen, of which I’m afraid I have a lot. Some people buy shoes, I buy bed-linen. 
It would be wonderful if this could have long rods for hanging folded sheets and
duvet covers, with alcoves next to them for storing pillowcases etc. Also, there
needs to bigger shelves for storing spare blankets, quilts, doonas. It would be great
if this was made of cedar too, to help repel moths
The laundry doesn’t have to be part of the main house, it could be in a separate
building, provided it’s close by. But I would like it to be in its own room, not shared
with the kitchen etc. Also, it needs to have all weather access and be nice to use in
all seasons, so I don’t put off doing the washing when it’s raining for instance!
I would like to have space for a washing machine that is top loading (rather than
front loading), so that you can add things during the cycle when you find you’ve
forgotten them. Also, I’d like to have space for a dryer
I’d like to have some drying racks that pull out from the wall for drying woollens flat,
so that you don’t end up with them draped all over chairs
If we have an upstairs I’d like to have a laundry chute
80
*** Bench space and two troughs
*** Storage for bed linen
*** Laundry as a separate space, nice to use in all weather
** Space for a top-loading washing machine
** Lots of cupboards for storage
* Airing cupboard
* Discreet place for drying clothes
* Space for a dryer
* Drying racks for woollens
* Laundry chute
81
Bathroom
82
The bathroom is one of the most important
rooms in the house. It’s a place to dream, relax,
rejuvenate as much as to get clean. If there’s
any room in the house which is allowed to be
over-the-top, luxurious and over-sized relative to
function, then let it be the bathroom.
83
The main bathroom (which needs to adjoin the master bedroom, as well as have
another entrance) should be spacious with plenty of room for an armchair as well
as a full size deep bath… ideally one that is freestanding with space to walk
around all sides (or at least easily accessible for cleaning)
I’d like the bath to be a centrepiece of the room. It could be one of those lovely old
antique roll-top tubs which I’ve always wanted, or a sunken bath. It needs to have
plenty of space for candles and pot-plants around the bath, as well as a place to put
wine glasses, books etc (either on a shelf next to the bath or a little table)
84
In the main bathroom we don’t want a separate shower recess, at least not one of
those glassed in units. Instead, we would like to have a kind of wet-room area for
showering which is more open plan.
Amazing wet room in the suite

at the Sun House hotel in
Galle, Sri Lanka we stayed a
few years ago. The glass
windows were kept
permanently open, with just
very thin virtually invisible
flywire behind the grills. The
shower just came straight out
onto the floor, it was wonderful.
We would like the shower head to be one of those watering can types, but with an
inner section so you can have it coming out on the economical setting. I’m also
toying with the idea of having some kind of water recycling unit for the shower so
that when it’s on the “watering can” setting a lot of the water used gets re-
circulated so it’s not as wasteful. Obviously, you could only use this setting when
you were already pretty clean, but it would be nice to have as an option so that I
could still take long showers without being too wasteful 85
Bathrooms need to have enough storage for towels etc as well as all the usual
bathroom clutter. As with all storage, I’d like to err on the side of too much rather
than not enough, so we can easily hide away things like hairdryers, foot
massagers, etc. This could be in built in cupboards or freestanding armoires
Example of Nature Loo non-

flush composting toilet (
www.natureloo.com.au) but
there are other providers too
We would like to have non-flush toilets so that we don’t waste water. I’ve seen a
couple of new models for composting toilets that don’t smell and look more like a
normal toilet (ie: with porcelain base and normal looking seat/lid. I’d like to have a
fish-tank on the wall behind each of these toilets, taking the place of the cistern in a
normal toilet. Alternatively (or as well as), we could have a fish-tank as a kind of
room divider in the master bathroom between the toilet and the bath area 86
I’d like to consider some of the more creative types of bathroom plumbing. For
instance, having the bath fill via recessed outlets high up on the walls or ceiling so
that it splashes down like a fountain. Or having a bath that is unusually shaped or
has unusual water flow, like Kohler’s overflowing bath.
Kohler’s sok overflowing bath (the water overflows into

a channel alongside the bath and is continuously
recirculated. No idea how much this costs except no
doubt it’s expensive, but I bet we could craft our own
version if it really was unaffordable
I’m not fussed about whether there are two basins in the bathroom or not, I’m happy
to just have the one provided there’s enough storage and bench space around it.
Also, I’m happy to live without a whirlpool / spa bath
The bath taps need to be positioned on the side rather than on an end, so that it is
comfortable for two people to sit in the bath at the same time. Or they could be at
the end but coming from a spout higher up on the wall so it wasn’t in the way
There needs to be a full-length mirror on the wall somewhere in the bathroom,

probably actually tiled in, and space for a bookshelf
87
We would like to have natural light in the master bathroom, with at an absolute
minimum a window looking onto plants. But ideally, would like to be able to fling
open doors and feel like I was having a bath outside (with privacy still of course)
All bathrooms should be accessed via a door from a hallway or entrance lobby kind
of place (except for doors from bedrooms). I don’t want them to be accessed from a
door off the dining or lounge area. Also, I’d like them to be positioned so that the
sound is muffled when you’re in there and ideally on an external wall so that there
can be some natural light and air. I also don’t want them to be accessed via a
sliding door since in my experience they never shut properly.
We’d like to have a separate room which has a toilet and a small basin which we
can use for everyday and parties, etc. This should be a small room but a
comfortable size to move around in and with space on the walls to hang pictures,
have a small bookshelf, etc. We could live without the toilet in a separate room in
the first phase plan but would like it factored in for the full version.
We would like to have a wood-fired sauna somewhere but it doesn’t need to be in or

adjoining the house, I’d prefer it to be in a separate hut in the yard so we had an
excuse to go walking in the garden in winter. Perhaps it could be adjoining an
outdoor bathroom? I really like the old-fashioned kind you find at cabins in Finland.
We would like it to be designed for 2-3 people, and the shower for it can be on the
outside. This site might help http://cankar.org/sauna/building/design.html
88
I would love to have a bathroom we could use in warm weather which was outside,
but this couldn’t be the only bathroom as we’d need somewhere else warm to use
during winter. Just to be clear on the styling of this… it would be (at least partially)
outside and have a very “back to nature” feel, but wouldn’t be roughing it. The
best analogy I can think of is when we went camping in Sri Lanka and stayed at
this safari place… we slept in tents, but in a four poster bed with big canopy
mosquito net. To me, that is the way to camp!!! 
89
*** Spacious master bathroom with place for an armchair
*** Deep full size comfortable bath
*** Space for candles, wine glasses, reading material around bath
*** Non-flush composting toilets
*** Full length mirror on wall somewhere
*** Natural light and opening windows with a view onto greenery/garden
*** All bathrooms accessed from hallway area (except from bedrooms)
** Wet room area for shower instead of a cubicle
** Lots of storage
** Master bathroom has two entrances
** Bath taps positioned so two people can comfortably sit in the bath
* Watering can showerhead with recycling system
* Fish tank in place of toilet cistern/s
* Creative bathroom plumbing
* Bookshelf, place to store magazines
* Separate toilet room in addition to main bathroom
* Wood fired sauna
* Warm weather outdoor bathroom
90
Verandah / garden
rooms
91
Verandahs and garden rooms are key to everything,
because one of the main reasons we’re moving to Amherst
is to have the space to make a big garden. These rooms
are the “blurred” space inbetween and will help to bring the
garden indoors. They’re also places I envisage us spending
a lot of time so they mustn’t be an afterthought. Plus, the
shape and positioning of verandahs make a big difference to
how friendly the house looks from a distance
92
We would like to have good sized airy verandahs with space to have a table and
chairs, hang a hammock, have a swing. Overall, I’d like to think of the verandah’s
as being rooms in themselves, or at least extensions of the rooms they adjoin.
93
Verandah’s don’t need to be the same shape all the way round. I know traditional
farmhouses in Australia are square shaped with identical big verandahs wrapped
around. I’d prefer something with differences in shape as it’s more interesting. I
like the idea of having a wide walkway area (with space for a chair and potplants
and to walk past), then arriving at a bigger room-sized area with table and chairs.
Maybe the floor area of this could even extend beyond the roof of the verandah so
you could sit in the sun if you wanted.
I would like to have some more private parts of the verandah that you can’t reach
unless you come in from the garden or just one particular room. I don’t just want
one big wraparound verandah that you can walk all around
94
We would like to have at least a section of the verandah able to be enclosed by
mosquito net so we can sit out safely at night with candles and not be eaten alive!
Also, when it is very hot it would be a place we could sleep. I’m thinking of a
screened porch feel rather than a sunroom
We’d also like to have a section which we could enclose somewhat in winter and
where it would be possible to let our pet farm animals join us. e.g., if they were ill
or particularly friendly and cute. I guess the primary requirement for this area is
that the floor needs to be easily washable! 95
It would be nice to have an outdoor sleeping area coming off the main bedroom,
maybe even accessible from more than one bedroom. I envisage this as being a
place that had views and you could see the stars, but which could be protected
from insects via screens or big hanging mosquito nets, which might even be more
romantic! Also, in my mind, I see it as being on the second storey
96
We’d like to have a hideaway reading room / study in the garden. This needs to
be not too far from the house so it’s easily within reach, but somewhere that feels
apart, a place to daydream and think. I especially like the idea of this room being
reached by crossing over a pond. I’d also like it to have a wood-burning stove in it
so it’d feel cosy and still be usable in winter. It should also be big enough to have
a small double bed in it tucked into a niche in the wall. This would be a reading
sofa piled with cushions normally but it could function as a guest bedroom too. It
doesn’t need to house a computer but there needs to be WiFi access
This is built on stilts over a pond. I just adore

everything about it and would love to have a
place like this in our garden – near the house
but apart. The only thing I’d change is that I
wouldn’t have a desk inside, it’d be more for
lounging than a pseudo study
It doesn’t necessarily have to be at ground level. Maybe it is a treehouse. Perhaps it

could be above a storage shed, or even above the laundry if that’s in a separate
building (although if so, I’d like the “working” areas to have a different entrance. I like
Vita Sackville-West’s tower at Sissinghurst. It’s too formal and grandiose for us but it
has a nice feel, and there’s something special about being able to look out across
gardens. But, I don’t want to lose the sense of place and security that the hut in 97
Michael Pollan’s book “A Place of My Own” has, so probably ground level is better.
It would be lovely for the garden room to be flexible in shape, e.g., via having the
walls made of screens that you could roll back however you wished. It needs to
be able to be suited to use both during the day and at night, and also suited to one
or several people using it at the same time. I’d like it to be quite whimsical in feel
too.
I love everything about the room in these pictures. Especially love the luxury hippy whimsy of having
a hanging swing bed and lots of lanterns! I can imagine sleeping out on this in summer, it’d be like
camping out but without any of the discomfort. 
98
We’d like to have outdoor fireplaces. This is partly for BBQs and toasting
marshmallows, but also for the atmosphere they create and the flexibility to use
the spaces even when it is getting a bit colder at night.
We’d like an area we can sit outside at night and have a party BBQ
99
I need to have a shady garden area that is enclosed by the house (except for
perhaps a small part of one wall so as to provide access from the outside –
although it is *very important* that it be snake-proof). The reason for this is to
have a very protected area which I can mollycoddle with lots of water and shade
cloth as required, so I can grow my favourite plants which won’t survive elsewhere.
Also this space is essential to keeping me sane when it is stupidly hot. It needs to
be quite large, like a big lounge room…I envisage it as having large tree-ferns,
hydrangeas, a small water feature (maybe water trickling down a sculpture or in a
small channel beside the pathway, not a classical fountain), space for big pots of
delicate plants and tender climbers, steps down from verandahs. I picture it as
being large enough to wander through, a bit overgrown so it beckons you in, with a
few tucked-away sunkan places to sit. Probably it needs to be built in a large
concrete pool like thing to ensure water is trapped in the soil and to stop snakes. I
see it as having some kind of beams or wire up high which could support mosquito
net and shade-cloth, which we could rig up like a sail perhaps. Maybe on one side
there could be a small verandah; on others doors could open straight out onto the
garden – for instance, it would be lovely to have the bathroom opening onto the
garden, so you can fling the doors open and feel like you’re having a bath outside.
I know having plants close to the house isn’t ideal from a bushfire perspective, but
these plants are of a kind less likely to burn and it’s a risk I’m prepared to take.
100
101
*** Large airy verandas, extensions of rooms
*** Screened porch area
*** Outdoor fireplace and BBQ area
*** Shady “secret” garden area enclosed by house
** Different shaped verandas, not just something you can walk all around
** Hideaway garden room doubling also as guestroom (at least in summer)
* Some secluded parts on verandah
* Outdoor sleeping area
102
Storage spaces
103
Storage spaces might not necessarily be rooms of their
own but it’s important that they be thought through as if
they were. Houses that don’t have enough storage
always end up feeling cluttered and you can never find
anything. I want to err on the side of having far too much
storage rather than not enough
104
I would love to have an attic. Not just for the storage, but also because of the
potential it offers for exploring forgotten things in 10 years time. Attics are special
places, they feature in lots of stories, and I’ve never had one.
We need to have a place to store wine, ideally a proper wine cellar. This doesn’t
have to be accessed internally, it could be from a trapdoor in the verandah for
instance, but it needs to be secure and to satisfy all those things you need in
terms of constant temperature for storing wine. Maybe it could be combined with
the coolroom / larder for storing vegetables?
105
We would like to be clever in terms of our use of built-in storage. E.g., all window
seats should have drawers or a top that lifts up so we can store things in them.
We’d like lots of built-in storage because it seems to take up less space (and is
loads cheaper) than freestanding units.
As you’ve probably gathered by the emphasis on bookshelves in each room, we

have a *lot* of books and would like to have built-in storage for them. To give you
an idea of the scale, we have in London already around over 30 metres of
bookshelves that are filled to overflowing and growing, and probably have that
many books again in boxes in Australia. I’d like to have ample shelving in Australia
for books as I hate the sense of running out of space for books and feeling like you
have to give some away (especially given the ridiculously high price of books in
Australia!)
In addition to all the ideas for bookshelves already mentioned, another great idea
I’ve come across is to have them built into pillars. The bookshelves in the South
Drawing room at John Soanes Museum are the best example I’ve ever seen of
this (it is only a few minutes walk from where I work so I go there quite a lot).
Essentially, between the main room and the huge Georgian windows there are
several columns. On the middle sides of each column are shelves full of books –
you can see them where I’ve circled. It’s wonderful because you can fit a lot of
books in without it disrupting the style of the main room. Also, because the main
room still gets light yet there’s this more private area behind the columns next to
the windows. It just has the feel of somewhere you’d love to take a book off the
shelf, sit on a chair and read in the sun, but yet you’re still close to and part of the
main action taking place in the big room.
106
We also have a lot of paintings, of various types – a lot of oil paintings but also a
lot of lithographs. Dave’s Dad and my Mum are artists so our collection is always
growing. In addition to hanging space for paintings in the hallways and rooms,
another idea I got from John Soanes museum was to have effectively huge walls
that were on hinges that you could swing out. These not only could let you change
the shape of the room if you got bored (e.g., to create a little guest bedroom
alcove when it was needed, or just to change it with the seasons), but also it gives
extra space for hanging and storing paintings.
This is the Picture room at John

Soanes museum… I wouldn’t want to
have a dedicated picture room like
this, but the principle of works on a
broader scale. If the hanging panels
were made longer then they could
double as room dividers and let us
creatively change the shape of rooms
Ideally so I have flexibility to rearrange when I get bored without leaving holes in
the wall, it’d be nice to have an unobtrusive rod or an old fashioned picture rail
which we can hang paintings from
107
*** Place to store wine, ideally a wine cellar
*** Lots of built in storage, especially bookshelves
*** Lots of space to hang paintings
** Picture rails or rods to hang paintings so don’t put holes in wall
** Walls that are on giant hinges you can move around
* Attic
* Bookshelf pillars
108

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IDEAS AND WISHES

This started out as just a long long list but as I started to

Given where we’re situated, so close to forest, we need to be aware of bushfire

It would be nice to have some flexibility in terms of furniture arrangement, e.g., to

The vacuum would be generated by a venturi using mains water. It would

I love the idea of this raised up skylight with a shelf

Front parlour ceiling at Castel Battlo, an apartment

From the attic

Pargetry in Saffron Walden

Amazing cork tiles on the wall of the tiny bathroom at

This was the kitchen in a Gaudi-designed

At Oakley Plantation in St Francisville, US. The shutters

The latest addition, I collected these just after

This too is in a frame at the

I have a series of 5 of these windows.

This is a giant lampshade we bought on Ebay in the

We have this big

Interesting example of mood lighting which could

This is an Australian company,

We saw a fabulous Heat Exchange system done on a Grand Designs episode. It

“The most important factor in Wi-Fi is location. Distance saps wireless

Our hallway in London has the effect

*** Space for flowers, candle, etc at entrance

*** Wide hallways with reasons to pause, not just thoroughfares

*** Built in shelves along halls

** Two storey house with square staircase

** Comfy seats in alcoves and window areas in the hallways

** Natural light in hallways

** Use oak, iron and copper railings from Ebay

* Space for a grandfather clock

* Place to sort and store mail

*** Living room includes some cosy alcoves

*** Cupboards for hiding away TV equipment etc

*** Open fireplace for real wood fires

*** Space to sprawl out while watching TV

*** Separate area for Dave’s bar and music

** Airy and light-filled living room

** Main seating area in the middle of the room

** TV positioned so that the sun doesn’t shine on it

** Place for the piano in an alcove

* Part of living room that is kept free of being a guest bedroom

*** Master bedroom big enough for lots of furniture, 4 poster

*** Lots of built in storage space

** Doors opening onto secluded part of verandah or private porch area

** Adjoining space in master bedroom as a dressing area

** Best bathroom is en-suite to master bedroom

** Bedrooms designed so sleepers aren’t disturbed by sound

* Skylight so you can see the stars

* Clever storage for shoes in the master bedroom

* Guest bedroom/study able to convert to nursery

*** Lots of built in storage

*** Natural light

*** In a separate room / alcove that can be shut off

** Built in double bed doubling as sofa and reading area

* View of trees and gardens from windows

* Space for an armchair and tablelamps

I don’t like the style of the kitchens in these photos,

I like the idea of having a skylight or glass roof

I like the positioning of this table in an alcove

I already have the antique cast iron

We need space for an enormous freezer, although it doesn’t have to be in the

*** Lots of bench and storage space

*** Display space for storing dinner sets and glassware