Undercover Architect

Helping homeowners get it right when designing, building or renovating their family home.

Timber Flooring for your new home or renovation

Timber flooring can be a great and sustainable choice for your family home.

However, many are making terrible, low-cost choices that will be terrible to live with long-term.

In this episode, we talk about timber flooring: what choices you have available and what you need to know to make a great, durable and sustainable choice for your own home.

In this episode, I speak with Frances Cosway. Frances is an interior designer, principal of White Pebble Interiors, and author of “Your Forever Home”. We share our thoughts on solid timber and engineered timber flooring, why we’d love to see laminate flooring never be used again, and what you need to know before choosing vinyl flooring.

During our conversation, we dive into …

  • what choices are available for you in timber flooring
  • what should you speak to suppliers about so you understand installation requirements
  • how to choose colour for your flooring so it suits what’s already in your home
  • why laminate flooring is a terrible choice
  • what you need to know about vinyl flooring before you choose it

There are loads of choices you can make when it comes to flooring. Polished or burnished concrete, toppings over concrete, timber, tile, carpet, bamboo, cork, lino, rubber, laminate and vinyl … to name a few!

In these next few podcast episodes, we’re going to cover the main types: timber, tiles, concrete and carpet.

And upfront, it’s worth knowing that neither Frances or I are fans of vinyl or laminate flooring. It’s actually heartbreaking to see it being used so prolifically. It’s not good quality as a durable flooring material, it’s TERRIBLE for the environment, and can be hugely toxic in what they off-gas into your home.

Laminate flooring is NOT timber. It is a bonded 4 layer product. The base layer is called a ‘Balancing layer’ to keep the material stable. Over that is HDF, or high-density fibreboard that is then overlaid with a printed plastic or paper layer that is digitally printed with a pattern or texture to look like timber. On top of that goes a ‘wear layer’ which is described as melamine resin usually, and is often a type of finish with high VOCs and toxicity.

Generally, vinyl flooring is made from petroleum-based materials and can contain toxic plasticisers and lead-based stabilisers. It’s not great in its production, its installation, or long-term performance environmentally. You CAN find better performing vinyl flooring if you know what to look for, so make sure you check those out if you still want to use this type of flooring.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Listen now.

ID101-Course-Clickable

INTERIOR DESIGN 101: GAIN CLARITY AND CONFIDENCE FOR THE INTERIOR DESIGN OF YOUR FUTURE HOME

Would you like to simplify your choices, and have total clarity and confidence that your interior design will help create your beautiful, functional, feel-good home?

Interior Design 101 is a self-study, DIY program. It contains the full version of all interviews from the podcast, plus extra content specifically created for Interior Design 101.

In this full interview featured inside Interior Design 101, Frances and I go through additional choices such as bamboo, choosing pre-finished boards or finishing your boards after completion, and more detail about timber flooring overall.

You’ll also find full transcripts, videos, checklists, guides and so much good stuff to support you in the Interior Design of your renovation, new home or smaller project.

Interior Design 101 has been designed to help you gain clarity and confidence in all those selections and decisions you need to make for the finishes, fixtures, colours, materials and items you’ll be living with everyday.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

Find White Pebble Interiors online >>> CLICK HERE

And on Facebook >>> CLICK HERE

And Instagram >>> CLICK HERE

Frances Cosway’s book, “Your Forever Home” >>> CLICK HERE

To learn more about the self-study, online program, Interior Design 101 >>> CLICK HERE

To see the toxicity of laminate flooring >>> CLICK HERE

What’s the first choice you should make when it comes to your interior design selections? It’s your flooring.

We know, from experience, that many homeowners DON’T start here.

So in this episode, we’ll be introducing you to the topic of flooring, and some key things you need to know and remember for your selections.

Frances is an interior designer, principal of White Pebble Interiors, and author of “Your Forever Home”. In this episode, Frances and I talk about what she believes is the first decision you need to make in your Interior Design selections.

During our conversation, we dive into …

  • why flooring is the first place you start
  • mistakes that many homeowners make, and
  • the criteria you can use to choose the right floor for you, your family, and your project.

In Season 7 of the podcast, builder, Duayne Pearce and I spoke about the importance of knowing flooring choices early in your project. They’re important because they’ll determine how your concrete slab needs to be set out and poured, and the overall levels you have to think about early if you wish to have flush sills etc.

So, knowing Frances also considers your flooring as the first choice you need to make, I was really looking forward to hearing her views on why it’s essential to choose flooring early, and the different materials to consider.

There are loads of choices you can make when it comes to flooring … polished or burnished concrete, toppings over concrete, timber, tile, carpet, bamboo, cork, linoleum, rubber, laminate and vinyl.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Listen now.

ID101-Course-Clickable

INTERIOR DESIGN 101: GAIN CLARITY AND CONFIDENCE FOR THE INTERIOR DESIGN OF YOUR FUTURE HOME

Would you like to simplify your choices, and have total clarity and confidence that your interior design will help create your beautiful, functional, feel-good home?

Interior Design 101 is a self-study, DIY program. It contains the full version of all interviews from the podcast, plus extra content specifically created for Interior Design 101.

In this full interview featured inside Interior Design 101, Frances and I go through the criteria for selecting your flooring in more detail, especially looking at functionality, who will be using your floors and environmental sustainability.

We also look at how the thickness of your flooring choices need to be considered, and what you can do about your flooring selection if sound and acoustics concern you in your home.

You’ll also find full transcripts, videos, checklists, guides and so much good stuff to support you in the Interior Design of your renovation, new home or smaller project.

Interior Design 101 has been designed to help you gain clarity and confidence in all those selections and decisions you need to make for the finishes, fixtures, colours, materials and items you’ll be living with everyday.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

Find White Pebble Interiors online >>> CLICK HERE

And on Facebook >>> CLICK HERE

And Instagram >>> CLICK HERE

Frances Cosway’s book, “Your Forever Home” >>> CLICK HERE

To learn more about the self-study, online program, Interior Design 101 >>> CLICK HERE

Learn about some of the top myths perpetuated about Interior Designers and Interior Design.

These are myths not only talked about by homeowners – they also exist in the design industry as well.

Frances is an interior designer, principal of White Pebble Interiors, and author of “Your Forever Home”.

In this episode, we talk about some assumptions we see homeowners and the design industry make about Interior Designers and Interior Design, that can be problematic in any project.

Listen in to learn more about …

  • fee structures
  • why briefing your Interior Designer early can be so important, and
  • the mistaken assumptions you might have about Interior Designers

Having worked in this industry for 25 years now, I’ve seen all sorts of things get said and thought about Interior Designers and Interior Design. Interestly, when I first started my career, it wasn’t that common to work with an Interior Designer.

Working in a small architecture practice in my early 20s, I found we did the Interior Design on all our projects. I learnt that, as an architect, I had to think about, understand and design ALL the components of any project … from the big, chunky, 50m decisions, through to the small, detailed, and intricate 5mm ones too.

And it was really interesting to see my early experience was all about the importance of these 50m and 5mm decisions having a relationship to each other in order for a building (whether a large public project or an individual home) to hang together as a holistic experience and project.

As I chatted to Frances about assumptions and myths, we could see how easy it is for a homeowner to get caught out.

Listen to the episode now.

ID101-Course-Clickable

INTERIOR DESIGN 101: GAIN CLARITY AND CONFIDENCE FOR THE INTERIOR DESIGN OF YOUR FUTURE HOME

Would you like to simplify your choices, and have total clarity and confidence that your interior design will help create your beautiful, functional, feel-good home?

Interior Design 101 is a self-study, DIY program. It contains the full version of all interviews from the podcast, plus extra content specifically created for Interior Design 101.

In this full interview featured inside Interior Design 101, we discuss more myths … one especially being an assumption that many homeowners have that all Interior Designers understand construction and building codes.

There are experienced Interior Designers out there who understand how buildings get put together, but I’ve also had far too many scary conversations with Interior Designers, Decorators and Stylists who’ve been advising homeowners on construction and building decisions, and seriously jeopardising the homeowner and themselves in the process.

It can be super risky when your Interior Designer doesn’t understand building codes and standards, so we talk more about this area. And we also discuss the animosity we see in the industry, and how to create collaboration and trust within your team overall.

You’ll also find full transcripts, videos, checklists, guides and so much good stuff to support you in the Interior Design of your renovation, new home or smaller project.

Interior Design 101 has been designed to help you gain clarity and confidence in all those selections and decisions you need to make for the finishes, fixtures, colours, materials and items you’ll be living with everyday.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

Find White Pebble Interiors online >>> CLICK HERE

And on Facebook >>> CLICK HERE

And Instagram >>> CLICK HERE

Frances Cosway’s book, “Your Forever Home” >>> CLICK HERE

To learn more about the self-study, online program, Interior Design 101 >>> CLICK HERE

Why use an Interior Designer in your project? And when and how should you involve them?

Many homeowners are confused about if they need an Interior Designer, or when to bring one on board.

Frances is an interior designer, principal of White Pebble Interiors, and author of “Your Forever Home”, and she has some great insight to share so you can determine if an Interior Designer would be useful to have on your project, and how and when you can get them involved.

In this interview, we talk about:

  •  the differences between the various types of roles in the industry
  • how to choose and know the one you’re working with is what you need
  • when to get them involved in your project.

I know some architects see them as superfluous, and other architects and designers see them as helpful in purely dealing with and documenting all the tile and colour selections!

I’ve had homeowners tell me they wish they’d brought one on board to narrow down their decision-making, so they didn’t get so overwhelmed. It wasn’t until they started researching all the finishes they needed to decide on that they realised just how many options were available.

The industry of Interior Design is an unregulated one.

Unlike architecture, where it’s very clear what someone has to do or qualify in to call themselves an Architect vs a Building Designer or draftsperson, Interior Design is not like this. Anyone can call themselves an Interior Designer. And you can have Interior Designers, Interior Decorators and Interior Stylists.

I’ve professionally worked in many different ways with Interior Designers, from having them as external consultants within a project, through to them being fellow team-mates within the same business.

Given Frances’ experience in the Interior Design industry, I was keen to hear her thoughts on what she recommended when it comes to choosing and working with Interior Designers, and where and how she sees her work happening best, and adding the most value to a homeowner and their project.

ID101-Course-Clickable

INTERIOR DESIGN 101: GAIN CLARITY AND CONFIDENCE FOR THE INTERIOR DESIGN OF YOUR FUTURE HOME

Would you like to simplify your choices, and have total clarity and confidence that your interior design will help create your beautiful, functional, feel-good home?

Interior Design 101 is a self-study, DIY program. It contains the full version of all interviews from the podcast, plus extra content specifically created for Interior Design 101.

In this full interview featured inside Interior Design 101, we explore the specific ways an Interior Designer can help you with your floor plan, your brief, your specifications and all the selections you’ll need to make.

We also talk about the ways that an Interior designer can really support you in making sure all these choices not only look great, but are affordable and functional as well.

You’ll also find full transcripts, videos, checklists, guides and so much good stuff to support you in the Interior Design of your renovation, new home or smaller project.

Interior Design 101 has been designed to help you gain clarity and confidence in all those selections and decisions you need to make for the finishes, fixtures, colours, materials and items you’ll be living with everyday.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

Find White Pebble Interiors online >>> CLICK HERE

And on Facebook >>> CLICK HERE

And Instagram >>> CLICK HERE

Frances Cosway’s book, “Your Forever Home” >>> CLICK HERE

To learn more about the self-study, online program, Interior Design 101 >>> CLICK HERE

Design Institute of Australia can be found >>> HERE

How can you get it right in your home’s interior design?

Do you need help with your decisions and selections? And what will really matter in your home long-term?

Hello and welcome to a brand new podcast season! In this episode, I’m going to be giving you an outline of the season to come, plus tell you more about my co-host, and an exciting new online program that’s been created to celebrate this season too.

I’m super excited about this upcoming season.

#1 Interior Design help is on its way

Firstly, because I know how massively helpful it’s going to be for you … not only if you’re planning a renovation or new home, but even if you’re doing smaller projects in your home.

#2 We’ll be diving into the Interior Design details

Secondly, I know that this season is going to uncover a lot of nitty gritty topics that I consistently see confuse or frustrate homeowners. Often because a lot of this information is sourced through the process of buying the things we’ll be talking about … and so you’re never sure if the information and advice you’re receiving is impartial or simply someone trying to sell you something.

#3 We’ll reduce the Interior Design overwhelm

Thirdly, the decisions that you have to make in this particular area of your building or renovation project, often feel really exciting, but also BIG and impactful. It’s an area where you, as the homeowner, can actually feel and touch and envisage the results of your choices, but it’s a huge area of choice, and that can be really overwhelming when you get into the deep end of all of your decisions.

So, what am I talking about?

Well, in this season, we’re going to be diving into Interior Design Basics. Materials, finishes, fixtures, design ideas, inspiration, how to choose, how to get help and support and what decisions really matter in the creation of your future home’s interior design.

My co-host for much of this season is Interior Designer and Author, Frances Cosway.

Now, if you listened to the season on sustainable design, you may have heard my interview with Frances Cosway about her own sustainable forever home. Frances is an Interior Designer and Decorator, and a published author of the book “Your Forever Home”. And she’s the principal of her own business, White Pebble Interiors.

Frances is fantastically honest and down to earth. You’ll often hear her say in these discussions that things have to be functional. They have to be practical as well as look good. She has a wealth of experience and expertise in building, renovating, interior design and decoration.

I think you’re going to love all the wisdom and generosity that Frances brings in how she shares her knowledge, recommendations and tips for your interior design throughout this season. And I know it’ll be incredible for helping you make more confident choices in your projects as you move forward.

And along the way, I’ll also be chatting to other fantastic industry professionals to add to the extensive info we’re sharing across this season. I’ve connected with some of my favourite brands to ask them to jump on the podcast and share their insights too, so we can really explore and uncover so much nitty gritty know-how. You’ll be super armed for your Interior design journey.

Listen to the episode now to learn more about what this season will cover, and subscribe so you always know when a new episode is released!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

Find White Pebble Interiors online >>> CLICK HERE

And on Facebook >>> CLICK HERE

And Instagram >>> CLICK HERE

Frances Cosway’s book, “Your Forever Home” >>> CLICK HERE