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Hi everyone, we recently bought this home and are thinking of ways to give the facade and front a modern lift. Seems to be a mid century design. We absolutely love the color of the bricks. Also included pictures of the front living room that we are thinking of replacing the light with track lighting and also a black fan. Any ideas will be highly appreciated. Thanks.
Hello @00nsfx
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about modernizing your 80's facade.
One way to change the appearance of your house and give it a bit of definition is to paint the roof trim in a dark colour like Monument. I would also suggest painting the garage door in the same colour. The dark colour will make the roof lines stand out and people looking at it will have a better idea of the shape of the house. With its current light profile, the house blends into itself. I would also suggest a modern mailbox and the installation of solar pathway lights.
Inside, I suggest using several very large pendant lights instead of track lighting to offset the large open space of ceiling. I also recommend using tall floor lamps to provide spot lighting when you need to read. Contrasting grey curtains and a large colourful flamboyant rug to go under the sofa will add colour and contrast to the area. You can colour match with the curtains if you wish but I'm leaning more towards contrast. A black fan would be good, but it would stand out on its own and is a visual dust magnet. I suggest looking at Brilliant 142cm X-Large Windhaven Indoor/Outdoor ABS Timber Look DC Ceiling Fan with Remote as it blends in with the furniture.
Again, I propose a dark carpet for the informal dining area and reupholstering the seats to the same fabric as the sofa for a nice uniform look. You could paint the timber a darker colour for a dramatic effect, but it would be a shame to cover such beautiful timber.
Let me call on our experienced members @redbournreno, @RenoRach1, and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
Congratulations on your recent purchase @00nsfx. It looks like a beautiful home. You would certainly want to be careful to ensure it retains it's original charm and character.
Let me add some more helpful members to Eric's suggestion in the hope they might be able to add their thoughts on how they would add personal touches to your home: @2Belindas, @prettyliving and @Renowayoflife.
Welcome to the community.
Jason
Thanks heaps Eric for all the suggestions. We did consider painting the roof trim monument but the roof is orange in color. Not sure how well it complements. Also considering painting the windows frames black. Is there anyway to paint aluminum windows black? Spray paint? Thanks!
Hello @00nsfx
Upon closer inspection I missed seeing your orange roof. If that is the case, I propose painting the roof a medium Dark Grey so that it blends in with the Monument. This should normalize the dark colour introduced to your colour scheme. In regards to painting the aluminium windows black, it's definitely doable, but before you do this change, I suggest thinking about how it will impact the colour scheme inside your house. Will you be painting it black outside and leaving the interior part white?
Here is a link to our best advice: What is the best way to paint aluminium windows?
Here are some handy step-by-step guides:
Here are some excellent window and door painting projects our Workshop members have shared:
If you need further assistance, please let me know.
Eric
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