It’s a good thing to givean old piece of furniture a new life for by remodeling and/or repainting it. However, do not ruin valuable antique furniture with such a thing! These should be restored by an expert, or sold to someone who appreciates their present beauty.
Before-after photos of the 66 sqm block apartment
Old, dark brown Bonanza cabinets can be the ornaments of the home again with a new color and new function
Downtown flat renovated for renting (without furniture)
More photos: https://classicinteriors.hu/hu/referenciak/20-referencia/62-referencia16
Old barn transformed to a new home – it is worth to rescue
In case of buying a used property in poor condition, time, money and difficulties caused by the renewal, always have to be considered. If we decide to do it by ourselves, it’s recommended to think some issues over before starting.
Find a constructor who is reliable, working nice and free in the required timeframe. It is not easy, but if we can plan for 6-8 months before starting, it has a good chance. If a construction company is proposed by someone, the situation is luckier since we can go and see their references in the proposer’s home. Quality job means not the same for everybody! That is why it’s worth the time. If we look for a specialist on the internet, always ask for references. It can tell a lot about if it is given wholeheartedly. Ask for proposals from more companies. As soon as the new property is available, take the constructor to a survey and ask for a quote. The latter will contain not only the cost but the contracted time also. Of course, it has a cost (per implementer) but it is worth this little investment compared to the cost of the whole renovation. This way we can choose the best nominee for us. If we don’t want to work with a constructor to reduce costs, be prepared to make coordination tasks, time table, control, and purchasing by ourselves. In this case the renovation usually takes longer time.
Look after the nowadays prices. Costs are continuously rising, so we cannot depend on the paid cost of the new entrance door of our neighbour two years ago, for example. Examine more companies’ websites, where we can buy what and on what price. Obviously, there will be products that might be priced after a measurement (e.g. windows) but we can ask for approximate amounts. If we have an idea of the style and colors, we can choose products in advance fitting for our purse.
An important factor is the delivery time from the order. Only a few things can be bought immediately, from store during a renovation. Shops deliver in 2-3 days from their own stocks, but it could be 2-3 weeks from an offshore store. In case of unique production this can be extended even to 6-8 weeks. These times should be calculated in the order of works and the implementing timetable.
Usually everybody knows the available amount to spend for the renovation. Anyway, we shall count on sudden difficulties which cause plus costs (usually there are) and allocate further 10% for these.
We can ask for help of an interior designer even from the survey of the property before buying until taking the keys of our renovated home. We can save a lot of time, money and worrying with this decision.
The following three words are commonly used in interior design and related books. Sometimes still it’s not obvious when to use which.
Antique: marker of furniture, objects of art, or artisanship older than 100 years, independently of style. Its age, originality, condition, the manufacturer and rarity is important for collectors (full collection in case of a set). A restoration gives them back their original pomp.
Vintage: marker of objects that are younger than 100 but older than 15 years, concerning rather to their condition than age. It is a classification of strongly used, shabby surfaced furniture and household objects which marks even a style. It means rethought, reused, modified/renewed objects also. Giving vintage look to a new object is a distinct genre. It is not equivalent with the shabby chic style.
Retro: marker of household and decoration objects of years from the 50s to (presently) the 80s. Their age is old „only”. It is also a marker of objects that are new but made look like in the style or shapes of this era. Collectors are motivated by nostalgia and emotional bondage but of course originality and condition are also important. Retro has a pejorative meaning, “out of fashion”.
In case of uncertainty, ask for help of a professional dating an object.
The history of parquet flooring goes back to the Renaissance. The wooden floor tiles were laid in V-shape since the middle of the 16th century. The two oldest patterns are herringbone and chevron. These are the most popular today also but they are frequently mixed up.
Reputedly herringbone patterned parquetry was first laid by Italian craftsmen in 1539 for the French king Francis I. In this classic pattern, the pieces are in right angle so that the short side of one piece gets to the end of the other’s long side. Actually they show a zigzag pattern but its line is broken.
However, there are pointed peaks in chevron pattern (named after the V-shaped rank sign), this way the chock-shape is created. The pieces are cut in mitter, the ends are joined this way, so the pattern will be continuous. Nowadays ready-made floor and wall tiles are available.
The two patterns mentioned above are frequent not only as floor but as wall decorations also. They can be created from wall tiles (e.g. subway tiles), floor tiles or even vinyl flooring, not only from wood parquetry. They look good both in classic and modern interiors.
Luckily, parquetry is fashionable again, more and more people want to save the old wooden flooring of the building being renovated. It is really worth to spend money and time for it unless it is in too bad condition, since it will be beautiful and valuable part of the interior. It will look as good as new with gap-filling, grinding and lacquering (probably changing its color by burnishing).
Ask for help of an interior designer for choosing the proper patterns.
The renovation of this 56 sqm downtown flat for a very nice woman was finished last year. The main tasks were space reorganization and creating enough storage. The old kitchen is now the bedroom for taking advantage of the small back-balcony, so the pantry became a gardrobe. The new kitchen was created by removing the wall between a small room and the entrance space. The old hall’s wall was also removed, this way there was enough space for the dining area and large wardrobes. The central space is much more roomy and livable. The neutral cream and brown colors provide the calm base that is enlivened by different hues of blue, from turquoise to cobalt.
More photos: http://classicinteriors.hu/hu/referenciak/20-referencia/60-referencia15
I recently finished the interior design plan of this living room for a kind couple. The room is 22 sqm and has bedroom function too. The request was to freshen and make it cosier by keeping the sofa set and day-bed. The owner fell in love with this type of wardrobe-set, so the main task were choosing the proper elements, planning the furniture set and custom-made ordering. The wallpaper took a bold decision. Finally I found one of which had fine color to made elegant background for the furniture. It is a block apartment, so stripes help heighten the room and mouldings complete the view. The light turquoise of accessories and fabrics is perfect for offsetting the shades of brown. The chosen furniure set did not contain the proper coffee table, finally I found one in an auction website, perfect in style and color. I had to solve the storage of remembrancers, books and TV.
More photos: http://classicinteriors.hu/en/references/21-references/59-references14
