Dream Home Ideas For Landscaping

When it comes to our dream home, even a modest house can be our sanctuary when we get the landscaping right. 

Here are some elements that are classic style winners in the garden. 

Clipped plants can give you a tidy and formal look to a small space or a large one. Whether it is a series of plant pots clipped into balls, or a cloud pruned magnificent tree like the one below, the overall effect is quite a feature!  It is deliberate and looks it - and that means you look like you know what you are doing! 

Kitchen gardens - vegetables and herbs can seem out of place in a landscaped garden, In these examples, the gardens are a feature too, using either a screen or a decorative approach to the garden beds. 

Where you have a long axis you can plant, make the most of it by playing with the perspective and give your garden the look of long distance vistas through clever placement of rows of plants. Your yard may not be as large as this but even a smaller space can lead to something beyond and pull the eye to the distance.

A path to nowhere in particular can become a secret retreat. This shady nook is reached by a flagstone path planted with a mossy groundcover. Ideal for shady spots that only some plants love and flourish in as an under story to bigger trees.

Even a simple beautiful pot can set off your garden with a dress of ivy or other leafy creeper. 

Whether it is a simple pot or a spectacular pond, the planting can turn it into a feature for your garden, Just the spot to sit and contemplate. 

One of the keys to design in the garden is repetition, only a few varieties of plants and a beautiful contrast of textures and tones.

Find more garden, landscaping and home ideas for your Dream Home!

Dream Home Ideas For Storage

A Place For Everything So Everything Can Be In Its Place!

Clutter and hoarding items are becoming real issues for people in our 'buy everything' society. While some people are naturally well organised and tidy, some of us just seem to create more clutter without even trying! 

Storage in new homes is often not a high consideration for the designers but when you move in that will be the thing you notice most, living in your dream home.

Cupboards alone are not the solution. The right configuration inside  the cupboards can make a huge difference between a storage space the same size being adequate or 'too small'. It's not always the size that counts - but what we do with it! 

Here are some ideas you might be able to adapt to your own home or when planning to build your dream home. 

Building in book shelving around windows and to the ceiling can add character and style to your dream home - and a lot of extra storage space! 

That occasional dinnerware needs a place to 'live' and takes up space - having it out of the way and easily accessible means life gets a lot easier and entertaining more appealing.

Even a tiny kitchen can incorporate storage to show off your best china and glassware. 

Look up! There is a mile of space above head height that could be taking shelves to add storage without intruding on floor space. 

Editing can make all the difference to your closet space - If it doesn't fit or it is not the season for it - get it out of your wardrobe,

Every home needs a good spot to store wine! Dedicating some shelves in a cupboard is one solution - or dedicate the whole cupboard and make it a feature! 

Adding storage above the desk means lots of additional storage without taking up existing closet space.

The home office that doubles as a guest room is a good way to make the most of under-used rooms and add practical storage options.

Laundry rooms often have space that can be used to improve storage capacity and practical work space, by adding extra benchtops and cupboards.

Find more great ideas for your dream home on my Pinterest boards!

Dream Home Ideas For Kitchens

Anyone who cooks knows that being able to cook anything you fancy means a lot of dishes and appliances and equipment - and that takes storage! 

Preferably storage that lets you keep the things you use regularly close to hand and the things you use for entertaining or infrequently, reachable but not in the way of those things you use all the time. 

If you need to house all this great stuff, make a real place for it and you won't feel like you are living in a cluttered space, or pressure to discard those pieces you love but are not really utilitarian and all that functional - but are very nice to keep! 

If you can display them suitably - all the better! 

Sadly many of the kitchens that best meet these requirements we don't see all that often in Australia. In fact too often we see big kitchens set to not look like kitchens, and is it me or are the fanciest kitchens often owned by people who don't cook? 

This one is from local business Prestige Kitchens and Joinery at Rutherford NSW

Kitchen In Display Home - Martin Project Homes - Heritage Parc, Rutherford NSW

Look for more fabulous dream home ideas on my Pinterest boards! 

Dream Home Ideas For Kerb Appeal

No matter if you have a modern home, a traditional home, whether it is an expensive house or a simple cottage - kerb appeal is what sets any home apart - in a good way.

Decorative finishes, strong lines in landscaping edges and good plant selection can make all the difference in how appealing your home looks. For you  - and for potential buyers!

Find more great ideas for your dream home on my Pinterest boards!