Design gurus Nat Wheeler and Kristy Sadlier have introduced norsuHOME, the transformation of a 1920’s Californian Bungalow in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Iris, into a Scandinavian-inspired dream home for Nat’s young family.
Purchased in October 2017, the four-bedroom, one-bathroom property was carefully renovated over a five-month period. “Being a co-owner of Scandinavian-inspired art and homewares business norsu Interiors, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our styling services in reality, empowering our loved customer base to renovate or update their own home,” said Nat.
The brief for this project was to renovate without extending and to demonstrate that it is possible to create a superior look without breaking the bank. “Restoring an older bungalow meant paying homage to its original style inside and out, while giving it a more modern aesthetic with the application of our signature norsu style,” she continued.
When they purchased the home, the exterior was on the brink of falling down – the weatherboards were worn, paint was chipping off, the garden was heavily overgrown and there were non-existent pathways.
Nat and Kristy were committed to improving every single facet of the home including the grand, yet underwhelming concrete slab driveway. “Given the length and width of the driveway, we wanted to make the driveway a real feature and therefore opted against a simple concrete finish,” explains Nat.
The driveway is often the main entrance to the home and one of the first, and most notable features. As driveways tend to consume a large portion of our land footprint, it makes sense to make the most of this premium space with a designer option to stand out from the crowd. “A great driveway can add value to the home so we customised the design to fit in with our aesthetic, whilst leaving a lasting impression,” she continued.
A classic Californian Bungalow has a very distinct look, so the importance of blending the rest of the exterior including the driveway with the unique façade was very important to Nat and Kristy. They fell in love with Adbri Masonry’s Euro Stone paver as a product to help the driveway stand out.
Adbri Masonry’s Euro Stone is a large format, linear paving slab which has been lightly shotblast to exfoliate the surface and expose the natural aggregates and stones within – these shimmer in the sunlight and give the pavement life and character.
“Euro Stone pavers are ‘driveway safe’ and are easily secured to an existing driveway’s concrete base, this meant that we could save money from not having to dig up the original concrete slab – which we knew met the structural requirements for a driveway, but best to check with an engineer,” said Nat.
“Pavers are also low maintenance and because they are individual pieces instead of a continuous slab, worn or damaged pavers can be easily replaced.”
With the driveway sorted, the norsu team turned their design eye to the pathway. “The house didn’t have a pedestrian entry so adding one was an absolute must. The same Adbri Masonry pavers were used and easily installed to achieve overall consistency,” said Nat. “They are also slip-resistant which is super important with my kid’s running up and down the pathway from the car to the home.”
Different tones of grey are featured heavily throughout the home’s Scandinavian interior, so Nat and Kristy saw fit that the colour palette would be carried through to the exterior.
“The Prague colour of the Adbri Masonry pavers fitted the brief perfectly, and the selection of the larger 600mm x 400mm paver allowed us to create a grand driveway and pedestrian entry to the home. The design of the paver, blended with the practicality of hardwearing concrete, was the perfect solution for the norsuHOME,” she said.
Overall, the home’s final look is brought together beautifully with the soft tones of grey and a dramatic double door entry. “Our neighbours and people passing by always stop to comment about our driveway and pathway,” says Nat. “The grand driveway nature, coupled with the stand out front double doors, has certainly become a talking point in the area.”
Source: Adbri Masonry
Image courtesy of Stu Morley Photographier