Front Door heralds lock-up stage

The magnificent front door of our house was installed this week heralding lock-up stage. It ‘s an ornate Western Red Cedar door with leadlight panels and a side panel, which may beg the question why choose such a traditional design for a home which is obviously contemporary in style?

We found the door in an unlikely place for sale at one of the stalls at the Pt Elliott show propped up along with a heap of other recycled materials and plants.

This door, though, was new – and our house still had not had its foundations poured. But there in October, we looked at each
other and headed over to inspect. The bloke, who clearly buys and sells as a trade, told us it was from the old showroom of Regency Doors at Regency Park, an establishment we noted but had never visited. The door had not been chiselled out for hinges yet.

With a brother-in-law who is managing director of renowned timber merchants, Otto and Co, I know a few things about solid timber western red cedar doors – the price, for instance – when I had to replace a beautiful WRC back door vandalised by robbers. This one carried a low pricetag, less than the cost of the three leadlight panels which had their price still marked in white. Before us was one of Regency Doors’ top-of-the-range Western Red Cedar panelled doors with leadlight insets, a specimen used to attract sales. The side panel wasn’t exactly the same leadlight design, but it still worked well as a stylish companion. “Hold that for us,’’ said Olivier and we scuttled home t o check the house plans. It fitted – and a long nine months later, it arrived on site and so did we to capture the moment when the carpenter hoisted it into its strategic position in our new home.

A front door not only welcomes, it is stamps a house with style and as we st epped past the carpenter, we delighted in discovering that the gyprocking and the cornices (quite stylish stepped contemporary design) have been completed.

Tomorrow I am meeting the carpenter who will install our choice of timber floors. After much research into timber
characteristics, colours and durability, we chose brush box in 130mm x 19mm tongue and groove planks, which will be laid on batons throughout the living areas and hallway of the house to give that lovely hollow timber sound. This was an expensive option, but timber is a special building material for me, thanks to my brother-in-law, Ken Otto, who once designed and built a stunning timber fire surround for me using six different solid timbers and veneers. It saddened me to have to leave this behind when I moved on to marry Olivier.

For our new home, Ken acquired a big lot of beautiful timber for us and it means for the rest of our lives, our living environment will be stamped with the warmth and characteristic style of timber. On this beautiful base, we will scatter our
existing collection of oriental carpets. In one strategic corner, I will place a superb turned timber pedestal which Ken made for me for my 50^thbirthday. It is rarely without a bowl of flowers or a pot of azaleas.

So, as you can deduct, I am beginning already to visualise our lovely new home even though completion is still a few months away.

Be Sociable, Share!