Love for the loft home

This is adapted from a comment I made a long while ago on An Exacting Life’s blog.

Yes to the following traits:

  • To be renovated from industrial or commercial space – TICK was once a technical school, and there’s all sorts of weird ceiling levels cause of it
  • To give the illusion it’s funky and real, and hasn’t always been chic real estate – TICK (well not entirely sure what was meant with this one!)
  • Industrial elements such as concrete floors or a garage door – TICK (but darn cold in winter, I have carpet on the stairs and in the loft bedroom)
Concrete floor and (a version of) a metal staircase
Concrete floor and (a version of) a metal staircase
  • A row of windows at least as tall as you are – TICK (though not as ‘character’ as I’d hoped, though I did just frost them… just glass sliding doors to my itty bitty balcony which is not common with a loft)
  • Wooden beams, and/or plumbing/heating pipes overhead, or commercial ceiling fans – :( NO (they’ve boxed in all the pipes, but every morning I shower ‘with’ my neighbours… as I hear each of them!)
Exposed beams in the dining area - and a glimpse of my pendant light (the art work is a temporary stop gap!)
Exposed beams in the dining area – and a glimpse of my pendant light (the art work is a temporary stop gap!)
  • Open floor plan – except for bathroom, I hope – TICK – only door other than the front door is for the bathroom (and living alone, I feel odd when I shut it (for company))
  • Room to hang massive artworks – TICK (not for the $$ to buy some! I have hung a scarf that’s almost a metre squared)
  • Pendulum lighting – TICK (I think… I changed from wall mounted, which is common in lofts, to two ceiling mounted pendant lights, looks great imo!)
  • Obligatory sounds of traffic and sirens, and ever-present light from street – YES! I have drug addicts and crazies bickering at all hours… but it’s all part of the charm!

And I have a car space (underground, luxury in the rain!). You made me feel oh so proud with my purchase (I sometimes still have buyers remorse!)

No to

  • Exposed brick on at least one wall – :( NO… could a ‘cover’ a wall in brick faces? Or wallpaper?
  • Salvaged materials such as glass block or bathroom tile – NO
  • Huge scale custom-built furniture such as bookcases or dining table – no… though the bookcase idea tickles me a little… The Dining table is just IKEA, but it’s stainless steel, like the kitchen!
  • Ladders or a metal spiral staircase (if there is an upper level, i.e. an actual “loft”) – :( NO, though I did try to source a ladder for deocartive purposes (old, wooden). I have a staircase, shown in the photo above
  • View of a fire escape and the wall of the next building – No – I have a large playing field… which is lovely. Exposed/external fire escapes are uncommon in Australia
  • Mid-century modern furniture (e.g. 1950s/60s/70s retro) – No, just not my style, though across the road from my building there are many vendors of exactly this kind of furniture and homewares

Completed Bucket List items

Adventure

– Hot air balloon (Dubai 2012)

Hot air ballooning
– Hang glide (fixed – Tasmania, freely – Wollongong 2011?)
– Sky dive (Wollongong 2010?)
– Helicopter ride (New York City 2011)
– Bungee jumping (really a canyon swing, but similar and less impact on the body 2005)
Go gliding June 2016
– Go zorbing (all the blue things are on my 12 in 2 list!) Apr 2015
– Get hypnotised (ideally to solve a bad habit!) done 2015/16
– Ride a segway planned Aug 2016
– Fly on a trapeze June 2015
– Go jet skiing  (on the 12 in 2 list) Dec 2013 and I saw dolphins
– Go cave diving <- went canyoning and walked in caves in March 2016
– Go white water rafting – real rapids, not the ones we built in Sydney for the Olympics
– Climb Sydney Harbour Bridge June 2014
– Go zipling – 2015 did it in Phuket

– parasailing

– ride an ATV

‘Education’

– Get a floristry certification 2009

Wedding flowes
Flowers for a friend’s wedding

– Get a motorcycle licence (for a scooter) 2009
– Learn to play cello 1995-2002
– Learn to play trombone 2001-2002
44. Learn to surf Jan 2015 wouldn’t say I ‘learnt’ but ‘tried’

Travel

I’m lucky to have nomadic, travel loving parents, so up until 2005, they covered the cost. 2006 was on my own dime. India was at their inspiration. I have left off some of the smaller European destinations (BE-LUX – NE made it in, Andorra)

– Visit New Caledonia – 1988?
– Visit Tokyo (overnight) – 1992 & Japan 2015
– See the Statue of Liberty – first in 1992
– Visit Hong Kong – 1993
– See the Eiffel Tower – first time in 1993
– Live in France – 1993 & 2006
– Visit Barcelona – 1993
– Live in Vanuatu – 1995-1998 (went to boarding school in Brisbane)
– Visit Auckland NZ – 1995/6?
– Visit Bangkok – first in 1996? (my parents LOVE the place!)
– Visit Laos – 2004?
– Visit New Orleans – ?? 1997?
– See the Colosseum – 2006
– Visit Prague – 2006
– See the Pyramids – 2006
– Visit Venice – 2006
– Visited concentration camps (Aushwitz) – 2006
– Visit Singapore (overnight) – 2008
– Visit Germany – 2008
– See the Taj Mahal – 2008
– Visit Cuba – 2009
– Visit Canada (Montreal) – 2009
– Visit Bahamas – 2009
– Sail the Greek Isles – 2010
– Visit Amsterdam – 2010
– Visit Chicago – Summer 2011 & Winter 2016
– Visit Israel – 2011
– Visit Dubai – 2012
– Visit Morocco – 2012
– Visit all major Australian Captials (Brisbane – birthplace, Sydney – current home, the most recent ones were Alice Springs/Ayres Rock in 2011, Adelaide in 2009, Perth in 2011, Hobart in 2009.  Darwin ain’t major… so not been there yet!)

– Visit Portland, Oregon – 2015 go to the donut place, eat at places mentioned here, shop and eat here.
– Visit San Fransisco – see the Golden Gate Bridge Jan 2015 & Feb 2016
– Visit Russia – see the St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square, the Bronze horseman, Aug 2016
– Visit Bosnia/Romania – visit Sarajevo Aug 2016
Visit Vietnam Oct 2013
– Ride the bullet train in Japan Jul 2014

Experience

– Attend Olympic Games – 2000 for water polo (which I still play, and in the SAME Sydney Olympic pool!) and volleyball (which I did play)
– See penguins in the wild – 2005

– See the Tour de France live  – 2006
– Fly business class long haul (one way Paris – Dubai – Sydney)

Business class

– Go paint balling
– Try acupuncture (regularly!)

– Try cupping
– Donate Blood
– Swim in the dead sea
– Visit Disneyland (Euro in 1994 and US style in 1996 I think)
– 100% debt free (credit card debt) – I never really wasn’t though!
– Go skinny dipping (we had a back yard pool as kids)
– Learnt to use chop sticks (enforced from a young age!)
– See Cirque du Soleil Show
– Order room service (ah, work trips!)
– Make a gingerbread house Dec 2013
– Try a pilates reformer
– Complete a half marathon  July 2014
– Try barre body classes (ballet with yoga/exercise) Jan 2016
– Zero Gravity yoga 2015
– Go floating 2015
– Hot stone massage 2015
– Go stand up paddle boarding
– Reiki massage 2015
-Pay for someone else’s groceries (I LOVE this one, thanks www.lifed.com) Jun 2013

– Get a fish pedicure

Stuff

– Buy a scooter – 2010
– Buy an (gorgeous) loft apartment by myself – Dec 2011!
– Own a luxury European vehicle (BMW, Audi or Mercedes)