Blog Archives | Finer LivingFiner Living

Hawthorne House with complete timber furnishings

January 17, 2023
by Matthew
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The owner came to us looking for quality timber furnishings for their new home. They both loved the idea of having as much timber through out their new home as possible. We worked with their ideas and helped to transform their new house into a home.

The Kitchen island is a WOW Piece , Solid Oak with a sunken in Butler sink, with a detailed island Cabinet. This Kitchen is spacious and has a wonderful feel. Off the kitchen there is a full butlers pantry, with stainless steel bench tops, and then leading into the mud room and laundry.

The Bedroom robes, were made from Oak and we painted them all white in a two pack finish and we left the grain showing , to add a warmer inviting touch to the rooms.

The Ensuite Vanity OMG it is Amazing (not my words) The drawers are all Solid Oak which shows off the grain in every section.

The walk-in robe is made in Oak and are floor to ceiling, which makes this space look and feel larger, with many drawers for storage.

The two standalone Timber Vanities are pieces of Art, they have hand turned legs with a detail drawer.

Wine Cellar in the hills

October 25, 2021
by Matthew
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This wine cellar is made from Solid Spotted Gum and Veneer.

The storage is 925 Bottles of Wine,

The timber brings a warm feel and design a clean look , we added shelves for the wine boxes. There is also an added space for a artwork in the middle framed section.

“Our experience of creating our wine cellar with Finer Living was wonderful: we’re exceptionally happy with the result. They went out of their way to research and work with us on the design to create a gorgeous and very functional space with a real eye for detail, and exceptional craftsmanship. I would highly recommend them.”

Kind regards and many thanks to the whole team for doing such a great job on our cellar project! From David (The Gap)

Mahogany Buffet Restoration – they said it couldn’t be done!

August 9, 2021
by Matthew
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An English C 1810 Flame Mahogany buffet which we had to replace a lot of missing solid timber and Veneer to bring this Buffet back to life. The top was very badly water damaged and other restores said that it couldn’t be fixed. Our high skilled team decided it could be done, they removed the old veneer and dried it out, and made a press to evenly re-glue the top onto the base.

This piece will stand proud back in the family home for many years to come, some times the old ways are the best ways, and our customer is over joyed with the restoration, work of miracles.

Bar Cabinet, Creating Spaces that Serve

May 24, 2021
by Matthew
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Our Client wanted to bring a unique bar cabinet into their dining room space, that leads onto the deck. This cabinet doubles up to serve the dining and deck dining spaces.

Our client, came to us and asked for a bar with character and style. They selected this timeless style, that works with all other styles of decor.

We used Am Walnut timber , with a leather insert in the pull down section for serving. The inside of the cabinet is also Am Walnut, with solid brass supports and we added two leds lights in the display area, to give this section a soft glow at day and night.

Our client’s words: Matthew and his team have created something unique that could not be bought from a store at any price. With exceptional quality displayed in the construction, finishes, and details, I look forward to enjoying my dry bar with friends and family for many years to come. To complement the end result, the design, construction and installation process was hassle free. Would recommend Finer Living to anyone who is looking for that special piece. ( Wesley Cummins, Yerongapilly)

Queenslander Renovation

April 1, 2021
by Matthew
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Trebilcock Architects engaged us to craft all the joinery for an old Queenslander having a complete make-over. Working with an old house can bring many dilemmas; how to work the old into the new without losing the integrity of the historical elements. We created a Hamptons style interior with a difference.

Working closely with the clients and the Architects we were able to achieve a flowing and timeless modern home.

Kitchen Reno with many moods

September 3, 2020
by Matthew
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Our Clients, Peter and Dianne wanted to bring a modern feel to their Riverside Apartment. We discussed the use of their kitchen area and they expressed they wanted to be able to create a soft feel, through the use of timber and lighting.

They wanted to keep the marble bench tops uncluttered, so we built the coffee maker into the pantry, all hidden behind the warm stained oak doors.

The working area of the kitchen is finished in a Hamptons, raised panel design. Finished with a Satin white 2 pak look,

Dianne chose the sleek black metal handles, which worked really well and brought curves into the linear cupboards, complimenting the curve of the ceiling. And the stone finish has only a limited overhang, and this shows off more of the handles.

All these little details work well, adding to the feel of the kitchen.

We included lighting under the breakfast bar, to create a evening bar feel as well when needed.

This kitchen is multi purpose, with lots of bench space to work with or use as a kitchen or bar service area, and the stained oak cupboards on one wall bring the warmth and softness.

We also created a new office area, from a disused balcony space. We built a sliding door from oak, which nicely frames the wall space as well as bring warmth into the new found office space.

Peter and Dianne are overjoyed with how the kitchen turned out and love having the extra office space.

See the before and after photos below.

Apartment Renovation

March 8, 2020
by Matthew
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We offer a unique service

We have just completed another Apartment Renovation on a 10 year old apartment in New Farm.

We worked alongside Anju Designs and the owners to renovate the kitchen, laundry, staircase and front entrance.

The brief was to “turn this apartment into a modern Home, within a tight budget”

We replaced the kitchen cupboard doors and the island bench, repainted the whole apartment. Stripped back, stained and repolished the staircase in a black finish and added a glass hand rail. Replaced the front door with a solid Oak door and custom built handles, to match the staircase and compliment the entrance.

The owners are really happy with their new look home, all completed within budget.

Apartment Renovation by the River

February 5, 2020
by Matthew
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We offer a full apartment renovation service, we take care of everything.

We were approached by Anju Designs to renovate an 80’s apartment by the river. We transformed this four bedroom, three bathroom apartment into a fresh new look and feel, that the owners are very happy with.

The kitchen had a large pole on the edge that needed to be integrated into the open living space and we came up with a reshaping solution using timber pieces, that creates a lovely transition into the kitchen from the living.

We completely renovated all the bathrooms, bedrooms, including joinery, tiling, painting, lighting plan and installation to create the look of a new apartment.

The owners were very impressed with our work and the final result.

Anju Designs were great to work with and we often collaborate with designers and between us we find good design solutions for many of the problems that often arise with renovation.

Our Clients Testimonal:

We were first introduced to Matthew by our designer Penny from Anju Designs, as we wanted to do a complete renovation on our apartment in Kangaroo Point.

We selected Matthew to do the work as his quote was acceptable compared to others, but he was able to do the complete renovation from demolition right through to the finished product, including all joinery. This proved to be the best solution for us.

We have been totally happy with Matthew and his team throughout the whole process, and the quality of the workmanship is second to none.

Thank you Matthew and your team for making our project go so well and we are absolutely delighted with our finished apartment. We highly recommend Matthew and Finer Living.

Paul & Lesley Langdale-Hunt

Watermark Residences

Apartment Renovation by the River

February 5, 2020
by admin
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We offer a full apartment renovation service, we take care of everything.

We completely renovated all the bathrooms, bedrooms, including joinery, tiling, painting, lighting plan and installation to create the look of a new apartment.

The owners were very impressed with our work and the final result.

Anju Designs were great to work with and we often collaborate with designers and between us we find good design solutions for many of the problems that often arise with renovation.

Complete New Farm Apartment Renovation

October 17, 2019
by Matthew
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Anju Designs contacted Finer Living to carry out a full transformation of a very tired looking 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom Apartment in Arthur Street New Farm.

Penny (Manger Director) From Anju Designs arranged a meeting with the owners and myself (Matthew Hunsche) to discuss how we could open up the space and create a very modern but timeless feel.

Anju Designers and Finer Living worked very closely together throughout this project, every detail was taken into consideration, from lighting, to extra storage under the bed to even considering the water filter. Every room had to fit into the brief from the owners, from Sarah’s bathroom to Craig’s office.

Since there is no room for a dining room table, Anju Designers took the risky move of making the stone island bench larger and longer, which fitted into the space beautifully. The kitchen design with builtin LED lighting, works wonderfully with the stone material.

We also created a new feel in the bedroom by way of new joinery furniture, with LED lighting and more storage space in the upper cupboards.

New BBQ Area , with a pop up Tv makes the courtyard a really relaxed atmosphere to sit and unwind.

Everyone is overjoyed with the success of the project and the apartment now looks like new, breathing a fresh life into the space and creating a living environment that works perfectly and compliments the lifestyles of the owners.

Our Clients Testimonal:

I recently used Finer Living for a complete apartment renovation which included full custom designed kitchen, bedroom, office and bathroom. In conjunction with Anju Designs, Finer Living tailored and delivered a clean modern living space that presented as desired; minimal, clean and functional. Attention to detail was immaculate, and the organisation was effective in communicating and solving any issues that arose. Matthew is easy to contact and committed to completing all minor touch ups without extra charge. Both build and design worked hand in hand in order to produce the home I visualised living in. I would recommend Finer Living to anyone looking for a custom high-end result with minimal issues.”

Craig Waterhouse