Dormer windows a touch of style in French Provincial Design

          A French Provincial gem, located just off the Golden Mile, Mount Albert Road in Surrey Hill, and built by renown boutique artisan Chris Hardy (www.frenchprovincialhomes.com.au) recently sold at a significant price tag.

          This is what you can expect when you get it right from scratch, and at The Good House we've been promoting and supporting good design, complemented with the right choice of materials, for more than 16 years. If you are unsure where to start, feel free to seek advice for your next project, this is what our Consultancy Service is all about !

         This project features our dormer windows, a simple item that proves there is no need to spend big money to achieve balance and style, but a genuine product is the key. These dormer windows are the exact reproduction of a traditional French roof window, only a lot easier to install than the original ones that were made of cast iron !
          Also featured but somehow hidden in the greenery are our genuine Anduze garden vases, in their ever popular weathered finish.

          At The Good House we try hard to make your life easier !

The most beautiful door in Melbourne ?

                      If you ever wondered where is the most beautiful entrance door installed in Melbourne in recent years,  you might as well travel to Malvern. With so many leafy streets and hidden gems concealed within lush gardens, Malvern is a place of past and present wonders.

                    Our featured door is impressive in more ways than just the look.

• Facing North, it was made out of European walnut, a species known for its resilience to sun exposure. 
• Measuring 2.7m in height, and 1.8m in width, weighing approximately 400 kilos all together, this is not a flimsy door ! The frame is 54mm thick, and with the mouldings it goes up to 70mm !
• It's all traditional workmanship, mortice and tenons assembled with pins.
• It's fitted with a recessed, multipoint safety locking mechanism (top / middle / bottom) 
• A full peripheral rubber seal ensures complete air and water tightness.

               I guess when the owner comes home after a tough business day, the silky touch of the walnut timber, the quiet thud of the heavy leaf closing, and the clear click of the brass locks, all contribute to  leaving the worries outside, and feeling the strong sense of well deserved ownership softly rushing in his veins.

   

          All our doors are custom made in France by renown French cabinet making and wood carving company Bruno BERTOLI - Follow this link to their website: http://www.bertoli.fr

Barrel tiles: Our workmanship stands the test of time ...

Under the Tuscan sun... or the Australian skies ...?

Clients always want to know what their roof will look like in 10 years time.
     The answer is simple: 

Our roofs always look better and better with accumulated ageing patina .

     And if one needs to be convinced, have a look at this iconic French barn in Balnarring, Victoria, where we originally hand crafted the installation of heritage French barrel tiles, about ten years ago.

Simple, symmetric, splendid …!

We have recently returned to complete maintenance and restore the heritage ambiance towards our original installation works, but all we could do was to witness that time had once again done its magic, and will do so for more decades to come.
     See below and compare with a picture taken at the time of installation, 10 years ago !

Medieval interlocking barrel tiles installed in 2005

A taste of Provence in Australia - Casa Valeri

Casa Valeri is one of Melbourne's best kept secret, only known by those who truly relish Mediterranean architecture and the style of Provence, South of France.

In 2006, Natalina VALERI, the owner, had a clear idea of what she wanted to build for her Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Warburton. Inspired by European background and culture, Natalina designed the property herself. She fell in love with Provençal style on her first trip to France and kept going back and forth to achieve her dream.

The Good House was a natural supplier since she wanted to source products from France. We helped her getting a wide range of decorative products to embellish her villa.

For that project we supplied:
- the Mediterranean terracotta roof tiles that we installed as well,
- European style casement windows,
- Traditional shutters,
- French Burgundy limestone fireplace,
- Cremone bolts,
- Flamed Anduze garden pots (weathered and glazed).

The result is stunning! As French natives, we are amazed by the work done and highly recommend French style lovers to spend a weekend and enjoy the lovely surroundings.

For more information, please visit Casa Valeri website: http://www.casavaleri.com