Good things take time.

It was never going to be easy to find the kind of building that ticked all the boxes. We found one in the Byron Arts & Industry Estate that came close, though it did need a little TLC. To the untrained eye there wasn’t a lot to be inspired about - but years of experience told us we could do something wonderful with it.

The gift we gave ourselves was no deadline. The beauty of a slow renovation is that you actually get to enjoy the process - true story 🙂
As much as we  worked physically hard - we both loved what we were creating. Moving the business proved to be a much bigger deal than we ever imagined ~ but having the sun, sand + sea at our door was heavenly after some pretty long days on the tools...

Months were spent months replacing the roof and stripping back the space to the bare bones and clearing skip after skip of rubbish. Finally the day did come when we could specify our (that was fun) own stuff ! A few key architectural elements to bring the old & the new together. 

There are a number things to get right when building around old doors & architectural antiques. .  Over the years we've seen a lot of very beautiful architectural elements poorly installed and the end result does neither the building or materials justice. A couple of tips: Condition & size:  are the key to using second-hand pieces - don't buy something that needs altering or cutting down.  Things are often cheap cause of their condition.   Installation: framing and timber choice are paramount in making these pieces look like they belong to the building. 
Finishing: sanding, painting and finishing are skills; especially when it comes to blending old finishes with new materials. My advice is to get in touch with a restorer or polisher for best results :) 
The day the front door &  arched window were installed was a real woo-hoo moment! 

Building around these pieces does take extra time and thought but recycling second-hand materials is not only good for the planet but the building will feel and look like no other. There is real sense of satisfaction in re-purposing beautiful architectural elements.  Knowing this window was going to be the light source for our photographic studio wall - put the pressure on, but we are so very  happy with the decision & the placement.  
Seeing this window we sourced in France,
built into our space delights us every single day...

I've never been a fan of a besser block walls - so we chose to cover them in some places with sheet ply and other in plaster.  Josh from Who Plastering worked his magic, layering trowel after trowel of plastery stuff.  Then the serious painting could begin, a mini cause for celebration ... 
It was hard-earned joy when our vision for the main showroom came together. High ceilings, glorious space and the light. Even the quirky Hebel break outs & the run-down sheds at the back started to look a little charming (through squinted eyes).

For months we traversed scaffolding: sanding, wire brushing and painting every ceiling rafter and what a difference 20 odd litres of white paint made.  Tim grinded back the concrete floors:  refinished and restored many of the original industrial elements including the metal fans, keeping the simple fabric of the building in tact.

Twelve months or so later we now have a  workshop... the street art door we repurposed has the words - Take the dive, Regret nothing - that pretty much wraps up the mood around here.  (🙏 Nitsua)

The interior spaces are working just like we imagined, the old and the new are now one.  Our intention was to go slow and it worked for us and for the build, its true all the good things do take time.
*See how long it took to create our mosaic floor  here.
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There was an eclectic fabric in this old building and we wanted to retain that essence whilst adding another layer and creating a beautiful multi-functional space.