1960’s family home, Wahroonga. Proposed carport and entry design by Secret Design Studio
“We had struggled with a vision for upgrading the facade of our home. In the 2 hours that Alistair was with us during our “Dr Retro House Call”, Alistair demonstrated an immediate understanding of the issues we faced; went through the entire property, questioning and analyzing everything to come up with ideas the we had not considered ourselves, demonstrating a great knowledge of everything from landscaping through to house color selection. He provided us with a solution to our problem and a vision for our home. A great investment – Thank You! Alistair.”
1960’s family home, Wahroonga. Existing conditions prior to renovation. Photo by Secret Design Studio
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Secret Design Studio
Secret Design Studio is a small, boutique building and interior design studio that specialises in retro homes of the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s.
Secret Design Studio received three vinyl tile samples from “Stick on Tiles Australia” and I have mixed feelings about this product. Each 30cm square tile has a paper backing that conceals the sticky back. The product made me think about honesty and dishonesty in materials for interior design. My test always involves putting a sample of the imitation product adjacent to the real thing to see how fake (or real) it looks.![]()
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In this case, the “terrazzo” pattern look is a failure, the pattern is too bold, the finish is too matt, and the colours look wrong. The other two are more “honest”, as they look like what they are – vinyl tiles. ![]()
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It is a product designed for the DIY and Flipper market, and I would not consider it in wet areas, or a kitchen splashback close to a heat source. Due to the lightness of the product its ideal application could be for refreshing a caravan floor which has lighter use than most domestic situations. As with any flexible flooring material so much depends on what is underneath, as the thinness of the tile will transfer any imperfections from beneath the tile.
