I have been trying to make the lounge a bit more interesting. This is the result of collecting some ideas from some books.

Even though I have created this builtin cabinet around the windows, it actually makes the room look bigger.

Kitchen update

I've done a bunch of work on the kitchen - added cupboards, cornice, benchtops, island bench etc.

I think we have finally decided on a layout for the living/dining/kitchen area. The kitchen & dining integration is quite important, and there has been a lot of changes here to get it right. We have managed to keep a window overlooking the kitchen, and the walk in pantry, along with not having the fridge staring back at you when you look towards the kitchen.
I think we have also ended up with a kitchen that has lots of storage space, without being too extravagant.

Some more images of the kitchen after adding some boxes for the cabinets.

I'm doing some more work on the kitchen, and the kitchen/dining layout. Its still not working right. Having the kitchen at the end of the house like in the previous posts seems a bit bland and boring. Everything is just sort of in a line. Its almost too open, and there is no intimacy. Its a bit too modern for our taste.


So, here is the latest change. The kitchen has been set back to the left, the dining room and the lounge pulled up, and the fireplace has been put between the lounge and dining as a feature.
I have found a fireplace company in Queensland that makes a double sided fireplace.

I have also put a lower ceiling in the kitchen (2450) to give it a bit of separation (the rest of the house is 2700).

We tried a sunroom, but it just felt a little awkward and not really very integrated.

Kitchen and living room renders

I have improved the living room render, and added some detail to the kitchen.
I have also added some cornice into the ceiling. Need to do some skirting boards next.


I am now using an external rendering engine (YafaRay) to do the renders. It add in whats called global illumination, which the Blender internal engine cannot do. This means the lighting is much more realistic - to the point of being true photo realistic if your materials and textures are good enough. The down side is the renders take a bit longer - 6 minutes to each to do these little ones.

One of the things we will have to be careful of is making the kitchen too bland. Because we will have a big walk in pantry, there is little need for lots of overhead cupboards in the kitchen. Overhead cupboards help make a kitchen interesting.

The bench below the window in the above image will have the main sink in it. There will also be a little round sink in the island bench.

Living area render

Heres a better render of the living area.

It took me a while to figure out how to get the windows to cast shadows on the floor.
I have not modelled the kitchen benches and stove yet.
Also need to set the texture on the floor to be woodgrain floorboards.