Forward Design Byron Bay in New Brighton, New South Wales, Australia | Architectural designer

Forward Design Byron Bay

Locality: New Brighton, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 400 204 621

Address: 56 New Brighton Rd 2483 New Brighton, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.forwarddesignbyronbay.com

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• Home improvement
• Architectural designer
• Design & fashion

24.01.2022 1960’s mod. It was the talk of the town when this was built in 1962. Cool juxtaposition of stack brick orderliness with random granite stone chimney #designelements #everythingoldisnewagain #coolcornerwindows #fixedpanewithhoppers #hardwoodtimberwindowslast #forwarddesignbyronbay

24.01.2022 "Design for Climate"-one of the most important principles of good building design. When you walk in the world of a building designer, you walk between two worlds One is the world of beauty and aesthetics, the "yes!" that sends shivers through the bones and the other is the world of function, Within the world of function, there are a multitude of rules, regulations, standards and codes borne of government departments and insurance companies. Having to comply with all these re...gulations is monumental and can threaten the integrity of the design. Its really important to have a project comply with the linear regulations whilst holding space for the original design vision. And there lies the wizardry! It means being able to float on a cloud, while wearing a straight jacket looking out the window of a multi-storey building. I'm very aware of the need for both aspects of the design process but over the years the sheer volume of rules and regs has grown exponentially. Whilst I might bemoan the loss of a certain amount of freedom, in the last few weeks Ive given a big THANK YOU to those regs that keep us safe in our buildings. A few weeks ago I stood under the doorway of a concrete house feeling the ground shake for 20 seconds during a 6.4 earth tremor. Not a hairline crack appeared thereafter, thanks to the design code for earthquake areas! And then, just 10 days ago, sitting through the worst flood in 50 years at New Brighton, I was eternally grateful that my house is designed for a once in a 100 year flood. I watched the waters rise at an alarming speed in the middle of the night, but no, the flood waters didn't come close. Once again, thanks for that regulation. See more

22.01.2022 My last post here was also the beginning of a period of travelling as a way of life, so since then I've had my attention on what's happening out there in the world. I'm slowly heading back to my home and business on the east coast now, full of inspiration and excitement about my design work. Lots of my instagram posts (look for @forwarddesignbyronbay) show the many moments of "yes"..."oh my"........"how can I get that in my suitcase" ........moments of pure joy. Though not necessarily about building, interior or landscape design, they give you a sense of what makes my heart sing. Like these few......

20.01.2022 Time to update you with an update!

19.01.2022 About this floor! If you cant find what you want, make it! In the late '80's I had the good fortune to work with some innovative builders in the Fremantle WA area. Self taught and natural innovators, Rob Wall, Robert Gordon, Ken Norrish and Bruce Campbelll were responsible for some of the best renovations and additions to the huge (then) bank of untouched limestone homes built by the Italian immigrants in the '50's and '60's, and the first settlers before them. Ken Norrish ...and Bruce Campbell worked with me on my own renovation and addition at North Fremantle. That was enough to inspire me to retrain as a Building Designer. Nice work guys! I first saw this floor finish (see photo) in a house Ken Norrish worked on back then. That project was featured on the cover of House and Garden. Almost 20 years later...here's another version, so good looking it hurts! If this is what you'd like in your new or existing home, just ask! I'm so there! See more

14.01.2022 I taught myself to sew at a young age, watching over the shoulder of my mother on her sewing machine. I spent the next ten years playing with designs and fabrics, creating the clothes I wanted to wear but couldn't buy, in our small country town. Fast forward a decade and a new inspiration appeared. With a new baby in my arms, I started a children's clothing label. I wanted to have something creative to do whilst being a momma at home. Soon after starting the label I bought a ...very derelict limestone cottage in North Fremantle and began the task of renovations and of building a new addition. This was one of the most exciting periods of my life...two beautiful girls to care for, a clothing range to design seasonally and a home begging for some love and attention. These photos illustrate a little of the story. The clothes were featured in Studio Bambino, an Italian children's fashion magazine, and the cottage was featured in a Perth based magazine, put out by Bunnings, when it was a WA hardware company. The irony of the article about my place was that, whilst the magazine was created to promote the beauty of new timbers available at Bunnings, my place didn't possess a stick of it. Everything was recycled, from the bountiful recycling yards around Perth. But here's the interesting part. During this time I listened to a guy being interviewed on ABC radio about the Owner Builder movement. The one absolutely golden takeaway for me was his comment that women make really great builders. Why? His rationale was that if you can sew a garment you can build a house, because you are working in 3D, you are problem solving, you have to focus on the detail and the end result, and make sure the item is functional and beautiful. Well! That was all I needed to hear. The rest, as they say, is history! Special thanks to Ken Norrish, Bruce Campbell, Nat Flint and Rob Wall for awesome support, workmanship and care, and to my two beautiful daughters, Serena Robinson and Tess Robinson, for being my reason to create that home. See more

12.01.2022 Corner windows are uber cool. Great for cross ventilation. Single car garage for the thoroughly modern 1960’s single car family #putthegarageroundtheback #frontpatiostairshiddenbehindgreenery #3x1familyhome #builttolast #forwarddesignbyronbay

09.01.2022 Proud to be sharing the work of Susie Olsen on my webpage

09.01.2022 The post below was a site visit to begin the design a new home for Martina Urbas, of Maru Jewellery, Bali. That was August 2017. For the next 6 weeks I worked madly on the Concept Design with Martina, and then Design Development with Martina and her builder. It was all unusually challenging, because the site was tiny (105sq m), not square and quite close to a local temple. There are strict rules for overlooking a temple but with a road in between Martina's boundary and the te...mple that was not too onerous. The house needed to be two storey and we included a swimming pool. There have been many delays to get the job finished -think wet season, religious holidays and family ceremonial commitments. She's still not in -we all know how that feels- but the end is nigh and we all know how that feels too. Here are a few pics Martina sent me along the way. I cannot wait to see how it will look when she moves in. She has impeccable taste See more

08.01.2022 Passive solar design...... Such a well used term these days when it comes to sustainable design. It's partly about bringing sunshine into your living rooms when you want it and keeping it out when you don't. The photo shows the sunshine finding its way into my living space from about 7.30am on this chilly mid autumn morning. Not only does it do the job of warming the space when I need it, but as importantly, that sunshine streaming through the room as the days shorten and temperatures drop totally nourishes heart and mind. Passive solar design... it's not rocket science but it's so much more important and life changing. Have some!

03.01.2022 I'm currently working on designing a two story house and 8m long lap pool on a 120sq m site. I love working with these "limitations" Here's a few shots of the site as it is now