Renovation satisfaction
Following the tough Covid years we were determined to get back into travelling again but both of us run a small business and really felt the economic pressures and the impacts of staff shortages in 2022. The planned holiday just didn’t happen. As 2023 got into full swing we made the decision to channel these travel frustrations into doing up key areas of our house instead. Having all the appliances, whiteware and homewares we needed for the bathroom, kitchen and laundry all at Albany Mega Centre made our frustrations disappear very quickly.
Since early February the builders have been hard at work and our turbulent existence has been compounded by living on a construction site. The focus has been on renovating the bathrooms, kitchen and laundry. Being without a kitchen has been difficult but it’s been worth it. The new crisp white composite stone kitchen island is beautiful, complimented by the green splashback, white cupboards and green trimmings. The laundry has come out just as well, with the same composite benchtop and green and white colour scheme. The bathrooms had their wooden floorboards repaired and revarnished, new vanities and the walls freshened up with a new coat of paint.
As building works neared an end, all that was missing were new appliances. A trip to Noel Leeming, at Albany Mega Centre, sorted all that out in just one afternoon. This is home to all the big brands. For the kitchen, we purchased a double Fisher & Paykel fridge, complete with ice-maker. We’ve always wanted one of these but never had the space – fortunately, the builders created a nook specifically for this. For a dishwasher, we went with the latest Haier stainless steel model and for he laundry, we chose the Westinghouse front-loading washing machine and matching dryer.
With the big things out of the way, last weekend was been about getting those finishing details right to make the place look a million bucks. Fortunately, everything we needed for this was also at Albany Mega Centre. For all three rooms we wanted new – and matching – towels and accessories so the first stop was Bed, Bath & Beyond. They had a great selection of styles and colours, and after some debate, we chose the Design Republic Ultra Plush range for its softness and luxurious feel. We purchased a variety of sizes, ranging from spa towels, hand towels, bath towels and facecloths through to bath mats.
To accessorise the kitchen we popped into Briscoes. Specifically, we were looking for benchtop appliances like a toaster, a kettle and a coffee machine. Their store at Albany Mega Centre is huge which meant multiple choices across all three appliances. We went for a Sunbeam toaster and kettle, both with a green element in their design that complimented the colours of the new kitchen. For a coffee machine, we went top of the line, buying the Breville Barista Express.
For the laundry, we were keen to avoid the cluttered mess we had prior to the renovation. At Storage Box we found two very stylish laundry baskets, a series of racks and hooks to get things off the ground, and a tall cabinet to house our brooms, mops and other cleaning stuff.
The house is looking fantastic and we’re feeling very proud of our efforts to make it this way. Who needs a holiday when you can make your house just the way you want it. We’ve invited friends to come and stay for Easter and I can’t wait for them to see it. We’ll no doubt take them to the Albany Mega Centre as well so they can see where all this great stuff came from.