Was there something structurally wrong with the archway? IMHO such a unique feature is something to celebrate, not demolish...

holy cow - the after is amazing. good bye ugly archway!

Wow! You do have great vision to get to the gorgeous "after" -- very nice! Thanks for sharing!

I'm in love with this space for some many reasons - light, white, glass, texture, open. Aaaaah! I could live here in a second...Beautiful.

I think the archway was gorgeous.

But congrats on getting rid of that carpet and on having a space you love.

I love, love love what you did. You really showcased the view and your glassware so perfectly. It really is a fresh and light room now compared to what you had before. Great job!

Good job, congrats!:) Light and bright - modern and stylish!:)

I LOVE the polished concrete floors, and the dream home floating around in my mind has them.

@BRILLIANT?GIRL: homeowner explains this right at the outset of the story: "The view into the valley could not be seen from the kitchen before. I wanted a kitchen where I could admire the view and see the kids while they were playing, inside or out."
Did you look at the befores? That kitchen was walled off, dark and tiny. The wall had to go. And what a result!

Homeowners: what a wonderful result of having true vision. Your home looks amazing! Think the Ghost stools at counter were a genius choice. :)

I have a question I've been longing to ask of an Aussie: why do so many Australian houses feature what looks like heavy-duty wire fencing over the glass on windows and doors? (Most noticeable on "before" close-up photo of archway).

It looks like what we here in the States call cyclone fencing. I have noticed it in almost every house I've seen featured on a TV program we have here called House Hunters International and I'm baffled as to what might be the reason for it. At first I thought perhaps securing in a high crime area, but then I saw it on virtually every house. I can perhaps as a safety feature on glass doors (a friend's child ran through a glass door and sliced his jugular) but that doesn't explain why it's on windows too.) Can you enlighten me?

Goodness, so many typos in my previous post, and no edit feature on AT. :(

ooo too bad about loosing the brick and archway...some very thin/light whitewashing would have updated that and set a great background to the furnishings that were chosen. Great work, too bad it lost such a feature element.

I love exposed brick as much as the next person, but those blocks didn't do a thing for me. Gorgeous kitchen! Your results are stunning! Well done!!

Hate closed off kitchens! LOVE all the new bright white light... Beautiful!!

Like many, I thought the archway was awesome. However, the end result is absolutely beautiful.

I don't understand when people are so obsessed with design that they forget about function. Congratulations on looking past the cool archway and realizing the true potential of the space. To sacrifice the functionality of a room, purely to save an architectural element doesn't make sense at all. The commenter above who seems to think you are more concerned with what other people think couldn't be farther from the truth. It is very apparent in the design of your space that function was first and foremost! This is a room that I would love to spend time in, unlike the chopped up rooms in the before photos. It is bright and cheery and the views can be enjoyed from every corner of the room. The finishes are certainly beautiful, clean and modern. Wonderful work!

A way couldn't have been found to integrate the archway?

The archway was really nice and unique but I completely understand why the owners tore it down. It is kind of limiting and definitely blocked the view. The result is amazing, too. I ultimately prefer function and efficiency over aesthetics, so I understand the reasons for what the owners did.

@Michael W. -no, not really. As the owners explained, the kitchen was walled off and blocked the view. The owners wanted to be able to watch the kids from the kitchen no matter where they were in the house. The archway made up part of the wall and when they tore it all down, they had to tear down the archway as well.

It wasn't about integrating or making it more modern - it just flat out didn't work because it obstructed the ability to see the rest of the space from the kitchen.

Very handsome.

You did a great job with the renovation, but you took what was unique about the space--that archway -- and demolished it in favor of what is currently trendy. The space looks great but it looks like every other modern renovation I've seen.

I liked the archway-- I would've probably covered it with stucco or plaster, though, to give it of a Morrocan vibe.

Lovely space, but I agree that the archway could have added some wonderful character to the space. Maybe could have left the archway, but gotten rid of the wall portion closing off the kitchen. Either way... Looks great!

It's such a shame when an interesting home is turned into an everyday blah.

I totally agree with your decision to tear own the arch. It obstructed the view, and made the ceiling even lower than they are. Plus, a brick archway isn't an architectural marvel and can be easily replicated.

Jebus Christmas. Nowhere to go but up. Nice work, and I looooove open kitchens.

Hmm, getting rid of the brick archway was definitely the right thing to do, but I personally would've left the other archway door.
It is a beautiful redo and it certainly takes creativity, vision and a lot of hard work to put it all together. But I guess personally I don't think it takes too much vision to look at an ugly space, and then say we're going to tear down the walls to start with an essentially blank canvas. I think for most people that's the easy part. Putting the blank canvas together, as well as having the means to do so, is the hard part. Kudos to the homeowners!

I really thought I would miss the archway. I love those details. But I honestly don't miss it at all. The open space looks so liberating. Congrats on a beautiful job.

I love the reno and the fact that the space now works for this family- the finishes and fixtures are spot on! But that old archway, despite how dark and imposing it may have been, lent a unique architectural vibe to the room that is seldom seen anymore. As someone else suggested, I would have been inclined to keep it and perhaps paint it white to brighten the space... yes, at the peril of having the open floor plan. But doesn't matter what I think... glad that the owner loves the new space!

Inspiring! Love the showcase for glassware collection. Fab to the max.

Amazing how many people are in favor of that archway ignoring the way it completely dominates the space and adds nothing in the way of functionality or aesthetics. I'm historic preservationist and I am all for this reno. If the brick had any sort of character, I might see the point of the people arguing it shoudl've been kept. What a beautiful job. Looks like it was hard work, but what a fabulous space you have to enjoy now!

Wow. Just ...wow!

Breathtaking transformation. Ignore all the nay-sayers who can't ever seem to go beyond protecting all existing brick or wood -- and especially those who called it "everyday blah"! (I think that's a renter's mentality. Work with it because you can't fix it...) Ridiculous! it's beautiful bright and timeless -- definitely NOT "blah". I LOOOOVE it!

I too liked the archway but man oh man, what a beauty afterwards.

I love the outcome! (And I long to cool my someday-house with those wall-mounted A/C units instead of the ever-present and oft-insufficient central cooling units I've always dealt with here in the States.) That arch, while it could be interesting in other settings, here really just darkened the place and cut so much usable space in half - and the fact that it reminds me of awful '70s Tex-Mex restaurants doesn't help the matter any either. Amazing transformation and totally inspirational!

I love a good archway but the after is really wonderful. Good job! RIP brick archway. :(

LOVE everything esp those polished concrete floors! Amazing job.

To GREENHERONFARM they are simple called 'security doors and windows' and are awful and everywhere. They are super strong with good locks and have fly wire. The idea is because of the summer's heat and the flies you can have leave your front door open but locked allowing air in and keeping the flies out. When I see a house for sale my first thought is 'rip down the security front door as it is not only ugly but sends the potential buyer the idea that you live in a security risk area'. It's not quiet cyclone fencing, its more of a grill with fly wire.

oh wow I totally thought this was going to be a "paint it white" reno. as in the brick gets painted over and everything gets whitewashed into faux Scandinavia (which I do love...nothing wrong with it) but was pleasantly surprised at this total gut job. \

hmm maybe I shouldve read the title fully :)

The new space is absolutely beautiful but tearing down those archways breaks my heart. :( It seems like such a waste to buy a house with such interesting architectural details just to demolish them.

I respect that the owner is happy with the renovations to their house. They came out great. I'm in the "save the arch" camp, though and I feel like it could have been done and still gotten a relatively open space. There's a return going back from the arch - maybe 18" - if that same 18" were left on the front side to the right of the arch and then everything after removed, you could still have had a nice bar and openish kitchen - also removing the rest of the return wall that's not brick. I dunno. I think it could have been cool.

I'm sorry but you "archway savers" are bananas. Beautiful job and congrats on the hard work and vision it took to get there.

There ALWAYS have to be the "it was better before" comments on every one of these posts and 9 times out of 10 I think they are wrong. This time I think they are INSANE. That arch was butt-ugly, the bricks were a horrible color, and it closed off the entire home. That's not historic charm, that's just tacky. Whoever said 70s Tex Mex restaurant was spot-on. Getting rid of it leaves a space that is sunny, beautiful and best of all - exactly what this family wanted.

Ooh that arch was vile. I'm so glad you made the house work for you, too many people wouldn't have been brave enough to do so and would have lived with the crappy kitchen and obscured view. Well done.

I would rather live in the "after". Makes me wonder how many arch lovers themselves have actually chosen to buy old homes just to preserve them? My bet is that you purchased because of location, and then made your interior choices to reflect your tastes. That's exactly what happened here! No need to save details just because it's brick or its wood. Especially if it totally contrasts with your personal taste. The green views from the after are beautiful.

From ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. And those gorgeous concrete floors...

Who wouldn't want to live in a brick pizza oven?! Good riddance.

To GREENHERONFARM and JOJOZECK if installing security screens allow you to have cheaper home insurance then I'm all for it, especially since home insurance is pretty high anyway because of recent natural disasters. You soon learn to ignore it.

Wow - gorgeous! I especially love your glass collection. Curious - how long did this all take? Looks like major major reno!

Love the end result. Feature brick archways were commonplace in Australia in the era this was originally built. Every second house had them! I love that there is no resemblance to the before photos. It just goes to show if a house has good bones and someone has a vision there is no need to pull it down and start over!

Many Australian homes have insect/security screens. The mesh look is part of the metal strengthening of same. Screens on doors and windows allow breezes to blow through the home day and night during hot weather saving on air conditioning use. They are not beautiful, but they are practical.

Shame about the archway, now this looks like another very nice but completely generic modernist box.

Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi - great job. love the expanse of polished concrete.

re the security screens - I'd rather have air flow at night in our summers, security while sleeping and an insect free home regardless of the look. I rarely notice it.

re the arch - ugh - I'd rather have light and space. We have beautiful light here.

I LOVE the glass collection.

I thought the brick archway was a totally unique and interesting feature. It definitely could have been worked with.

Ozzie awesome! Can you come to California and blow up the brick walls in my house? I hate them.

Your home is fabulous, cheerful and light. That arch in the before shot looks to me like a furrowed brow -- heavy and sad. You brought life to the home.

I was excited to see an Australian home... but this doesn't really do it for me. It's definitely an improvement on the old (the arch had to go!), but nothing I haven't seen before... and too like all the Mirvac et al homes popping up everywhere here in Aus. A beautifully tiled splashback, or different pendants/bulbs over the bench would add some much-needed interest. Also not a fan of the styling.... doesn't say great things about Jules Hurst!

awww so sad to see that amazing arch go. To each his/her own, but personally I loved it. I love the after, too.....but I would love it more if I hadn't known what was there before. I understand the kitchen was dark and small, but surely there are other fixes.

The glass is gorgeous, but the arrangement needs work.

Its so good to see renovation stories from Australia featured on Appartment Therapy, and not only that but renovations from my home town PERTH!!! great story, I love what you have done with your home.

The 'after' is a huge improvement on the 'before'. Just because something is unique, does not mean it should be retained. That brick arched wall was uniquely ugly. And the most important thing anyway is how the space functioned for the family living there. It blocked the view of the valley and with it gone the owner can keep an eye on her children. Rather more important considerations than keeping some old brick arch from the 1970s!
As some other Aussies on here have already mentioned, the wire/metal mesh is used to keep out flies in the Australian summer...they fly wire screens are ugly but useful.

I'm torn! On the one hand I love the after pics...but I think the moongate archway was very cool and really good feng shui. It could have been updated by painting the outmoded bricks white or even a charcoal black color. I guess my question is, if you wanted a wide open loft space without a round gateway feature, why buy a space with a round gateway feature?

It is beautiful. Just kind of sterile. I get why they did this. I'm sure it works alot better for the family. This layout has more flow. Just not a ton of charm.

To all the archway defenders: I live in Australia, and I *cringed* when I saw that thing. Dark brick + interior archway = ubiquitous '70's design that wastes the natural light and makes the ceilings feel low and the rooms dark. It is in no way 'unique' - it's freakin' everywhere, and ugly to boot. It's a faux-Spanish-hacienda look that is completely incongruous in Australia anyway. There was no way to work around it that wouldn't be jarring with the style of the reno - plus, yes, it is more important to be able to see your kids in the pool.

Anyway, that's my two cents' worth. I love the new look. It's a million times brighter, cleaner, and more practical - and their resale value just increased exponentially. And I don't even particularly like new houses - I much prefer 1940's architecture, but not this.

Oh, and those security screens - we have them on the front and back doors and windows, so we can lock them and leave the solid wood doors open (even at night) for airflow. They take advantage of afternoon sea breezes and can cut down massively on air-con bills. They're not pretty, but you get used to them and the advantages are great.

Interesting that so many people liked the "unique" arch - in Australia and arch like that isn't unique at all, which would be part of the reason they didn't feel the need to preserve it.

As to the question about the "cyclone fencing" over the windows & doors, I daresay it might be related to the ages of the houses you've seen. A lot of houses built in a particular decade (I'm guessing 70s or so) in Oz have those doors, however you never see it in modern homes. If people are hunting for renovation projects, those screens would be very common. Also, they are not just for crime, they are mainly to keep out the flies! We sometimes call them "flywire doors". :)

Haha should have read the rest of the comments - all of the above has already been said!

Yay - is this really a PERTH home in apartment therapy!! Congratulations on a fabulous open space to spend with your family. Such an inspiration (how many 70s homes have we looked at with the archways...?) of what you can do!

RE the screens - these were the standard security & fly screens available in the 80s and much of the 90s in Australia. There are more modern and discreet versions available now, but most homes have one type or another, depending on when they were built and/or renovated.

Oh, yeah - I have the 'old version' of security doors, like the ones in these pics, but the newer ones do look much better; rigid dark mesh, rather than lighter flyscreen (which can be cut) with a rigid grid laid over it. The rigid dark mesh 'fades' into the background, and is much less visible.

Now... that is a miracle!! I'd have tried to keep the arch thou, me love some unique elements, but overall it is such a fantastic renovation project, good job!

ps: call me crazy but the 70s carpet was too cool (I know, I am crazy)

xoxo
http://acasadava.blogspot.com/

I'm sorry, while I think the end result is beautiful, I just think renovations like this are stupid. Who buys a house with so much character, and rips everything out? I'll admit, the floors were pretty gross, as with some other things such as maybe the light fixtures, but there are a lot of people would have loved that archway and all of the beautiful brick. If you're going to gut all of the unique features of a house and update it super sterile and modern, why not just buy a brand new house? Or a BORING outdated house?

If you don't like brick, don't buy a brick house. Simple as that in my opinion.

The archway reminds me of a bar I used to hang out in when I was in my 20s, back in the 70s; the upgrade is fantabulous!!! Bright, airy, colorful, comfortable. Beautiful! Fantastic vision!

Some people buy a house because they see the potential.

Would it be possible to recycle the brick and possibly donate it to Habitats for Humanity? I'm sure someone would love it in their yard.

The wire gates are to keep flies out?! Dear god!!! How big are the flies? Do they carry crowbars? ;-)

I glanced at this post earlier today and I though the "before" was the after!! I was wondering where/why the heck they got that carpet!?

The arch was hideous. It's a good thing it is gone. Just becasue something is old doesn't make it attractive, people made design mistakes In years gone by. I reckon that place had hideous orangey patterned glass panel on either side of the front door as well.
Beautiful job, I love that you wanted a space to display your collections.

@Lafferteezy: Huh??

It's still 'a brick house', they've just ripped out a couple of interior walls. At least they've taken the far more environmentally-friendly option of renovating the existing brick structure, rather than bulldozing the lot and putting up pre-fab concrete. Perhaps they particularly wanted to live in that suburb/street?

Architecture has to be looked at in context. I live in Perth; there are entire suburbs of dated, dark-brown '70s-'80's brick here. Knocking down a couple of interior walls of the stuff is so far from a big deal, IMO.

(And the brick probably was recyled/donated; it generally is.)

Forget about the arch people, what about the loss of that amazing wall to wall carpet??
Ha ha, just messin' with you. :)

Great reno, kudos to you.

The other reason for the metal grilles on flywire doors is to provide structural strength. If it's simply flywire, it'll only take a couple of days before your dog (or toddler) blunders his way straight through it. With the grille reinforcing it, the dog (or toddler) will bounce off it.

It's so interesting to see the differences between Australia and the US here. Those archways were a feature of almost every home built in the 70s and early 80s, and they're awful. They waste space, the proportions were never elegant, the chunky brick gathers dust and hurts like hell if you accidentally brush against it, and they give the impression that you're going for "medieval dungeon" as a design aesthetic. Worst of all, they were dumped into the middle of otherwise normal suburban homes, without any thought at all for the cohesiveness of the architecture.

Oh, and it's an AWESOME renovation! Nothing groundbreaking, but beautiful and stylish nevertheless.

before ;( after ;|

The archway was cool to look at, but not cool to live with. It created a cave of the dining room and blocked light everywhere. A huge space was cut up into little caverns.

People buy houses for many reasons, including location, size, and functionality. It's o.k. to change a house (even drastically) so that it becomes more functional. While the brick was interesting, it was simply an asthetic element and not functional.

Oh my gosh, why did you get rid of those beautiful children? They looked so great in the before pics, but they're gone in the afters. Sorry, just making fun of those "why did you get rid of the beautiful brick/wood/wallpaper/etc." people.

Great renovation, by the way!

Floors are wonderful! And I'm a brick fan but that was just not OK. Good job!

JOJOZECK and all the other wonderful Aussies who took the time to answer my question about the security screens: Thank you!

Impossible to see enough detail in photos and videos to see that they are insect screens combined with security wire. Now that you all have explained it, I can definitely understand the concept and the need for them in a hot climate. I'd love to be able to leave my doors and windows open all night during summer and still feel safe and locked up tight.

People seem to think that Australia is chock-full of architecturally unique homes? This style has no architectural integrity, and was the kit home of the day. I lived in a post-war cottage that was gutted and renovated, and I bet you'd all bemoan that too... but it had the same floor plan and design as every other house in the street! I bet this house shares similar architectural detailing as its neighbours too. And popular areas aren't full of available, affordable, brand new homes @lafferteezy, this isn't utopia.

@blandwagon - we had modern flyscreen doors... and our dog proceeded to turn one into a dog flap! It still kept the flys and mosquitos outside... mostly.

Just chiming in with Hinmelb and all the other Aussies who've commented on the ubiquity of arches in older Australian homes. There's nothing unique or "architectural" about them -- they're everywhere in homes of a certain era (including mine, on the opposite side of the country from this renovation). If I had the financial resources, I'd get rid of mine too. It does nothing but block the light and make the ceilings in that area of the house seem low and cramped. Also, it's starting to crack (again, something I've seen in many homes), so I'm guessing it's going to go one of these days whether I can afford it or not!

beautiful. I had no idea a polished concrete floor could look so fantastic.

The after is just stunning. And count me in the minority of those who did not like the arch.

Love the after and not a fan of the archway where it was so it makes sense to my why you got rid of it.

I grew up in a home with a clinker brick arch it was the most horrlble unsafe thing to have in a home, The number of times I brushed past it and took a chunk out of my body was too numerous. Good for you getting rid of this ugly dangerous wall.
Reno looks great.

@GREENHERONFARM Flies & mosquitoes - most of them don't really serve any purpose as a "security" screen.

@Alexily - how so? Old-fashioned flywire door, you just open it up and walk on in. One of those things, properly installed with a lock, is as secure as any solid wood door.

Everyone seems very concerned about the brick archway....when I am more impressed with the carpeting you ripped out LOL. I just walked into a house we were considering buying that looked a LOT like that and had to walk right out, because it's our first time and we just aren't ready for a full gut style reno. Kudos to you guys! Did you use architectural plans to knock down all those walls? Or did you have an engineer come in and tell you what could go and what had to stay or be replaced? AMAZING job on the concrete floors!!!! it is my dream too to have polished concrete floors somewhere in my home and yours just solidifies that dream even more!

While I love exposed brick and I love the archway I must admit that if it didn't work for you as a family then the right decision was to get rid of it.

Did anyone notice that it served no purpose as a load bearing wall? Kind of makes me wonder why someone chose to do that in the first place rather than having an open floorplan.

the arch was not good... definitely unusual, which is not a reason to save it. look at all that light coming in now that the walls are gone! love it!

I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that it is the same house. What a great job.

I confess I have a soft spot for arches, ubiquitous and ugly though they are, but I don't mourn their loss in this house. As as been pointed out, they are a very common feature in late '70s early '80s Australian homes and many owners are getting rid of them.

I'm not normally a fan of polished concrete floors but I think they look really good here.

Oh, and I have serious glassware envy. I want!!!!

@GreenHeronFarm, I must confess, I didn't even notice the security/flyscreen door - I'm so used to seeing them they've become invisible to me. The very first thing I did after settlement on my current home, was to order security doors and flyscreens for the windows - before I had even moved in. As others have pointed out, it's great to be able to open the timber doors at night and let the breeze through while keeping mosquitoes and other unwelcome visitors out. Sometimes during the cooler days, if I'm going out for a few hours, I'll do the same thing to air the place out. And despite what Alexily says, unless go for cheap and nasty, these doors are very secure; mine are triple-locking with re-inforced mesh.

Oops... last sentence was meant to say "unless you go for cheap and nasty"

Love the collection of colored glass and how you displayed it.

The arch was interesting, but there's nothing in the 'after' results I don't like. The vintage glassware looks great and now I think I have an area to try that effect.

@Hellcat I think the brick walls were structural in some capacity due to the following sentence.

High beams in the roof to support where the walls had been removed

Knocking down the wall between the kitchen and "dining room" was a good idea, but I would've kept the archway. It provided something unique to the space, and without it, this room, while nice, looks like any number of other contemporary interiors I've seen lately.

why on earth would you completely gut that archway??

I really loved that brick archway, until I saw those amazing windows! Oh yeah! I'd give up that brick arch for those windows any day! Thanks for sharing!

As much as I love exposed brick and interesting features like an archway, the home is now so much lighter... and having more natural light fill the space will pay off in energy savings.

Boy, it's perfectly clear that a LOT of posters do not READ before posting, isn't it. Just sayin'

Stunning. Love the glass display, the concrete floors, the wonderful kitchen cabinets. So much brighter & more useful. Hated the 70's brick...and the arch...blechh.

From ugly to boring. Another white, ultra modern renovation.

An archway doesn't automatically add uniqueness and character to a home if EVERY SECOND HOUSE has one. Please consider that different countries have different design trends, and what might be considered worth saving in one might not be seen the same way in another.

Since this is a lively post, I'll ask another question: how have the homeowners liked living with concrete floors? Or anybody else out there with experience with them?

I love the way they look and was green with envy when a friend recently put them in her new home. But after a couple of weeks of living there, she told me she can no longer go barefoot indoors because by noon her knees and feet hurt so badly from the unyielding surface. So now she wears shoes indoors all day. Being a strict no-shoes household, I can't imagine living with a surface that isn't friendly to unshod feet. Any thoughts on this, ATers?

Greenheronfarm: I was interested in your question too so I googled it. I found a lot of advice about buying anti-fatigue matting and suggestions of installing carpet...not a good sign :(

Having said that, I live in a house which is tiled, and never had sore feet. I don't see how concrete could be harder than tiles?! Strange.

Oz has a lot of space, less population per area (total pop is 22 million), big distances between towns, etc. WARNING (generalisation) - we LOVE space and room to move.

I lived in the US in 2007 and was amazed at the range of products, designs and lower prices than we have here. US has way more people than us so lots more to choose from - I'm so envious. How can I get another visa? :)

More proof that us Perth-ites have great taste! :)

@GREENHERONFARM We have stained, stamped concrete in our home and absolutely LOVE it. I go barefoot all day and have never had any problems with my feet or knees. Concrete is low maintenance, durable, and wears very well. We had laminate in our old house and swore we would never do that again--we hated it. All future homes will have concrete--no doubt. (Oh..and we also have 2 rescue dogs and 1 rescue kitty so it's great for pets)

I loved the arch- I kinda liked the original room? Am I crazy? I like both! :-)

@GreenHeronFarm We have concrete in our loft apartment and love it. It's a great reason to put down statement-making rugs to help give your feet a bit of rest, create boundaries for different living areas and minimize echo.

Beautiful - but where's the porn? Does this rehabber's partner watch porn? Enquiring minds want to know!

Looks great, but the archway was definitely a missed opportunity.

I think you should have not only kept the arch but also should have added two or three more, because arches are special.

JUST KIDDING! Great job! SO much better than before in every way!

Wow. Way to take all the character out of a room. Now its just bland.

I cannot believe there are peeps out there who actually liked that arch!! Surely you jest?

Congratulations, this must have been hard work...however, I don't quite understand why this is featured? Having lived in Australia all I can see is yet another generic 'white-cabinet-open-plan' kitchen/dining/living area that you can see on any street in any suburb up and down the length and breadth of the country, and have done for years now, nothing wrong with that...snore. But I'm finding now that a lot of my Australian friends are rethinking ripping down arches and pulling up carpet and instead are turning the clock back and celebrating the amazing homes that were built around this time and all of their ugly/beautiful features. Now that's clever.

Eeeeck, I hate when this happens... You can't call this a renovation if the only thing kept is the outer walls! Just call it a great space, but before/after makes it all so meaningless.

As a fellow Australian who understands the horror of that archway, the small boxy rooms that prevents airflow, and the absence of winter sun filtering throughout this space (-4 here this morning) because of said so called "unique" ( nothing unique about it - 1970's fugly peeps) archway , I say, fabulous job and I get it!

@Spanky you're a gem!

To AMANDASG - as a transplanted American living in Australia, I can tell you that those wall AC/heating units are definitely NOT better than the central AC units we have in the States. Typically, there's only one in the ENTIRE house. As you can imagine, it's hard to get that warmer/cooler air to flow into the adjoining rooms. Don't even get me started on rooms further away from the unit (in my apartment, it's the master bathroom, two doorways away from the heat/AC unit and freezing in winter, stifling in summer).

Never underestimate the power of ducted heating/AC until you've had to live without it!

@tarynitup, some of our flies are enormous - yes, you do need the fly screen, unlivable without it
http://www.ozanimals.com/wildlife/Insect/Flies.html

@*SPANKY* -- Ha! Thanks for giving it some perspective!! That brick was an awful color. It looked like a cheesy, 70's Tex-Mex restaurant! I have an exposed brick wall in my loft that I love, but there is good brick and bad brick. This one was bad!
And, whoa is me! How could they knock down such an iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinteeeeestiing architectural deeeeetaaaaaaaaiiiil!!! My goodness people. It was an unattractive arch-- bad proportions and scale, poor choice of brick-- that didn't function for the family. Not all architecture is good. Most residential archways are ugly features that developers add to make buyers think they've got something special. No gracias.

I agree that the arch was way too cheesy and old fashioned for the crisp, clean modern space envisioned by the owner. The new space is amazing.

Ha, all these people crying foul over a really ugly arch....it's funny how people who come to a DESIGN blog can't figure out the importance of individual aesthetics and freak out the moment someone dares to change a "vintage" 1960s/70s element in their own home. Sigh.

If people are too fixated on the arch to appreciate all the different and interesting design elements chosen and implemented in the after pictures, maybe they need to check out vintage preservation sites instead.

I saw two arches in the before photo, and one was hideous --covered with something brick-like. I love the after so much I don't mind the loss of the curves, although we all know they could have been redone to look beautiful, they were not part of the renovator's vision, so that is that. The after is completely gorgeous and that's all that matters.

Nooooooooooo! Not the brick. I was secretly hoping they would have kept at least part of that brick