The relationship between the sizes of different elements.

A 3-metre island might sound fabulous until you put it into a room where everything around it suddenly feels tiny.

How the size of something relates to the room, the people using it and the elements around it.

The paths people use to move through and around a space.

DESIGNORY TIP: Stop evaluating rooms only while everything is stationary. Open the dishwasher. Pull out the dining chair. Put somebody at the sink. Let another person walk past. That is where circulation problems reveal themselves.

The amount of clear space between objects required or desired for movement, access or use.

What you can see from a particular position.

Designers think constantly about what is revealed as you enter a room, turn a corner, sit on the sofa or look down a hallway.

An imaginary organising line through a space or design.

Aligning elements along an axis can create a strong sense of order.

Positioning elements so their edges, centres or other reference points relate intentionally to one another.

DESIGNORY TIP: Alignment is one of those things people may not consciously notice when it is right — but they often feel when it is wrong.

The element that naturally attracts attention within a space.

Intentional empty space around objects and architectural elements.

Not every wall needs something on it.

Not every corner needs furniture.

An arrangement where elements mirror or balance evenly around a centre.

A composition that creates visual balance without mirroring identical elements.

Repetition or progression of forms, materials, lines or details through a space.

Using a material, colour, shape or detail more than once to build consistency.

The deliberate difference between elements — light/dark, smooth/textured, old/new, warm/cool.

A palette using variations in depth or intensity within related colours.

The selected collection of materials and finishes used throughout a project.

The feeling that individual decisions belong to the same overall design.

DESIGNORY TIP: Cohesion does not mean every bathroom needs the same tile or every tap needs to be identical. It means there is enough shared design language that the house feels like one story.

Building depth through combinations of materials, colour, texture, art, lighting, objects, scent and furnishings.

The visual or tactile surface quality of a material.

The character a surface develops as it ages.

Placing contrasting elements together intentionally — old and new, polished and rough, simple and ornate.

Knowing when to stop.

Possibly one of the least discussed and most useful design skills there is.

A document or description defining what work is and is not included in a project, quote or contract.

A proposed price for a defined scope of work.

An approximate prediction of cost rather than necessarily a fixed price.

An amount included within a budget or quote for an item that may not yet have a final cost.

An allowance in a building contract for the supply of a particular item that has not yet been finally selected or priced.

An allowance for work where the builder cannot yet accurately determine the full cost or scope.

DESIGNORY TIP: Learn the difference between a final price and an allowance. A low-looking build price filled with unrealistic allowances can become a very different number once your actual selections are made.

The percentage or amount a builder adds to certain costs for overhead, management and profit, depending on the contract.

A change to the agreed scope, design or contract after the project is underway that may affect cost and/or time.

Money intentionally held within the budget for unexpected costs or changes.

The process of selecting, ordering, purchasing and coordinating products or materials for a project.

The time between placing an order and receiving the product or material.

DESIGNORY TIP: “We haven’t chosen that yet” can become expensive when the product has a 16-week lead time. Good project management is partly about knowing which decisions have to happen much earlier than you expect.

A product, material or piece of equipment that takes a significant amount of time to manufacture, source or deliver.

A product purchased directly by the homeowner rather than supplied by the builder or trade.

A particular supplier identified for a product or package within the project.

A formal process of obtaining and comparing prices or proposals for construction work.

A formal question seeking clarification about the documentation or intended design.

A documented direction relating to work on site.

The construction schedule showing the intended sequence and timing of works.

A request for payment based on a defined stage or amount of work completed.

The stage at which the building work is substantially complete and suitable for its intended use, subject to the relevant contract and outstanding minor items.

Work that does not meet the agreed standard, documentation, contract or applicable requirements.

A list of items identified for correction or completion toward the end of a project.

The stage when the completed project is formally transferred to the owner.

A drawing updated to reflect what was actually constructed rather than only what was originally designed.

A drawing looking down on your home from above, showing walls, doors, windows, rooms, fixtures and often furniture.

DESIGNORY TIP: Don’t only look at whether everything fits. Look at how you will actually move through the plan. Imagine carrying groceries in, walking from bed to the bathroom, opening the fridge while someone sits at the island, bringing washing to the laundry. Good plans solve real life, not just geometry.

A flat, straight-on drawing of a wall or exterior face of the building.

Interior elevations might show your kitchen cabinetry, bathroom vanity or fireplace wall. External elevations show the outside of the building from each direction.

Imagine slicing through the building and looking sideways through it. A section shows heights, floor levels, ceilings, roofs and relationships between spaces that may not be obvious on a floor plan.

A zoomed-in drawing showing exactly how a particular junction or element should be constructed.

Details are where you’ll often find the information that makes something look truly resolved.

A drawing of the ceiling as though you were looking up at it.

It usually shows downlights, pendants, speakers, smoke alarms, air-conditioning grilles, ceiling fans, skylights and sometimes switches.

DESIGNORY TIP: Review your RCP alongside your floor plan and furniture plan. Lighting should respond to what is happening in the room, not just form a beautiful grid on the ceiling.

The exact positioning and alignment of elements within a space.

You might hear:

“tile set-out”
“lighting set-out”
“joinery set-out”
“wall set-out”

Set-out is the difference between simply putting things into a room and deliberately making them relate to one another.

The relationship between the measurement on the drawing and the measurement in real life.

For example, a drawing at 1:100 means 1 unit on the drawing represents 100 of those units in reality.

A measurement shown on the drawing.

Never assume something is to scale simply because it looks a certain size on the page. Dimensions are what matter.

A fixed reference point used to measure other heights or positions from.

Think of it as the agreed starting point everyone references.

A surveyed height relative to an established datum.

You’ll often see RLs on site plans, surveys and external works.

The height of the finished floor surface once flooring, tiles, timber or other finishes are installed.

This is different from the structural slab level underneath.

A measurement taken upward from the finished floor.

For example:

“Wall light at 1600mm AFFL.”

The level of the ground before excavation, filling or other site works alter it.

An updated version of a drawing.

Revisions are usually numbered or lettered so everyone knows which drawing is current.

DESIGNORY TIP: One of the simplest ways to create chaos on site is for different people to be working from different drawing revisions. Always check the revision number and date.

Notes, sketches or changes drawn over an existing plan or document.

A detailed drawing usually prepared by a fabricator or supplier before something is manufactured.

Common examples include joinery, steelwork, windows, shower screens and stone.

DESIGNORY TIP: Do not treat shop drawings as paperwork. They are often your last opportunity to catch proportions, alignments and details before something gets made.

The written document that tells the builder and trades what materials, finishes, fixtures and construction requirements have been selected.

Plans show where.

Specifications often tell you what.

A structured list of specified items.

You might have a:

• Finishes schedule

• Lighting schedule

• Door schedule

• Window schedule

• Plumbing schedule

• Appliance schedule

The key that explains symbols, abbreviations and line types used on a drawing.

Computer-Aided Design.

A general term for software used to create technical architectural and design drawings.

A common editable CAD drawing file format.

If someone asks for “the DWG”, they generally want the editable drawing rather than a PDF.

A computer-generated visual representation showing what a proposed design may look like.

Renders are fantastic visual tools, but construction should be governed by the technical documentation — not assumptions made from an image.

The legally defined edge of your property.

The required or proposed distance between the building and a property boundary, street or other feature.

A portion of land over which another party has certain legal rights — commonly for drainage, sewer, utilities or access.

An easement can affect where you are able to build.

The area within which a building is permitted or intended to sit.

“Building envelope” can also be used more broadly to describe the external shell separating inside from outside.

A line on a survey joining points of equal height.

Contour lines tell you how the land rises and falls.

A survey showing information such as boundaries, levels, existing structures, trees and other site features.

Removing soil to lower part of a site.

Adding material to raise a level.

A combination of excavation and filling used to create the required site levels.

Removing soil or rock for footings, slabs, basements, pools, services or landscaping.

A wall designed to hold back soil where ground levels change.

The section of driveway that crosses from the road across the verge or footpath to your property.

Rainwater collected from roofs, paved areas and other surfaces and directed into an approved drainage system.

A shallow landscaped depression designed to direct, slow or manage surface water.

The slope of the land or a surface.

Built landscape elements such as paving, walls, decks, steps and paths.

Planting, lawn, trees and other living landscape elements.

The structural base that transfers the building load into the ground.

A flat structural concrete element, often forming the ground floor of a house.

A concrete slab supported above ground level rather than sitting directly on the ground.

A horizontal structural member designed to support loads.

A vertical structural member carrying loads down through the building.

A structural member spanning over an opening such as a window or door.

A wall carrying structural load from above.

You cannot simply remove or move one because it is inconvenient to your floor plan.

A wall that divides space without carrying the primary structural loads above it.

That still doesn’t automatically mean it can be removed without checking what services or other elements are within it.

A vertical member forming part of a framed wall.

A horizontal piece installed between wall studs.

Noggins can also be intentionally placed to provide fixing support for things such as televisions, wall-hung cabinetry, heavy mirrors and towel rails.

DESIGNORY TIP: Know what is going on your walls before plasterboard goes on. Adding appropriate support inside the wall now can be considerably easier than trying to securely mount something heavy later.

A horizontal structural member supporting a floor or ceiling.

A sloping structural member supporting a roof.

A prefabricated structural framework commonly used to support a roof.

A narrow strip fixed across another surface or structure, often used to support roofing, cladding or interior finishes.

Structural elements used to help prevent a building or frame from moving or deforming sideways.

An opening made through a wall, floor, roof or other building element for pipes, cables, ducts or similar services.

A circular hole cut through concrete or masonry, often to allow services to pass through.

Sheet material used to line internal walls and ceilings.

Also commonly called plaster or gyprock.

A clean plastered junction between wall and ceiling with no traditional decorative cornice.

A moulding installed where the wall meets the ceiling.

A deliberate recessed gap between two surfaces that creates a fine shadow. Often used between walls and ceilings, joinery and walls, or around architectural details.

DESIGNORY TIP: Shadowlines look wonderfully minimal when they are properly detailed. They also expose inconsistencies very quickly, so they need to be considered early rather than improvised at the end.

The trim running along the bottom of an internal wall where it meets the floor.

The trim surrounding a door or window opening.

The surface between the face of a wall and the window or door frame within an opening.

The vertical side of a door or window frame.

The top horizontal part of an opening, window or door frame.

The bottom horizontal part of a window opening or frame.

A section of ceiling or wall that drops down or projects out. Bulkheads can conceal services, house air-conditioning, close the gap above cabinetry or be intentionally used to define a space.

DESIGNORY TIP: A bulkhead should look deliberate. Random bulkheads created late to hide services are one of the quickest ways to make a room feel unresolved.

A short wall projecting from another wall. Common around showers, vanities and kitchens.

An empty space within or between building elements.

Material used to reduce heat transfer, sound transfer or both.

Insulation specifically selected to improve sound separation between rooms. Consider it around bedrooms, bathrooms, laundries, media rooms and other noisy or private spaces.

A very high-quality plasterboard finishing system often specified where surfaces will be exposed to demanding lighting conditions or premium finishes.

Glass used within windows, doors or other building elements.

A window that does not open.

A window hinged at the top and opening outward from the bottom.

A window hinged vertically at one side and opening outward like a door.

A window made from horizontal blades that tilt open.

Panels that move horizontally along tracks.

Multiple sliding panels that stack behind one another when opened.

Multiple hinged panels that fold and stack together.

A door that rotates around pivot points rather than conventional side hinges.

The framed portion of a window that holds the glass and may be fixed or operable.

A vertical frame element dividing sections of glazing.

A horizontal frame element dividing glazing.

A narrow glazed panel beside a door.

The bottom section of a doorway where one floor or space transitions into another.

DESIGNORY TIP: Thresholds matter enormously when you’re chasing a seamless indoor-outdoor connection or a truly level bathroom entry. They need to be thought about alongside waterproofing, drainage, structural levels and finished floor heights.

Two panes of glass separated by a sealed cavity to improve thermal and often acoustic performance.

Glass with a low-emissivity coating designed to alter heat transfer through the glazing.

A measure relating to how readily heat passes through a building element. Lower U-values generally indicate better insulation performance.

A measure of how much solar heat passes through glazing.

The “best” result depends on climate, orientation, shading and the overall building design.

Glass designed to provide privacy by reducing clear visibility through it.

Used to describe glazing such as shower screens where minimal visible framing is used.

A space where water use creates specific waterproofing and water-management requirements, such as bathrooms, showers and laundries.

The deliberate slope built into a floor or surface so water travels toward a drain rather than sitting where it lands. When someone talks about “the fall to the waste”, they mean the slope directing water to the floor waste.

DESIGNORY TIP: Falls affect more than drainage. They also affect tile choice and set-out. Very large tiles can be difficult to form neatly to multiple falls around a small central waste, which is one reason tile format and drain design should be considered together.

A layer installed over the structural substrate to create the required level or slope before the finished flooring or tiles are installed. In a bathroom, screed is commonly used to establish the falls that direct water toward the waste.

Think of it as the layer that helps create the geometry underneath the beautiful tile you eventually see.

A drain located within the floor.

A long, narrow drainage channel rather than a traditional small square or round waste.

DESIGNORY TIP: A linear drain can allow a cleaner tile set-out because the floor can often be designed around a more consistent plane of fall. But drain location, waterproofing and installation need to be properly resolved — it isn’t purely an aesthetic decision.

A drain grate designed to hold a piece of the surrounding tile so the drain visually disappears into the floor.

A drainage component designed to integrate the floor waste with the waterproofing system. You may never see it once the room is finished, but it plays an important role underneath the surface.

A waterproof layer applied beneath tiles or finishes to stop water penetrating into the building structure.

Tiles and grout themselves are not the waterproofing system.

The surface underneath a finish. Tiles might be installed over a screed, fibre cement sheet or another approved substrate.

A flexible component used at certain waterproofing junctions to allow movement without compromising the membrane.

A raised edge or step around a shower.

A shower designed without a raised step at the entry.

DESIGNORY TIP: If you want a genuinely seamless walk-in shower, raise it early. Floor structure, set-downs, drainage, falls, waterproofing and tile thickness all play a role. “Can we just make it level?” is often not a decision for tiling week.

An intentionally lowered portion of the structural floor allowing room for screed, waterproofing, falls and finished flooring while achieving the required finished levels.

A recessed shelf built into a wall, most commonly in a shower.

DESIGNORY TIP: Do not automatically accept the little shampoo niche squeezed between two studs. Think about its proportion, tile set-out and relationship to the rest of the room. A beautifully proportioned niche can become part of the architecture rather than an afterthought.

A joint created by cutting adjoining edges at an angle — commonly around 45 degrees — so the pieces meet cleanly at a corner. With tiles, mitring allows the tile itself to wrap around an external corner without exposing a separate trim.

DESIGNORY TIP: With large-format or strongly veined tiles, think about the mitre and tile set-out as one composition. For a built-in shower bench, for example, carefully planning the cuts can allow the pattern or vein to visually travel up the face and across the seat. It’s one of those details that can make the installation feel substantially more resolved.

A metal or other finishing profile used to protect and finish exposed tile edges. There is nothing inherently wrong with tile trim — but decide whether you want the expressed trim look or the quieter appearance of a mitred edge before the tiler starts

A tile manufactured or cut to very consistent dimensions with precise edges, allowing tighter and more controlled grout joints where appropriate.

The material filling joints between tiles.

DESIGNORY TIP: Grout colour can completely change how a tiled surface reads. A contrasting grout emphasises every tile. A closely matched grout allows the surface to feel quieter and more continuous. Make sure you specify grout or you might end up with just the stand white used by your tiler.

The gap between tiles that is filled with grout.

A height difference between the edges of adjacent tiles.

Large-format tiles and challenging substrates make planning and installation especially important.

The planned position of every tile and grout joint within the room.

DESIGNORY TIP: This is one of our hills to die on. Don’t let the first tile determine the entire room by accident. Consider where full tiles land, where cuts appear, what aligns with niches and tapware, and what you see when you first enter.

A consistent reference line used when setting out tiles or other elements.

A deliberate flexible joint allowing building materials to move without uncontrolled cracking.

A flexible sealed joint commonly used at changes of plane, junctions and around fixtures.

Glass or another barrier designed to contain shower water.

A mixer tap installed into the wall rather than onto a basin or benchtop.

A control that directs water between different outlets — for example, between a rain shower and hand shower.

The part of a tap, mixer or other fitting installed inside the wall.

DESIGNORY TIP: Concealed plumbing fittings need to be selected early enough for the correct in-wall components to be installed during rough-in.

A toilet cistern concealed within the wall or joinery rather than exposed behind the pan.

The visible buttons or plate used to operate a concealed toilet cistern.

A visible plumbing trap commonly installed beneath an exposed wall-hung basin. If it is going to be visible, treat it as part of the design.

Custom-made cabinetry or built-in furniture.

Kitchens, wardrobes, vanities, entertainment units and banquettes are all forms of joinery.

The internal box or structural body of a cabinet. The doors and decorative panels sit over or around it.

The finished vertical panel at the exposed end of cabinetry.

A narrow piece used to fill the gap between cabinetry and a wall or another element.

A piece cut to follow an uneven adjoining surface so cabinetry can finish neatly against it.

The recessed section at floor level below base cabinetry.

The horizontal work surface over cabinetry.

A benchtop material continuing vertically down the end of an island or cabinet to the floor.

Two pieces cut and joined on an angle to create the appearance of a thicker solid edge or a seamless corner.

A simple joint where the end or edge of one material meets directly against another.

The sharp edge where two surfaces meet. You may hear a stone fabricator discussing an arris, eased arris or edge treatment.

The amount a benchtop projects beyond the cabinetry below. At an island, the overhang may create legroom for stools.

DESIGNORY TIP: Don’t decide island overhang in isolation. Stool height, seat depth, circulation behind the stool and where knees actually go all matter.

The finished wall surface behind a kitchen benchtop, sink or cooktop.

A short vertical continuation of the benchtop material up the wall.

In joinery, a deliberate recessed gap creating separation or acting as a handle detail.

A recess or profile that allows a door or drawer to be opened without a protruding handle.

A routed J-shaped profile incorporated into a cabinet front to create a handle.

An appliance concealed behind cabinetry or visually incorporated into the joinery.

An appliance designed to accept a custom cabinetry panel on its face.

Tall joinery housing appliances such as ovens, microwaves or coffee machines.

A sink fixed beneath the benchtop so the bench material runs cleanly over its edge.

A sink installed through the benchtop with a visible rim sitting on top.

A sink installed so its rim aligns closely with the benchtop surface.

Hardware designed to slow a door or drawer as it closes.

The hardware allowing a drawer to slide in and out.

The hardware allowing a cabinet door to swing.

A concealed space left behind or within cabinetry for pipes, cables or other services.

DESIGNORY TIP: Ask where the services are actually going. Plumbing, ducting and electrical requirements can quietly steal enormous amounts of useful cupboard space if they aren’t considered alongside the joinery design.

Built-in seating, often used around a dining table or breakfast area.

The formal term commonly used on Australian drawings for a standard power point.

A power point with two outlets.

A wired connection for internet or network data.

A power outlet incorporating a direct USB connection.

A light that can be switched on or off from two different locations. Useful at either end of a hallway or at the entry and bedside of a bedroom.

A control allowing the brightness of compatible lighting to be adjusted.

DESIGNORY TIP: Dimming is one of the simplest ways to make a home behave differently throughout the day. Bright enough to clean the kitchen at 10am does not mean you want the same light while drinking wine at 9pm.

A defined electrical pathway supplying a group of fixtures or equipment.

A circuit allocated to a particular appliance or load.

The central location housing electrical protection and distribution equipment for the property.

The stage when cables, pipes and other concealed services are installed before walls and ceilings are closed.

DESIGNORY TIP: Rough-in is one of your big decision deadlines. By this stage, furniture, appliances, joinery and how you use each room should be well enough resolved to know where services belong.

The later stage when visible fixtures such as switches, power points, lights, taps and fittings are installed and connected.

A measure of the amount of visible light emitted by a light source.

Think how much light.

A measure of how much light reaches a surface.

Think how much useful light lands here.

The visual warmth or coolness of white light, measured in Kelvin.

Lower Kelvin values appear warmer; higher values appear cooler.

DESIGNORY TIP: Stop choosing lighting purely by what the fitting looks like. The quality and colour of the light it produces can change your materials, paint and entire experience of the room.

The unit used to describe colour temperature. You may see values such as 2700K, 3000K or 4000K.

A measure of how accurately a light source renders colours compared with a reference light source. Colour rendering matters enormously when you care about the way timber, stone, art, fabrics, food or skin tones appear.

The width of the cone of light emitted by a directional fitting. A narrow beam creates a more concentrated pool of light; a wider beam spreads it further.

The general background lighting within a room.

Lighting designed for a specific activity, such as preparing food, reading or applying makeup.

Lighting used to highlight something such as artwork, texture, architecture or objects.

Lighting designed to spread relatively even illumination across a wall.

An adjustable light fitting that can be tilted or aimed.

A recessed or surface fitting directing light downward.

A recessed fitting installed so there is little or no visible border around it.

A flexible strip containing multiple LEDs, often concealed within joinery, shelving, stairs or architectural details.

An aluminium channel commonly used to house and finish LED strip lighting.

A translucent cover designed to soften or distribute light.

DESIGNORY TIP: If you don’t want your LED strip to look like a row of individual dots, talk to your lighting supplier or joiner about appropriate strip density, profile depth and diffuser.

An electrical component regulating power supplied to LED lighting. Make sure there is somewhere accessible for it to live.

A rating indicating the level of protection an electrical fitting provides against ingress such as solids and water.

Relevant when selecting lighting for bathrooms and exterior areas.

The vertical distance a pendant hangs down.

A device that automatically triggers lighting or other systems in response to movement, occupancy or another condition.

The plumbing installed inside walls, floors or ceilings before finishes are completed.

The predetermined location where water or waste services need to connect to a fixture.

Installation and connection of the visible plumbing fixtures after finishes are completed.

A fitting combining hot and cold water into one controlled outlet.

A mixer where turning one control progresses from off through cold toward hot.

A mixer designed to regulate water to a selected temperature.

A valve allowing water to a particular fixture or area to be shut off without necessarily shutting down the whole home.

A valve controlling water supply.

The outlet through which used water drains from a basin, bath, shower or sink.

A drain fitting with a stopper that opens and closes by pressing or operating a mechanism.

A plumbing fitting holding water to help prevent sewer gases travelling back into the room.

A common curved plumbing trap.

A secondary opening designed to allow excess water to escape before a vessel overflows, where the fixture is designed with one.

A toilet cistern hidden within a wall or joinery.

A toilet pan mounted off the floor.

A toilet designed to sit flush or close against the wall, concealing much of the plumbing.

The structural or supporting floor beneath the final floor finish.

A layer installed beneath certain floor coverings to provide cushioning, acoustic performance, moisture management or another required function.

A material used to smooth or correct a floor substrate before the finished flooring is installed.

Flooring made from a real timber wear layer bonded to a stabilised layered structure.

Flooring made from solid pieces of timber.

Flooring installed without being permanently fixed to the substrate across its entire surface.

Flooring adhered directly to the prepared substrate.

A fixing method where nails are concealed through the tongue of timber boards.

A deliberate gap allowing flooring or building materials room to expand and contract.

The junction where one flooring type meets another.

DESIGNORY TIP: Floor transitions are tiny details that can make an otherwise beautiful material palette feel clumsy. Resolve tile thickness, timber thickness, thresholds and finished floor levels before everything is ordered.

The direction timber or plank flooring runs through the room. Consider sightlines, circulation and how the flooring flows from one space into another.

The front edge of a stair tread.

The horizontal part of a stair that you step on.

The vertical face between stair treads.

A stair where there is no solid vertical panel between adjacent treads.

A stair where there is no solid vertical panel between adjacent treads.

The final visible surface treatment of a material.

Stone quarried from the earth and cut or finished for use in a building. Examples include marble, granite, limestone, travertine and quartzite.

A natural stone known for its veining and variation. It can patina, etch and change with use — which is either part of its beauty or something that will drive you mad, depending on your personality.

A natural stone valued for its strength and often dramatic natural patterning.

Do not confuse natural quartzite with manufactured quartz-based products.

A natural limestone characterised by visible pits, pores and layered variation.

A dense ceramic material commonly used for tiles and increasingly for large-format slabs.

A tile significantly larger than traditional formats.

Larger does not automatically mean simpler to install — handling, substrate preparation, set-out and falls become very important.

A large sheet of stone, porcelain or another surfacing material used for benchtops, walls, splashbacks and similar applications.

Planning adjoining pieces of veined material so the pattern appears to continue from one piece to the next.

Two adjoining slabs arranged so their patterns mirror one another like the pages of an open book.

A smooth, matt or low-sheen surface finish.

A glossy, reflective finish created by polishing the surface.

A textured stone finish with a softer tactile character than a polished surface.

Treated with an appropriate sealer to reduce absorption or staining according to the requirements of the material.

The natural change in appearance a material develops through age, exposure and use.

DESIGNORY TIP: Decide whether you can emotionally tolerate patina before choosing a material that will develop it. Some of the most beautiful natural materials are not designed to remain looking brand new forever.

A thin layer of real timber applied over a substrate.

A manufactured decorative surface bonded to a substrate.

A durable decorative surface commonly used on cabinetry interiors and some cabinet faces.

Medium-density fibreboard, an engineered wood sheet material commonly used in joinery and interior construction.

A durable sprayed coating system often used on cabinetry.

A dry finishing process commonly used on metal window frames, handles, outdoor furniture and other metal elements.

A finish with fine directional texture, often used on metals.

A finish intentionally designed or expected to change and develop character with handling and time.

A preparatory coating designed to help subsequent paint layers bond appropriately to the substrate.

A preparatory layer used to build an even base before the final coats.

The final visible paint coating.

A low-reflective paint finish.

A subtly reflective finish commonly used on interior walls.

A finish with more sheen than matt but less than semi-gloss or gloss.

A noticeably reflective and typically more washable finish often used on trim or joinery.

A highly reflective paint finish.

A durable paint type commonly used on trims, doors and other surfaces requiring a harder-wearing finish.

The subtle underlying colour influencing how a paint reads.

A “white” might have yellow, pink, grey, blue or green undertones.

DESIGNORY TIP: Never choose paint colour in isolation from your flooring, stone, joinery and natural light. The undertones will all start talking to each other whether you planned for them to or not.

A small quantity of paint used to test colour.

DESIGNORY TIP: Paint a large sample and move it around the room. Look at it in morning light, afternoon light and at night under your actual artificial lighting. Tiny swatches lie.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning.

A system distributing conditioned air through concealed ducts to multiple spaces.

An air-conditioning system generally consisting of an indoor unit connected to an outdoor unit.

Conditioned air delivered into a room.

Air drawn back from the home into the air-conditioning system.

A visible cover over an air opening.

An air outlet designed to distribute conditioned air through the room.

The larger grille through which air returns to a ducted system.

DESIGNORY TIP: Ask where the grilles and returns are going before the ceiling design is finalised. Air-conditioning is part of the ceiling composition whether you want it to be or not.

The outdoor component of many air-conditioning systems.

Consider its location for noise, airflow, access and appearance.

Dividing an air-conditioning system into areas that can be controlled independently.

A control that senses and regulates temperature.

A fan removing moist, stale or odorous air from spaces such as bathrooms.

Tubing or channels used to move air between equipment and outlets.

The duct used to carry cooking exhaust from a rangehood to an appropriate discharge point.

DESIGNORY TIP: Decide how the rangehood will actually duct outside before drawing your dream kitchen. Duct routes can affect bulkheads, cabinetry, ceiling design and appliance position.

The external material covering and protecting a wall.

Horizontal or vertical boards used as external wall cladding.

Construction where a framed structural wall has a non-structural external brick skin separated by a cavity.

Construction using two masonry wall leaves separated by a cavity or space, depending on the system.

The material binding masonry units such as bricks together.

The visible joint between bricks or blocks.

Its colour, depth and finish have a major impact on the finished appearance.

A coating applied over masonry or another approved substrate to create a continuous wall finish.

A thin waterproof material installed at junctions and openings to direct water away from vulnerable areas.

A membrane or sheet installed beneath roof or wall cladding for functions such as water management, condensation control and thermal performance depending on the system.

The portion of roof projecting beyond the external wall.

The underside of an eave, overhang or similar element.

The vertical board or surface along the roof edge, often associated with the gutter.

A channel collecting rainwater from the roof.

Tubing or channels used to move air between equipment and outlets.

The duct used to carry cooking exhaust from a rangehood to an appropriate discharge point.

DESIGNORY TIP: Decide how the rangehood will actually duct outside before drawing your dream kitchen. Duct routes can affect bulkheads, cabinetry, ceiling design and appliance position.

A vertical pipe carrying water from the gutter toward the stormwater system.

The slope or angle of a roof.

The high line where two sloping roof planes meet.

The internal line where two roof planes meet and water is channelled downward.

A wall extending above the roof line or edge.

A concealed or enclosed gutter integrated into the roof design.

A protective finishing piece installed over the top or edge of a wall, roof or other element.

A small opening allowing moisture to drain or ventilate from a cavity.

A translucent curtain providing softness and some privacy while still allowing light through.

A curtain or blind designed to substantially block external light.

The track along which curtains open and close.

A curtain track concealed within a recess in the ceiling.

DESIGNORY TIP: If you want that beautifully seamless ceiling-to-floor curtain look, design the recess before the ceiling is built. It is much more convincing when it belongs to the architecture rather than being attached later.

A concealed or decorative element covering the top of a curtain or blind.

The width occupied by the curtain when it is fully open.

DESIGNORY TIP: People obsess over the window size and then forget the curtain needs somewhere to go. If you want the entire window exposed when open, allow sufficient wall space for stack-back.

The vertical length of a curtain or blind.

The amount of fabric used relative to the width of the track.

Greater fullness generally creates a richer, more gathered appearance.

Curtain fabric intentionally extending beyond floor level and gathering on the floor.