Not long after paying your initial deposit to Henley a colour appointment is organized which, under normal circumstances and assuming you’re in Victoria, takes place at Henley’s head office in the Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley.
Unfortunately for me, my colour appointment was done virtually via Microsoft Teams due to the COVID-19 related lockdown in force across Melbourne at the time.
While I was confident in most of the selections I’d made during that meeting, I did want to visit some display homes and Henley’s showroom before I signed off on everything.
Little time was wasted after the lockdown lifted – An appointment to visit Henley’s showroom was requested and display homes were visited all within 48 hours of our new found freedom.
Henley’s display homes at the Minta estate in the South East Melbourne suburb of Berwick were the scene of my initial searches for a new home back in mid 2021 and I knew there was a vast array of finishes on display.
The Minta estate has heaps of homes available from all the major builders so it makes sense to visit no matter what stage you’re at in your building journey.
In my case, my primary reason to visit Minta was to look through the Carmelle 28 on display which is the big brother of the Carmelle 25 I am purchasing. Visiting that and the other Henley houses gave me valuable insight into the vast array of choices I’d be facing in the showroom.
A few days after visiting the displays I headed to Henley’s showroom and spent the whole afternoon considering the relative merits of various color combinations.
With the COVID protocols in place I was reminded of my younger years waiting to reach the front door of a nightclub, hoping my name would be on the guest list. It was 😊
As you enter the showroom, on your right is largely bathroom & kitchen options; to the left is everything else.
A key focus for me was the wall and floor tiles in the wet areas, as well as the style/color of the carpet. The tiny samples Henley sent me in the post gave me no insight into how they look in my home.
There’s one area dedicated to tiles and floor coverings with dozens of colors and finishes available. This is one area of the showroom that tends to get quite busy, so either get there early in the day or dart in there whenever you see a break in the foot traffic.
Having such a wide variety of choices can be quite confronting and this is precisely the reason you should visit a few displays before hitting the showroom. Know what you like before you arrive at the showroom.
Another area that would benefit from a site visit is your choice of bricks. Use the bricks on display in the showroom as a starting point only for your color selection. Once you have two or three colors in mind, head out to a brick display as they will look astonishingly different when you can see a wall full of the brick you like.
Wall and floor tiles aside, I found selecting sinks/taps/toilets for the bathrooms easy. Henley have a great range, some are free, other are considered premium but I thought all of the prices were reasonable.
Be sure to ask a Henley consultant if the tap color you want is not displayed. Almost all the taps displayed are chrome, though many styles have alternative colors such as matt black.
Most visitors to the showroom will have Caesarstone benchtops throughout their new home and there’s plenty of colors to choose from. I thought Henley offered a generous choice of free options to me, in fact there was at least four I would have been happy with.
Most visitors to the showroom will have Caesarstone benchtops throughout their new home and there’s plenty of colors to choose from. I thought Henley offered a generous choice of free options to me, in fact there was at least four I would have been happy with.
In closing, I have one final bit of advice… Visit the Henley showroom at least once in the weeks leading up to your color appointment. There are so many choices available and an early visit will ensure you’re fully prepared when your big day arrives.