There is nothing quite like seeing the before and after images of a renovation project to understand how much work goes into these transformations. Even though we work on these designs ourselves, we are still often blown away seeing how much the spaces have improved through a layout change, some clever thinking and new finishes and fixtures. In this post, we are exploring some of our favourite kitchen transformations that we have designed over the past few years:
Bonbeach
Construction: Hive Building Co.
Photography: Elise Scott
The kitchen joinery was redesigned from the previous gallery layout to be an L-shape with an island. The joinery along the external wall was extended into the dining room to create more bench space and storage, without intruding into the dining area. The client previously had a separate small bar cart and their small appliances lived on the bench. We therefore included a bar cupboard and appliance cupboard within the extension, creating a more functional and less-cluttered kitchen. The height of the joinery was determined by the windows above, so we had to be smart about how we used this space. After playing around with a few options, an open shelf above the bar/appliance cupboard and the fridge made the most sense, allowing books that were previously stored in cupboards to be displayed instead.
Belgrave
Construction: Edwards Renovations
Photography: Elise Scott
The existing home had a small kitchen with a walk-in-pantry and an external door as well as a bathroom that doubled as a laundry. By using the pantry space to create a Euro Laundry that was accessible from the other side and removing the external door in the kitchen, we were able to give the client a much larger kitchen, euro laundry and separate bathroom that all made the best use of the available space. The Kitchen was extended by removing the 'island' section of the previous G-shaped kitchen which made the space feel cramped. Instead, we extended one side of the new U-shape design further into the dining to elongate the kitchen and provide more usable cabinetry with no awkward corner cupboards. With both the external door and the pantry door removed, the Kitchen could also then continue around the walls to create a U-shape. We made the most of this new configuration by adding pull-out mechanisms to the corner cupboards. We also included a full size pull-out bin and a smaller one under the sink to be used to store the dogs’ food.
Montmorency
Construction: The Melbourne Chippy
Photography: Joel Noon
As this was to be the client's forever home, it was important that the spaces worked perfectly for their lifestyle and this meant making some structural changes. We maximised the floorplan by removing the wall separating the living and dining to create a large living space. This allowed us to create a lightly larger kitchen and improve the flow between all spaces. Whilst the Kitchen was almost the same layout as before, it became so much more practical and functional through the use of mechanisms and clever storage. This included taking the cabinetry as high as possible to make use of vertical storage, including corner pull out mechanisms in the kitchen to make the corners easier to access, and adding more cabinetry facing into the dining area. The original design was also dated and lacked character so it was important that the new design felt more contemporary while including more texture and the sage green tones that the client loves. The combination of white, timber, natural stone and sage green tiles gives the home a welcoming and cosy aesthetic that draws you in.
Caulfield North
Construction: JT Dodd
Photography: Elise Scott
The brief for this project was to take a plain kitchen with not much personality and turn it into a wonderful space for our clients to enjoy. While we kept the same layout, we created a lot more storage space by adding overhead cupboards over the sink and extra cupboards under the overhang. The new kitchen design features shaker style doors in a warm white, paired with brushed brass handles. Our clients loved the selected porcelain benchtop so much that we decided to make this a main feature - wrapping it up onto the splashback and adding it as a waterfall end as well. Open shelves in Polytec Tasmanian Oak to tie into the flooring and brushed brass fittings to tie into the handles completed the look. Overall, we were able to transform the space to create a warm and inviting kitchen for the family and guests to enjoy
We would love to know which of these transformations was your favourite!
If you are planning to build or renovate and want to get in contact with us, you can do so by filling out the client contact questionnaire below,
Hope you have a wonderful week,
Nina xx
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