To create her family’s stunning coastal-inspired kitchen, Linda turned to Kitcheners Kitchens to make her dream a reality.
When Linda, her husband Tony and their children Ruby and Tommy, moved in to their North Bondi home, the ’80s style kitchen was in desperate need of repair. “It was terrible!” Linda exclaims. “Only two hotplates worked, the oven didn’t shut and the doors were falling off .” The family lived in the house for two years before deciding the whole top floor needed a facelift. They hired Michael Kitchener of Kitcheners Kitchens to take on the task of designing a kitchen that suited their lifestyle and budget, something that proved a challenge with the rest of the house in the middle of a major renovation. “The owners wanted this kitchen to be the focal point of their home,” Michael says. “A place where they could gather together with easy access to storage and an open-space feel.”
DYNAMIC DESIGN
Linda had already chosen the colours and fi nishes she wanted. “I’d looked through loads of mags and had a very strong idea of how I wanted things to look,” she recalls. So it was just a matter of designing the space to match; and Kitcheners used some design principles to keep the space as dynamic as possible. “We were able to design the kitchen with logic and workflow in mind,” Michael reveals, “with dedicated areas for storage, cleaning, preparation and cooking.” The renovation began by knocking out the wall between the kitchen and lounge to open up the house and create views of the ocean from the new kitchen and backyard. “Removing the wall meant losing a lot of cupboard space,” Linda explains, “but I wanted to make it look much more spacious than it did originally.”
All in all, it took just over six weeks for the entire top fl oor to be transformed. “Kitcheners didn’t waiver on the delivery time,” Linda says, “so it was completed on the exact day they estimated.” The new kitchen is stylish, yet functional with a relaxed, coastal vibe. “Living close to the beach has been a major inspiration as far as decor in terms of colour and look,” she considers. Blonde, bamboo fl oorboards tie in well with the fresh, white cabinetry and crisp CaesarStone benchtops, while adding to the casual, beachy feel. The pale green glass splashback reminds Linda of the ocean, as does the frosted glass window above the sink. Sleek, stainless-steel appliances are matched with wooden ceiling fans painted with stainless-steel-look paint, and a beautiful wooden sculpture of a fish, which Linda bought from her aunt’s shop, hangs above the table.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
Being a keen cook, it was important to Linda for the kitchen to be easy to work in and, with its new L-shaped design, it certainly is! “My favourite thing is the kitchen bench,” she declares. “It’s 3.6m of seamless CaesarStone and looks so crisp and clean.” It was also essential for the new kitchen to have plenty of storage space, and its main feature is the number of drawers and shelves. “There’s a traditional pantry next to the fridge to store most of the pantry items”, Michael comments. “There are also two drawers specifi cally for the storage of items to be
‘used now’.” Michael advises his clients to create the illusion of space by not cluttering their kitchen with cabinetry. “Sometimes less is more,” he says, “depending on the space to work with.” He also believes it’s important to connect the kitchen to the living and dining areas. “Try to use some element to bring the two together, either by flooring or other material.” Natural light is also essential as it saves on electricity and is environmentally friendly. “In this case we frosted over an existing window to create a wall of light,” he adds.
Now the whole family enjoys the bright new kitchen, which is simple to keep clean thanks to the polyurethane cupboards and glass splashback. The kids are able to unpack the dishwasher – “one of their daily chores” – easily because of the sliding drawer system, while soft-close drawers keep crockery, and fingers, safe. In particular, Linda loves the new open-plan design, which means she can talk to everyone while cooking. “The only thing I’d possibly do is install some extra storage cupboards if I replace the kitchen table – otherwise it’s just perfect the way it is,” she smiles. “I think myself lucky every day that I have such a beautiful area to cook and create in – nearly two years on and I still get a thrill at the transformation!”
KITCHEN ESSENTIALS
Cabinetry – 18mm polyurethane doors in frosted white gloss with matching 16mm melamine panels
Benchtops – Stone benchtop with a 40mm edge in CaesarStone ‘Osprey’
Splashback – Santorin, Float Glass Splashback Oven, cooktop and rangehood – Smeg
Fridge – stainless-steel Whirlpool
Dishwasher – stainless-steel Smeg
Microwave – Smeg
Sink – Abey
Flooring – timber
Kitchen designed and installed by Kitcheners Kitchens 1800 826 144 or www.kitcheners.com.au
Story by Lauren Broomham