As interior designers it's a blessing to work with amazing clients who trust in your designs and follow them through. One such client is Fiona, whose living and dining rooms we've already transformed. Fi has great taste but came to us to help her narrow down her options and create a home that would reflect her cool and eclectic style.
We recently finished a complete kitchen renovation giving Fi a modern kitchen with lots of extra storage while still in keeping with her cottage's traditional bones. Once again we worked with Rick and his team at Sunshine Joinery, whose workmanship is fantastic. The tiny two bedroom cottage had an equally tiny kitchen between the entrance and dining room. Although small, it was in proportion with the house, but it just felt a bit tired and in need of some TLC.
We lightened and brightened the space with all white cabinetry and bench top. The panelled cabinetry adds subtle texture and helps it to fit in with the traditional cottage surrounds. Negative detail handles also keep the kitchen humble and not too flashy.
Fi bought the pink Smeg fridge before we started designing the kitchen, so that was a key component for us to work the design around. That was another reason to keep the kitchen light and white to allow the fridge to be the hero. Wooden shelves and a Turkish rug also bring a touch of warmth to the space.
An old wall cupboard was replaced with open shelves so Fi could display some favourite pieces and add touches of her personality.
In a small space it's crucial to utilise all available space wisely, especially vertical space, so we filled the wall above the fridge with cupboards. We chose to use handleless cupboards above so we could keep the small space clean and unfussy. We moved the oven and cooktop around to this wall allowing room for a single dish drawer where the oven once was. Initially we priced up a stone bench top, but to keep within budget we decided on a plain white laminate bench and we're really happy with the outcome. The marble subway tiles add that touch of stone and some subtle pattern.
Outside the kitchen a set of stairs leads you up to the front door and entranceway. The old carpet was ripped up and we chose a beautiful two-tone wool loop pile carpet from Cavalier Bremworth to replace it. It runs from the kitchen stairs up to the entrance floor and the stairs beyond that take you to the master bedroom.
Any available walls are covered in Fi's extensive art collection, which is a perfect way to reflect her eclectic style.
The small wall at the base of the stairs, between the dining room and the hall to the living room was another space we thought we could utilise better. We had Sunshine Joinery build us a really shallow cupboard with bi-fold doors - shallow enough so that it didn't come out into the room too far and block the flow, but deep enough to fit cans and cups and saucers. We haven't got a full photo of the cupboard but you can get an idea of the depth from the photo below where two wooden birds from Homebase Collection perch. You also get a glimpse of the cupboard in the third photo in this post.
Walking in Fi's front door is such a fun experience and starts speaking to you immediately about her personality. After this welcome the kitchen is the first room you see, so we're really pleased with how beautiful it looks, not to mention it's way more functional. Thanks Fi for being such a cool client to work with and allowing us to share our work and your home.