When homeowners Nathan and Brendon purchased a beautiful 1912 Queenslander home in Brisbane’s inner west, a complete overhaul was required – including the dated kitchen with tiled benchtops, moulded timber cabinetry and an unsightly rangehood.
“Our thought for the kitchen is something very simple and symmetrical, making he most of the available space. We want the kitchen to have very clean lines and while we want it to be beautiful in itself, we don’t want the kitchen to be a feature of the house,” said homeowners Brendon and Nathan during their initial design consultation with Anne Ellard from Kitchens by Kathie. “We want the kitchen to be central to the entertaining areas and also lead people to the outside living area and draw peoples eyes out to the back deck,” they said.
The result is a timeless, all-white kitchen, that seamlessly integrates indoors and out, while complimenting the original features of the Indooroopilly home. “We wanted it to be a bit modern looking but still have the traditional and classic features, so using light coloured benchtops and doors kept it bright and fresh, but the VJ profile on the cabinetry doors, a more traditional style handle and the pressed metal splashback, all tie in with the original features of the house,” said designer Anne Ellard.
The clever U shape design provides ample storage and bench space while allowing the owners to prepare food and drinks without being detached from guests on the verandah or in the formal dining area. “It also means that when moving from one area to the other, traffic just gets lead through one point. So somebody can be cooking in the kitchen, moving from the sink to the benchtop, and nobody will actually walk through that space,” said Anne.
Careful consideration was put into fixtures, such as the low profile tap, which is unobtrusive yet features a pull-out shower head that changes from a stream to a fine spray with the flick of a button.
The placement of appliances and the sink was also crucial to the kitchen’s success. “Putting the cooktop and the sink on the back wall was going to make it too squashed, so having the sink facing out to the deck area just means that whoever is working in the kitchen still feels part of outside. With the cooktop, the positioning was to have it on the back wall so that we could put a rangehood there,” said Anne.
From the initial consult, it took roughly five months to design the kitchen and around two weeks to install.
The smart use of space saw Anne earn a spot in the final for Queensland Medium Kitchen Design of the Year in the prestigious Kitchen and Bathroom Designers Institute of Australia’s Awards. “I believe I was a finalist because the kitchen is quite functional and practical but it still almost disappears into the background. It doesn’t detract from the outdoor area which was a big thing for the client. And probably how it ties in with the original features of the house as well. The key was to put in something new that looked like it always belonged in the space.”
Anne Ellard is a kitchen designer for Kitchens by Kathie in Brisbane.