Kitchen Tour: Easy Breezy Living on the Sunshine Coast

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Building a new home on the Sunshine Coast gave homeowner Nicole Earsman the opportunity to design an incredibly versatile, practical and comfortable home for her young family, meeting all their needs and creating a showstopping heart of the home – this wonderful kitchen-diner.

Keen to introduce plenty of connections with the outdoors, Earsman designed the family’s expansive living area to open onto the large outdoor area through bi-fold doors, while she combined a breezy palette of natural materials and crisp white surfaces, such as the Essastone benchtops, to reflect their sun-kissed coastal setting.

Read on to discover how this owner has cleverly combined practical materials with design classics and on-trend details to usher in an easy-living and chilled-out vibe.

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Photos by Derek Swalwell

Kitchen at a Glance

Owners: Nicole Earsman, her husband and three young children
Location: Sunshine Coast, NSW
Size: 406 square metres, including five bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and two living areas.
Build: Saltbush Constructions
Features: Laminex ColourTech shaker cabinetry from Greystone Cabinets; Essastone Crystallite benchtop from Signature Stone QLD

Working closely with their builder and architect, the family discussed plans for reconfiguring the main living area to create one large space for the cooking, eating and living zones. They wanted a free-flowing connection with the outdoor zones, which would be achieved with bifold doors.

Early on in the project, Earsman knew that every material they chose had to be robust and hardwearing, as well as long-lasting, so it was a no-brainer when she spotted Laminex’s ColourTech Shaker cabinetry and stunning engineered Essastone Crystallite surfaces, offering the perfect mix of durability and timeless appeal.

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The Inspiration Behind the Look

With year-round sunshine on offer, this family’s lifestyle revolves round the outdoors, whether it’s spending time in their garden, at the beach or playing sports. So, it’s no surprise that they were keen for their home to offer them a similar easy-going, laid-back environment.

The hues and tones of their natural surroundings were a huge inspiration for the interior palette of the relaxed kitchen space. Clean and fresh whites maximise the ambient sunlight, while raw natural textures, such as timber, jute and rattan, were then peppered throughout the bright room to add a sense of warmth and cosy comfort.

Inject classic Shaker with a contemporary twist. Earsman chose timeless Shaker cabinetry that would go the distance, but kept this design classic up to date with contemporary handles and glass-fronted wall cabinets mixed in for a sense of openness.

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The Family’s Wish List

Top priority for the family was creating a show-stopping living and entertaining space, featuring a practical layout that could cope with energetic young children. An enormous island at the heart of the space was an essential aspect in the overall design, for casual meals and serving drinks to friends, while a stunning custom-designed outdoor breakfast bar has become the star of the space, connecting the outdoor area with the interior areas for a wonderful flow.

Continuing the practical benchtops out onto the servery bar ensures the surfaces are easy to wipe down and maintain, both inside and out.

Change up your stool style. Choose a different style of stool for indoor and outdoor eating areas for practical considerations and to define the separate spots.

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Practical Considerations

Family kitchens that see lots of action need robust, well-built cabinetry and benchtops that will not only last, but will also retain their good looks. “Incorporating Essastone surfaces into our design was a no-brainer,” says Earsman. “It’s hardwearing, easy to maintain and brings a layered, textural feel, which works perfectly with our coastal vibe.”

What’s more, opting for white-on-white ensures the kitchen stays, fresh, bright and extremely sparkly in the endless sunshine.

Keeping it clean is easy, too. All you need are small quantities of non-bleach, non-abrasive cleaners together with warm water and a damp sponge or cloth. Essastone surfaces are acid and scratch-resistant as well – simply wipe up acidic food spills or wine splashes as quickly as possible. Not only that, but Essastone surfaces don’t require sealing and resealing like natural stone and granite would, so it really is a low-maintenance option.

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The Finishing Details

To hone an understated coastal vibe, Earsman took a few hints from elegant Hamptons interiors, adding rich timber flooring with a weathered appearance. The warmth is continued through to the hardwood window frames and bifold doors, to tie in with the honey tones of the rattan, jute and bamboo accents.

The coastal references continue with the fish scale tile splashback, that masterfully heightens the seaside theme in a refined and subtle way.

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Tell us: What’s your favourite thing about Nicole Earsman’s kitchen and why?

This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.