Room Of The Week
Popular Houzz Series
Popular Houzz Series
Appears in
See also
Fun HouzzFrom The ProsHouzz Around The WorldProject Of The WeekStickybeak Of The WeekQuizzesCreatives At HomeAt Home With...Best Of The WeekRoom Of The WeekDesigner Profiles3 Things I Wish My Clients KnewHow Do I...Buyer's GuidesExpert EyeInnovation AlertSo Your Style Is...Spotted!Picture PerfectBefore & AfterBudget BreakdownHome TimeMade Local
Before & After
Before & After: A Sweet Kitchen for a Recipe-Testing Client
While the layout remained, clever design tricks, an eye on storage and a makeover made this kitchen more functional
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Brief
The client works in the hospitality industry and wanted a kitchen where she is able to test out recipes. That meant she needed plenty of bench space and an appliance storage area as well as storage for food and ingredients.
The client also does lots of baking, so she needed the island to be empty and as big as possible.
The couple wanted dedicated space for appliances that they use often and didn’t want to take up any bench space, including a rice cooker, toaster, mixer, air fryer and microwave.
The client works in the hospitality industry and wanted a kitchen where she is able to test out recipes. That meant she needed plenty of bench space and an appliance storage area as well as storage for food and ingredients.
The client also does lots of baking, so she needed the island to be empty and as big as possible.
The couple wanted dedicated space for appliances that they use often and didn’t want to take up any bench space, including a rice cooker, toaster, mixer, air fryer and microwave.
My client always wanted a kitchen with a timber benchtop. However, a low-maintenance kitchen was also key.
The space also needed to feel warm and match the rest of the house. The entire living space is filled with plants, which means the colour and style needed to work with the plants.
The couple wanted their kitchen to be unique and fun to reflect their style and spirit.
Inspired to refresh your kitchen? Find a specialised kitchen designer near you, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
The space also needed to feel warm and match the rest of the house. The entire living space is filled with plants, which means the colour and style needed to work with the plants.
The couple wanted their kitchen to be unique and fun to reflect their style and spirit.
Inspired to refresh your kitchen? Find a specialised kitchen designer near you, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
The kitchen before works.
The kitchen before works.
Starting point
The client was happy with the old layout, but the sink was too small. The cabinet and drawers were in a good size and position.
The client was happy with the old layout, but the sink was too small. The cabinet and drawers were in a good size and position.
The owners were open to ideas. They love the rustic-farmhouse look, but it didn’t match their property and the aesthetic.
The new kitchen needed to match the rest of the house, so we decided to go with an eclectic feel that allowed her to decorate with both traditional and contemporary accessories.
The owners have a couple of bedrooms that are pink, so it was nice to repeat the pink in another area of the house.
Working with the timber benchtops, we thought a touch of orange would be the perfect feature colour, which we worked into the upper wall cabinets.
The new kitchen needed to match the rest of the house, so we decided to go with an eclectic feel that allowed her to decorate with both traditional and contemporary accessories.
The owners have a couple of bedrooms that are pink, so it was nice to repeat the pink in another area of the house.
Working with the timber benchtops, we thought a touch of orange would be the perfect feature colour, which we worked into the upper wall cabinets.
Key design aspects
Colour palette:
Colour palette:
- Key colours are pink, orange and light wood.
- The light wood colour was chosen to complement the floor colour. We were aiming for something similar but not necessarily the same. A similar tone is easy on the eye.
Materials palette:
Key pieces of furniture/fittings:
- Pink and orange joinery.
- Light wood.
- Caesarstone concrete-look shelf top.
- Timber handles.
- Small white splashback tiles and orange grout.
Key pieces of furniture/fittings:
- All cabinet finishes are from Laminex.
- The timber benchtop is from Mark Tuckey.
Thinking behind the arrangement of fixtures
We used a few tricks to maximise the usable space:
We used a few tricks to maximise the usable space:
- It starts from the cooking side – we extended the depth of the benchtop space from 600 to 700 millimetres, which allowed for a stone shelf on the splashback. The shelf is like an extension of the bench; it comes in handy during food preparation. The client also uses it for storing salt and pepper, decorations and herbs. It not only gives character to the space, it’s also super functional.
- We redesigned the bottom cabinet with spice drawers and made the pantry slightly wider and deeper.
- We designed a larger kitchen island bench for the client to do her baking.
- The island extends from 900 to 1000 millimetres – with the extra depth, we were able to add additional storage space behind the island (where the overhang is).
- The small appliances are all stored on the open shelf of the island with power points behind them. There is one dedicated pull-out space is for the couple’s rice cooker and toaster.
- The lower part of the open shelf can be used to house a mixer, air fryer and more. This way, the client can easily access all the everyday appliances and quickly pack them away afterwards to avoid taking up bench space.
What challenges did you work around?
I think the key challenge was to understand the client’s lifestyle. It is important to know everyone uses their kitchen differently and stores things differently. Some people might have lots of dishes and mugs, some people might use a lot of appliances.
The key here was to understand what my client wanted to store near her work zone. Which items are more important to her? And which ones are less important?
As this is not a large kitchen, we had to go through which items were to be stored in which cabinet during the design phase. And we needed make sure the internal space would fit the appliances.
I think the key challenge was to understand the client’s lifestyle. It is important to know everyone uses their kitchen differently and stores things differently. Some people might have lots of dishes and mugs, some people might use a lot of appliances.
The key here was to understand what my client wanted to store near her work zone. Which items are more important to her? And which ones are less important?
As this is not a large kitchen, we had to go through which items were to be stored in which cabinet during the design phase. And we needed make sure the internal space would fit the appliances.
Why do you think this room works?
The client loves the colours of plants and nature. All the shades in the kitchen provide a perfect backdrop for her existing plants.
Not only do the colours work, we also improved storage and bench space. Even though the space is small, we have completed this kitchen with meticulous detail to meet the client’s brief.
All the materials are also low-maintenance to suit the client’s busy lifestyle.
Your turn
What ideas have you picked up from this small but perfectly formed kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see another colourful kitchen makeover? Check out this Before & After: A Small Beachside Unit’s Funky Kitchen Makeover
The client loves the colours of plants and nature. All the shades in the kitchen provide a perfect backdrop for her existing plants.
Not only do the colours work, we also improved storage and bench space. Even though the space is small, we have completed this kitchen with meticulous detail to meet the client’s brief.
All the materials are also low-maintenance to suit the client’s busy lifestyle.
Your turn
What ideas have you picked up from this small but perfectly formed kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see another colourful kitchen makeover? Check out this Before & After: A Small Beachside Unit’s Funky Kitchen Makeover
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Clayton South, Victoria
Room purpose and size: A kitchen of about 3.9 x 2.9 metres
Approximate budget: AU$25,000