Before & After: Kitchen, Dining & Laundry All in 21 Square Metres
With just 21sqm of space and a NZ$140k budget, this designer managed to squeeze in three functions and plenty of style
Georgia Madden
13 June 2022
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Images by Bonny Beattie. Answers by Frances Fraser, interior designer and design director at Honour Creative.
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Wellington, NZ
Room purpose and size: A combined kitchen/dining room converted to a kitchen/dining/laundry measuring 21 square metres in a three-bedroom 1920s bungalow
Budget: Around NZ$140,000
Interior designer: Frances Fraser, design director, and Portia Beacham, interior designer, both at Honour Creative
Builder: Tepiwa Riwai
Roofing: Element Roofing
Benchtops: Bramco Granite & Marble
Joinery: Prestige Joinery
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Wellington, NZ
Room purpose and size: A combined kitchen/dining room converted to a kitchen/dining/laundry measuring 21 square metres in a three-bedroom 1920s bungalow
Budget: Around NZ$140,000
Interior designer: Frances Fraser, design director, and Portia Beacham, interior designer, both at Honour Creative
Builder: Tepiwa Riwai
Roofing: Element Roofing
Benchtops: Bramco Granite & Marble
Joinery: Prestige Joinery
The kitchen before works.
What was your brief?
The intention for this project was to extensively upgrade the combined kitchen and dining area and add in a laundry.
Base-build upgrades such as new linings, insulation, lighting and electrics – plus bringing more natural light into the space through skylights – were essential.
Inspired to see how you can maximise your own small home? Find an architect near you on Houzz
What was your brief?
The intention for this project was to extensively upgrade the combined kitchen and dining area and add in a laundry.
Base-build upgrades such as new linings, insulation, lighting and electrics – plus bringing more natural light into the space through skylights – were essential.
Inspired to see how you can maximise your own small home? Find an architect near you on Houzz
The kitchen after works.
What wasn’t working for the client?
Pretty much everything. The kitchen was dark, cluttered, dated and the space was under-utilised.
What functions did you need to include in the new design?
A kitchen, dining room and laundry.
This 21-square-metre room contains three zones that feel cohesive but also occupy their own distinct spaces that are practical to their function. The new kitchen layout is a galley style; the dining table is now centralised to allow access from all sides; and a concealed laundry occupies a corner that was formerly filled with an unused fireplace.
What wasn’t working for the client?
Pretty much everything. The kitchen was dark, cluttered, dated and the space was under-utilised.
What functions did you need to include in the new design?
A kitchen, dining room and laundry.
This 21-square-metre room contains three zones that feel cohesive but also occupy their own distinct spaces that are practical to their function. The new kitchen layout is a galley style; the dining table is now centralised to allow access from all sides; and a concealed laundry occupies a corner that was formerly filled with an unused fireplace.
The kitchen before works.
What did you identify as the main problems?
What did you identify as the main problems?
- The windows didn’t let in much light due to their size and orientation, and their position limited the layout of the room.
- The unused feature fireplace took up valuable space in the corner of the small room.
- The original layout of the kitchen meant the space couldn’t be extended and storage couldn’t be added.
- The concrete walls needed to be strapped and lined to allow for electrical access. Previous renovations had used ugly conduits and clunky covers.
What were the client’s must-haves?
- Generous kitchen bench space and joinery, plus good storage for a range of differently sized items.
- An integrated laundry.
- Improved flow between the kitchen and dining areas.
The new floor plan.
What was your thinking behind the new layout?
Given the need to fit a kitchen, laundry and dining space into this modestly sized room, we needed to make the most of every square metre, while making the space feel open and inviting.
What was your thinking behind the new layout?
Given the need to fit a kitchen, laundry and dining space into this modestly sized room, we needed to make the most of every square metre, while making the space feel open and inviting.
We did this by:
- Introducing light, open shelving. The positioning of the shelving was important: placing one unit on the corner of a block of cabinetry, for example, helps soften the appearance of the bank of high cupboards in this small space.
- Adding skylights in the kitchen to bring in more light. This also meant we could remove one small window, reduce the sill height of another window and then use the long wall for cabinetry.
- The benchtop in the new galley-style kitchen extends the full length of the outer wall, comfortably accommodating a long work bench, storage cabinetry, large kitchen appliances, as well as the contained laundry appliances.
Where did most of the NZ$140,000 budget go?
It was fairly evenly split across the appliances, furniture, windows, lighting, window treatments and rugs.
Where did you save?
The lighting is stunning and great quality, but not overly costly. However, the biggest savings were enabled by the client’s patience. This was a weekend job for the builder so that meant many months of dust and compromise.
It was fairly evenly split across the appliances, furniture, windows, lighting, window treatments and rugs.
Where did you save?
The lighting is stunning and great quality, but not overly costly. However, the biggest savings were enabled by the client’s patience. This was a weekend job for the builder so that meant many months of dust and compromise.
The adjoining dining area before works, with the unused fireplace.
What look, feel and functionality did you want to create?
Alongside fresh colours, enduring surfaces and ample storage, the aim was to provide an extremely functional and practical space for a family. Integrating appliances into joinery helped us achieve this.
When it came to the colour palette, the intent was for:
What look, feel and functionality did you want to create?
Alongside fresh colours, enduring surfaces and ample storage, the aim was to provide an extremely functional and practical space for a family. Integrating appliances into joinery helped us achieve this.
When it came to the colour palette, the intent was for:
- A refreshing, light and neutral palette, but one that was not overtly white.
- A soft and muted aesthetic with some texture.
- Details with a sense of charm.
What do you think made the biggest difference?
Layout and light. The design details and fresh style are really beautiful. But how the space feels being flooded with natural light, and the planning of the space, which allows easy flow and ensures everything has its place, made the biggest difference.
Layout and light. The design details and fresh style are really beautiful. But how the space feels being flooded with natural light, and the planning of the space, which allows easy flow and ensures everything has its place, made the biggest difference.
The concealed laundry.
Where did you put the laundry?
It’s a laundry in a cupboard, located next to the kitchen. It has plenty of room around it, which makes it easy to load and unload the washer and dryer. It can then be tucked away behind cupboard doors when required.
Where did you put the laundry?
It’s a laundry in a cupboard, located next to the kitchen. It has plenty of room around it, which makes it easy to load and unload the washer and dryer. It can then be tucked away behind cupboard doors when required.
It features:
- Enclosed cupboard space to fit a washing machine and ventless dryer.
- Space to accommodate two laundry baskets.
- A tall, narrow cupboard to fit an ironing board, mop and vacuum cleaner.
- Upper shelving to store infrequently used items such as Christmas decorations.
What are the main ingredients of the new colour and finishes palette?
- Dove grey paired with soft oak and white.
- Matt surfaces, square edges and sharp edges to the cabinetry, which create a characterful and contemporary feel.
- Plenty of texture.
Key design aspects
Materials palette:
Materials palette:
- Tile Space Carrara marble fishscale mosaic tiles on the splashback.
- Caesarstone Pure White benchtops.
- Forté Moda Portofino engineered oak flooring.
- Blum cupboard and drawer hardware.
- InSinkErator Juno MultiTap.
- Citta table and chairs.
- Armadillo rug.
- ECC Lighting Astro Lighting Ginestra pendant.
Paint colours
Your turn
Were you as wowed by the clever use of space as we were? 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
See another great transformation in this Before & After: A Fab Townhouse Kitchen Renovation for $55,000
- Dulux Pukaki Quarter on the joinery.
- Dulux White Duck Quarter on the walls.
Your turn
Were you as wowed by the clever use of space as we were? 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
See another great transformation in this Before & After: A Fab Townhouse Kitchen Renovation for $55,000
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Lovely natural light and clean spaces but that laundry cupboard/space next to the kitchen would have looked better going all the way to the ceiling, it’s wasted space in a small area.
Absolutely gorgeous! One of the best kitchen renovations I’ve seen
wow..love the colour.. beautiful cool green.. looks amazing.