Balwyn
Design Brief
The Cranage Family have a Californian Bungalow style home with an open plan contemporary living area. The newly designed kitchen is to remain within the existing footprint, with a request to move the sink from the island bench to provide additional bench space for preparation and entertaining, and to rethink the small appliance bench cabinet and large angular, corner pantry. The honey coloured timber laminate is to be replaced with a contemporary dark wood grain finish and bronze cabinet handles.
The design brief is to create a modern streamline kitchen which allows for social interaction while the family enjoys their love for cooking.
Design Outcomes
The new kitchen design has focus and presence. The extended island bench and waterfall ends are clad in a stunning grey limestone with scatterings of bronze dust. The island benchtop is clear of the sink, providing a generous food preparation bench and servery. The evenly-sized bank of nine drawers with bronze half-moon handles create a unique, contemporary look and add visual weight in keeping with the dark colour scheme.
The old-style corner pantry was removed, and the corner area opened up to include a new coffee zone conveniently located to bins and sink. All tall cabinetry, including built-in refrigerator, pantry and oven tower were moved to one wall creating a solid cabinetry run. This then allowed the cooktop, canopy rangehood and full height feature limestone to become the focal point between the kitchen’s two architectural period windows.
The old honey-coloured timber laminate was replaced with a contemporary dark wood grain Thermo Laminate finish, which was enhanced with brushed bronze half-moon cup handles.
The new kitchen has a modern, rich and elegant feel. The colour scheme works beautifully with the newly lightened washed timber floors and warm white walls. The proportions of the kitchen and relocation of all tall cabinetry to one wall means the three metre ceilings and period windows can be fully appreciated. The kitchen is now more integrated with the adjoining living and dining, and the whole area has a beautiful blend of traditional and modern design.
Client Testimonial
“We had been considering a new kitchen for a while but didn’t really know where to start other than collecting lots of photos of our favourite kitchens over the years. Our existing kitchen was 21 years old and as well as being outdated, it was closed in, heavy looking, and lacked sufficient cooking space. As a family of keen home chefs, we wanted a space that was visually striking and functioned well.
We had been to a few kitchen shops, but they didn’t seem personal enough and we weren’t comfortable with their approach. What was interesting about Tracy was her immediate ability to visualise a kitchen layout we hadn’t considered, and which was consistent with our desire for a modern look and feel, while still respecting the period features of our home. Tracy for example considered ceiling height and window height to get the proportions just right. She spent time understanding what we did and didn’t like about our existing kitchen, reviewed our photo collection and helped us refine what we were looking for. She nailed it!
The process was actually enjoyable. Tracy was a constant contact, she walked us through each version of the floorplans and 3D images to ensure they were in line with what we were looking for. Tracy provided regular advice and suggestions as the design came together and was able to find practical storage solutions for platters, trays and chopping boards, and provided us with great suggestions for our much loved coffee station.
Tracy was also able to provide specific advice on space required for each function in the kitchen to ensure it could easily accommodate a number of adults cooking simultaneously while keeping the floorplan tight.
We’re thrilled with the result and so pleased we made the choice to engage Tracy as our design consultant.”
Amanda and Paul Cranage