21 Jul TINY APARTMENT KITCHEN PACKED WITH CHARM
By Houzz.
Before & After – See how a dash of bright colour, new finishes and improved storage transformed this small apartment kitchen.
Answers by Alicia Gonzalez, designer and client support at Blakes of Sydney
Kitchen designer: Blakes of Sydney
Brief
- A modern, two-tone kitchen that would complement the existing living spaces, which features timber and white.
- Improved functionality.
- More storage and bench space.
What wasn’t working for the client about the original kitchen?
It was dark, dated and didn’t function well. There wasn’t enough storage or bench space and the bench was at two different levels.
What were their must-haves?
- Open shelving to showcase books and decor items.
- Integrated recycling bins.
- A dedicated space for their video-intercom automated cat feeder (installed on an open shelf unit, not shown in photos).
Starting point
The client wanted a modern version of a Shaker-style kitchen, and they had put together a lot of inspirational images for us. We interpreted and adapted these ideas to suit the space and their needs.
Thinking behind the new design
The new design followed a very similar footprint to the original kitchen, but made better use of all the space available by including wall cabinets wherever possible.
We added tall, shallow cabinetry and clever storage solutions, such as a LeMans corner unit and a custom splashback cabinet to store spices and boost storage.
What exactly did you do?
As the space was small, the remodelling options were limited. We ripped out and replaced the old kitchen, which slightly changed the footprint.
We kept the oven and island in the same positions due to plumbing position constraints. We also had to ensure that we covered the footprint of the old kitchen as the flooring wasn’t changing.
We went handle-free for the tall overheads and back island cabinets to provide a cleaner look and help trick the eye into thinking the space is larger than it actually is. We used handles for the lower cabinets inside the kitchen.
The new kitchen feels so much bigger and brighter than the old one, and the aesthetics now tie in with the style of the apartment. The kitchen is also more functional.
This is my favourite detail in the project [pictured below]. The benchtop on that run was quite deep, so we thought a splashback cabinet behind sliding doors would be a great idea to store our client’s many spice jars since it is right next to the cooking area. The shelves are only 100 millimetres deep, but that’s enough depth to store spice jars.Sliders work well as they are easy to use and non-intrusive in a small kitchen.
Materials and fixtures
- Laminex AbsoluteMatte Natural White for the white joinery.
- Laminex Natural Finish Honey Elm for the open shelving.
- Polyurethane base units finished in Porter’s Paints Squid Ink satin finish.
- Silestone Calacatta Gold benchtop.
- Cosentino Dekton in Zenith splashbacks.
- Blanco Subline700U-Level sink.
- Water People stainless-steel mixer tap.
- Nordlux Strap 27 pendants.
Your turn
What do you love about this kitchen from Blakes Of Sydney? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.