TINY APARTMENT KITCHEN PACKED WITH CHARM

21 Jul TINY APARTMENT KITCHEN PACKED WITH CHARM

Posted at 20:34h in Kitchens by

By Houzz.

Before & After – See how a dash of bright colour, new finishes and improved storage transformed this small apartment kitchen.

In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers, Blakes Of Sydney – and examine the creative thinking behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Contemporary Kitchen by Cosentino Australia

Answers by Alicia Gonzalez, designer and client support at Blakes of Sydney
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Balmain, NSW
Room purpose and size: A five-square-metre open-plan kitchen in a modern warehouse-style apartment
Kitchen designer: Blakes of Sydney
Budget: Around $40,000 (excluding appliances)
Where did most of the budget go: On the joinery and benchtops. The clients won a Cosentino Dekton surface in a competition, which they used on the splashbacks.
by Cosentino Australia
The kitchen before and after works

 

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).

 

by Cosentino Australia

The kitchen before and after works

 

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.

by Blakes Of Sydney
The kitchen floor plan after works

 

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.

Modern Kitchen by Cosentino Australia
The designer took the open shelves down the stairs to create an eye-catching feature in this open-plan space.
Why do you think this room works?
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.
Tell us about the sliding panel
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.
Modern Kitchen by Cosentino Australia
Bold blue on the kitchen island and base units adds contrast and balance in this predominantly light-toned open-plan space.

 

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.