KITCHEN ideas

About to embark on a kitchen renovation? We chat to experts about 10 design ideas to consider.

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‘Somerset’ pendant light $811 lighterior.com.au

1. PURE ELEGANCE

The timeless beauty of this kitchen will outlast trends, thanks to its Shaker cabinets and neutral colour palette. Designers Leah and Fliss Pitman of Bone Made describe it as a blend of classic and contemporary design. “Our concept for the home was to ensure we paid homage to the existing and beautiful Federation bones of the property,” Leah explains.

“We opted for sophisticated and elegant details such as profiled cabinetry, a classic-style integrated rangehood, marble engineered stone for the bench tops and splashback, and bold and sophisticated pendants over the island bench, which really elevate the space and emphasise the beautiful high ceilings in the kitchen area.”

INTERIOR

2. BREAKFAST BAR

to eat or serve food.

“There is a formal dining area but because it’s an older home it’s in a separate room. The clients wanted to create an additional, more relaxed space that they could use for breakfast or serving platters when entertaining,” says Kate.

“The space is an unusual shape; when you enter the home you walk into an open plan living area and kitchen,” Kate explains. “The brief was to make the kitchen feel less utilitarian and more like it was part of the furniture and surrounds. This was achieved by using integrated appliances, the addition of the custom dining table and corner bench seat, open shelving, and using green cabinetry to bring the outdoors in.”

Buildmat

Buildmat

3. BIFOLD PANTRY

Designers Alliera and Rebecca of HAAUS have used bifold doors on this pantry, making it easy to leave the doors open while it’s in use. Not only is the pantry beautiful, with its Polytec ‘Natural Oak’ matt finish, curved shelving and streamlined drawers – it’s also very practical because it doubles as an appliance cupboard.

“We absolutely love the bifold doors on this pantry. They are quite inconspicuous from the outside, however, when you open them they create that instant wow factor,” says Alliera. “We could have opted for a traditional pantry here, but because we had the space, we chose to add some depth and create a whole new workspace behind closed doors.”

Rebecca points out that two sets of power points inside the pantry create an easy hiding space for electrical appliances such as kettles and toasters, and the deep drawers under the bench provide extensive storage for pantry goods.

“While the pantry is generally used for prepping breakfast or making a quick coffee, it also doubles as a bar space when entertaining guests. Coffee cups are replaced with martini glasses and the bench space is used to mix cocktails.”

4. SENSOR TAPWARE

Keep germs at bay in the kitchen with a sensor tap like this pull-out mixer from ABI Interiors (pictured below), which works touch-free. It’s operated with an easily adjustable infrared sensor and has a 30-second cut-off safety feature, which also improves water efficiency. This all-in-one kitchen mixer comes with a pull-out mixer and a 360-degree swivel spout function.

SHOP THE LOOK Kitchen joinery by 7-3 Design & Joinery; pendant light from LAAL; stools from Grazia&Co.

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ABI Interiors ‘Elysian’ sensor commercial pull-out kitchen mixer in brushed brass $929.90 abiinteriors.com.au

ABI Interiors ‘Rappana’ cabinetry pull extended (100mm) in brushed brass

IKEA ‘Begripa’ handles in white (130mm) $6 (2 pack) ikea.com.au

Linear Standard ‘Sense’ handles from $21 linearstandard.com.au

Walnut and gold handle (128mm) $13.91 etsy.com/ shop/MaeloveCrafts