CREATIVE COOK ZONE Be inspired by this Perth couple’s clever and budget-friendly kitchen renovation

Creative cook zone

TIME TO BE INSPIRED BY A STUNNING, (MOSTLY) DIY KITCHEN MAKEOVER

Words HOLLY BYRNE Photography DENISE RIX Styling GRACE BUCKLEY

Before

†Available to order online or at the Special Orders Desk. ‘Before’ photograph courtesy of Harcourts Once an awkward, closed-in space, this Perth kitchen is now light, bright and beautifully functional

ABOVE Kaboodle Kitchen ‘Modern’ profile cabinetry in Gloss White. Johnson Tiles 600mm x 300mm matt ceramic floor tiles in Desert Sky, $38.05/carton of 7, I/N: 0044521. (On bench) Northcote Pottery ‘Billi’ 30cm bowl in Coffee, $25.98, I/N: 0263725. Northcote Pottery ‘Benji’ 19cm pot in Coffee, $8.48, I/N: 0263722. (On floor) Bangalow palm plant. Home Bazar ‘Essential’ 66cm rattan stools, $89 each, I/N: 0167002. Wall tiles, for similar try Johnson Tiles 450mm x 450mm matt ceramic tiles in Desert Sky, $34.36/carton of 6, I/N: 0044505†. Flooring, for similar try Floor Select 1380mm x 244mm x 8mm water resistant laminate flooring in Gessami Oak, $69.95/pack of 8 (2.69sqm), I/N: 0135645. All plants sold separately. All other products, stylist’s own. Some products are not available at all Bunnings stores, but may be ordered. Plants are decorative only. Take care when selecting and positioning indoor plants as some can be poisonous. 

Dulux Casper White on the walls and British Paints Flat White on the ceiling, together with the glossy cabinetry and engineered stone benchtop, create an airy feel

When Chelsea and James purchased their home in Perth’s beachside suburbs, it was all about the location. “We bought this old house with the intent to pretty much gut it and redo it,” says Chelsea.

First on their to-do list was the kitchen, which lacked storage and was closed off from the rest of the living space. Chelsea had picked up skills watching her parents flip houses, but DIY was all new to James. “Before he moved to Australia, he played football professionally and had never even touched a screwdriver!” says Chelsea. Still, the pair pulled off the reno with help from some tradies and her electrician dad – and managed to stick to their budget.

A reclaimed hallway provides much needed pantry storage

“When we first moved here, the kitchen was very impractical”

Chelsea, homeowner, @diy.dummies

LEFT Kaboodle Kitchen ‘Modern’ profile cabinetry in Gloss White. Carinya ‘Studio’ 150mm x 150mm x 20mm single brackets in Black, $4.60 each, I/N: 3961596. Boxsweden 310mm x 175mm x 125mm large bamboo stackable storage baskets, $9.50 each, I/N: 0285522. Birds nest fern plant in Northcote Pottery 14cm cork pot, $15.98, I/N: 0263240 (plant sold separately). All other products, stylist’s own. Some products are not available at all Bunnings stores, but may be ordered.

Paint colours may vary on application. Artwork Anya Brock. During

Mapping it out

To make sure their DIY workload was manageable, Chelsea and James broke up the reno into smaller tasks. “We tried to do it so that we could use parts of the kitchen for as long as possible to make it easier,” says Chelsea. The process took around

Architectural elements – such as the varied ceiling heights and cornices – create interest, define the cooking area and add symmetry to a previously unbalanced back wall. Home Bazar ‘Essential’ 66cm rattan stools, $89 each, I/N: 0167002. Northcote Pottery ‘Benji’ 19cm pot in Coffee, $8.48, I/N: 0263722. Northcote Pottery ‘Billi’ 30cm bowl in Coffee, $25.98, I/N: 0263725. All other products, stylist’s own. Strip lights

11 months, beginning with alterations to the floor plan. The couple blocked off a door to the carport and a side window to allow for a fridge recess.

“Then it seemed very closed in to have the island bench go all the way to the wall, so that’s when we decided to cut that off,” explains Chelsea. That next step delivered the stylish central island, and a more welcoming and open space.

To fix the lack of storage, the couple turned a second walkway through to their front sitting room into a pantry.

Light the way

Chelsea and James wanted a way to delineate the cooking zone, which they have done by adding a drop ceiling. By raising a section between the island and the backbench and adding LED strip lights, they’ve also created the illusion of a skylight.

Above the island, they opted for simple downlights over pendants. “We put a large pendant over our dining table, just to the left of the kitchen, so we didn’t want to have things hanging everywhere,” explains Chelsea.

Cupboard love

For the new cabinetry, Chelsea opted for Kaboodle Kitchen’s Modern profile design in Gloss White. “We decided on the Kaboodle Kitchen range because we could put it all together ourselves, saving us on labour costs,” she says. Floor space in the new pantry was limited, so fitting it out required a little creativity. “Because we didn’t have much depth to play with, we actually used wall cupboards and just put them on the floor!”

ABOVE When storage is on display, limiting materials to just a few – such as timber and glass – keeps the look neat

FLOOR PLAN

2200

Power moves

There’s a lot to love about the new kitchen the pair have created, but for Chelsea there’s a standout feature. “We put a power point on each end of the island bench with two power points and two USB sockets,” she says. “So, if you want to charge your phone, you can just plug it in on the end of the island, or if you want to use a sandwich toaster or a food processor that’s stored in the cupboard, it’s easy to find power.”

900 800 1400 1200

1200 OVEN

WALK-IN PANTRY PANTRY CUPBOARD HOT PLATE ZONE FRIDGE 700

Tile style

Light, bright and neutral was the colour palette the couple had in mind, and between the glossy cabinetry and the pale tiles on the splashback, oven stack and island, they’ve nailed it. “We had finished the splashback area before we started the floor, so we went into Bunnings and took a couple of the samples to find a floor tile to match,” explains Chelsea, who chose the same tile in a rectangle shape. “That was the nicest tile because it had some light colours, whites and light greys going through it and that would help tie in the floor tile and obviously the gloss whites.” They used the same tile along the pantry wall. “We wanted to keep it all matching but we didn’t want to have a full tile in the scullery, so we cut them in half.”

Keep in mind...

n Electrical and plumbing work must be carried out by licensed tradies.

ISLAND BENCH

3200 SINK

900 2700

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