Heart of the home

Kitchens are the centre of activity in every home, so make sure yours is up to the job. Anything goes, so choose the style, colour and design to suit your life.

STORY: NICOLA CECCATO. PHOTOGRAPHY: SMITH & SONS

Kitchens have evolved from being the simple place you cook your meals to a feature of the home, with design elements to maximise space and efficiency. Karli Vanderwey, alongside her husband Travis from Shepparton’s Smith & Sons Renovations and Extensions, has seen the various changes in kitchen trends over the years. “We’re seeing more coloured cabinets, especially muted warm colours like olive and dark beige,” Karli said. “Open shelving is also making a comeback and really dramatic bench tops like stone with lots of colour. “Black appliances and curves in bench tops and cupboards is also becoming quite popular and colour options for the tapware like gold, brass, nickel, black and chrome is becoming a feature in people’s kitchens. “It all makes for a lot of choices.” The styles of taps and cupboards are also changing, according to Karli, with finger-pull cupboards dominating the market over those with handles, and the goose-neck tap being the most common tap option. Karli said common kitchen styles right now are contemporary modern, classic country and Hamptons, with many people opting for big butler’s pantries. Renovating your kitchen doesn’t always mean you need to pull everything out and start fresh, with a lot of people choosing to keep their kitchen’s original skeleton. “We work with people’s kitchen skeletons too, and nowadays people can also sell their kitchens too so it’s not going to waste. So, that’s another option,” Karli said. The colour of kitchens is also transitioning, with neutral colours changing to a more expanded variety. “We’re still seeing classic combinations of greys, whites and neutral tones but a lot more that we’ve seen coming through are navy, baby blue, olive green to name a few,” Karli said. Kitchen renovations are not the only service Smith & Sons Renovations and Extensions provides. The business also does home extensions, home design and makeovers, knockdown rebuilds, and deck and outdoor renovations. Visit the Smith & Sons Renovations and Extensions showroom at 97 Fryers St, Shepparton, or phone 1300787577.

Standout colours like blue are becoming more popular in modern kitchens.

More cupboard space and bigger butler’s pantries are current kitchen trends.

Lighter colours are still a popular choice for homeowners.