Leanne and Dave had an uncompromising vision for a sleek, modern kitchen in their cottage-style home. What they wanted was an inviting central hub for their family and guests, as the kitchen flows off the corridor and overlooks the dining and living area. And, as with most of our clients these days, they needed plenty of storage. Simple as that.

The ‘elephant in the room’ was a challenge that would affect all our electrical and plumbing work: the flat roof above the kitchen gave us no ceiling space. That meant removing sheets of iron for any overhead access, adding another degree of difficulty – and weather worries – to the project. It’s probably one instance when living in the driest state in Australia was a very good thing.

Funnily enough, it’s easy to overcomplicate simplicity. Or, of course, make it deathly boring. It’s all about the thinking that goes into the design. It’s as much about what you don’t notice as what you do. When a kitchen works ergonomically and well, it will make a pleasure of the simplest task. And that is worth more than any expensive features or look-at-me bling.

So, we set out to design a functional kitchen with plenty of storage and minimal visible detail. That’s why we took the cupboards all the way to the ceiling, which also had the benefit of emphasising the room’s height. But it’s the small detail we did add that makes all the difference. For example, whilst the cabinets are all bright white gloss, they are cheered by the contrasting spotted-gum veneer to create a contemporary, Scandinavian-influenced environment with a warm ambience. To emphasise this feature, the same veneer is used on the undersides of the overhead cupboards.

Similarly, the new timber floors were given a subtle limewash, and the introduction of soft accents of sunny yellow in the light pendants and window blind, instantly bring a smile to any face, no matter how bleary the morning might be.

Dispensing with handles – again, removing extraneous detail – each overhead cupboard has a push-to-open mechanism, while the low cupboards and drawers have finger grips and shadow lines. The finishing touch is the stone benchtops that are a hefty 50 millimetres thick, giving the kitchen a sense of quality, permanence and finesse. Understated, certainly. But not under-thought.