Christine & Keith live with their adult children (except the one in England, of course) and their dog, Eddie, in a gracious townhouse in Lower Mitcham. It’s a big family and they love to entertain with big cook-ups and lots of laughter. Christine is the resident chef and she bakes a sourdough loaf the Lauckes would be proud of. The problem has always been the kitchen. Whilst the home was only built just over 20 years ago, it was one area they’ve just never been completely in love with: a bit too cottage cream and piney for their liking. Plus, importantly, the layout just didn’t work for them.

You can’t complain about the position (and who would?) as it looks out through the veranda to the garden and a glistening pool. So, rule number one was that the kitchen’s footprint had to stay put. That said, they also wanted to connect the kitchen more to the adjacent living rooms. To aid in that effort, they were adamant they didn’t want a breakfast bar. Seeing the island back was a brick wall, this would need to be removed. Did somebody say ‘brick dust’?

Overall, what they really wanted was a bit of inspiration – a bit of the old kitchen-whisperer magic – as they hoped the style Nathan would design for this area would set the theme for them to redecorate the rest of the home. On that score, they wanted to introduce some modern, contemporary influences, so long as they ‘didn’t stick out like a sore thumb’ with the rest of the home’s architecture (quite right). Its soaring ceilings already provided good bones to build on. Colour-wise, instead of the cream, they had a mind to go monochromatic and neutral tones.

As far as specifics, Christine’s first wish was to maximise storage space. (Then again, have we ever had a brief that hasn’t had that rider?) Second to that, she wanted all the bench space we could win her and all at one level (delete the modesty step) with a marble or marble-look top. She also wanted some open shelving to display some of her prized treasures and birthday gifts. These include a gorgeous Jam Factory vase, a marble pear, a pomegranate drawn by one friend, and
ceramics made by another. Lucky girl!

What Nathan designed for Christine and Keith has transformed the space and given their home a far more timeless feel. Everything is lean and clean, linked and flowing. The vertical lines accentuate the ceiling height and make it feel majestic. It might be the same footprint, but you’d swear it was bigger. Cottage cream has given way to bright white and more light. But as yin to the yang, he’s tempered that by adding the warmth of Polytec Woodmatt melamine: Perugian Walnut for the base fronts, kickers and the floating shelves; Angora Oak for the back panelling and concealed rangehood/shelving.

All the appliances are integrated into the cabinetry to maintain that purity of line: the Miele steam oven, pyrolytic oven and warming drawer are all in the tower next to the hidden-in-plain-sight Liebherr fridge, with its Perugian Walnut custom handle, whilst the Miele dishwasher is perfectly at hand beneath the counter.

It’s the little details Nathan creates that make the difference. Like the surprising timber-feature ribbing on the counter front. Just what Christine had in mind. And to answer her call for storage, there’s the push-to-open cabinets that stretch all the way to the ceiling, and drawer space aplenty. Out of sight, Nathan has even got the recycling sorted, literally, with a three-bin Lincoln Sentury system. Finally, to top it all off, there’s the Silestone Eternal Statuario marble-look stone benchtop. The perfect platform for when Christine feels the need for a knead.

One further thing: although Christine and Keith might not have a butler, they will soon have a pantry befitting one. At the time of writing, we were still decking out the walk-in with stacks of storage, a Liebherr freezer, the microwave and all those other small appliances that either sit around the kitchen bench looking messy or sit in a cupboard and never get used. Like we said at the beginning: if one door closes, don’t fret. The next one that opens just might reveal the kitchen (and pantry) of your dreams. And our door’s always open.