Michelle and Jamie knew what they wanted – a kitchen that matched the style of their house, the size of the space, and the needs of a busy family of five. They already knew about us too because we worked on their family shack in Wellington.

But as Ferris Bueller said back in the 80s, ‘life moves pretty fast’. And life with three kids can move at a rate of knots. Michelle and Jamie merely talked about kitchen plans for some time. When they finally did approach us, they had an overall wish list, and some functional non-negotiables too.

They live in a lovely Federation style house in Toorak Gardens and were keen to modernise while still matching the period of the home. The existing kitchen was provincial style with inadequate storage. It also didn’t make the most of the available space. Poky and disproportionate to the scale of the room it failed to accentuate or make use of the ceiling height. The desire was to open up the space using a modern contemporary shaker style.

Michelle also disliked the corner cupboards, lack of bench space, free-standing bins, and shallow cupboard depth. Their family loves to entertain and she wanted to fit two ovens in the new kitchen (preferably under the bench), a sink-free island bench, a functional sink with a draining board, better waste management, cupboards and drawers that would maximise storage space (including raised cabinets), plus somewhere to conceal a Dyson vacuum and broom. The grand challenge was relocating the TV.

Her preferences were for a neutral colour tone and pops of timber to complement the timber floor, stone tops, a tiled splashback, a concealed rangehood, a semi-integrated dishwasher and fridge, and some open shelving. Lighting requests included LED task lighting and decorative pendant lighting.

Nathan got to work, Tetris-style.

Lucky for Michelle and Jamie, Nathan’s design brain works pretty fast too.

By removing the peninsula kitchen layout, he immediately created more space. The free-standing centre island bench is now perfect for food preparation, entertaining, and knocking off some homework while you snack. Three pendant lights dangle evenly atop. The bench can fit at least two stools yet there’s still a free-flowing space with dual access. The natural marble benchtops create a luxurious feel while the timber pop along the edges perfectly complements the timber floor.

Similarly, open timber shelving along the back wall (and in the corner) gives a nod to the period of the home, as well as creating space to display favourite items. Neutral toned overhead cupboards provide additional storage and accentuate the roof height. Nathan chose a thin shaker frame profile for these, creating a modern edge and overall timeless feel.

The cooking zone and sink sit beneath the cupboards along the back wall. The rangehood is concealed and the Smeg gas hotplate backed by a splashback also in neutral tones. Tiles with repetitive patterning provide movement and texture. There’s a twin bin drawer system, integrated dishwasher, two under-bench ovens, and a drainer to the left of the black double sink with a silver mixer tap. Open timber shelving features again, this time beside the dishwasher to create the perfect nook for chopping board storage.
Tapping into his never-ending know-how, Nathan installed cabinets on either side of the fridge that are cleverly laid out to house pantry items with inner drawers and provide easy access to a cleaning broom cabinet. The black fridge works in tandem with the sink and the black drawer handles to establish a monochromatic colour scheme. Speaking of drawers, these are used wherever possible, even in the corner where what appears to be two opens as one for maximum use of space.

So, did Nathan nail the TV challenge? But of course, which wasn’t easy given the unavailability of walls within the room. The solution involved providing a space within the joinery and putting the TV in the centre island facing the lounge area, concealed behind three sliding doors. Ever so nifty.

And everything aligned.