Fiona first met SpaceCraft by accident — or fate, depending on how romantic you’re feeling about joinery. She was visiting Oliver’s Taranga, admiring the warmth and craftsmanship of the fit‑out, completely unaware it was ours. It wasn’t until later, when she began exploring options for her own renovation, that she realised the joinery she’d loved belonged to us. The attraction made immediate sense.

We were enlisted to help her house in Glenelg match her homebody lifestyle. It has a rich family history, having been lived in by cousins and nieces over the years and is now shared by Fiona and her two dogs, Milly and Dusty, who have strong opinions about seating and sun patches.

Fiona likes to be in her own space, read a lot, listen to music (she has a refurbished stereogram and the beginnings of a decent record collection), and cook for people.

The house itself is compact, full of character, and anchored by a single artwork in the kitchen — a piece rich with terracotta, tan, pink and green tones. Fiona knew from the beginning that this piece would guide the renovation’s palette and personality.

The original kitchen, however, wasn’t living up to the artwork’s promise. Prep space was limited, the layout felt disconnected, and the bay window area — full of potential — was awkwardly underused. The pantry wasn’t practical, and the dishwasher lived in the bathroom, which is the kind of detail you don’t really want to admit or visitors to notice. The bathroom and laundry worked, technically, but not efficiently. And in the living room, Fiona’s extensive book collection deserved better than the scattered storage on offer.

What Fiona wanted was clear: more storage, more prep space, more warmth, more personality, and a colour palette pulled straight from her beloved artwork. Colour blocking to define spaces, not walls. A home that felt cohesive and calm (for relaxing), but still interesting and fun.

She grew up in a house her parents built in the 80s, full of colour, wood, stone and brick and was keen to recreate that feeling of home in her Federation cottage too. The practicality of mid-century modern design seemed a good fit, with curves to ensure it didn’t feel too clinical.

What she didn’t want was also clear: no materials requiring endless replacing and no white stone benchtop. Fiona cooks to relax and couldn’t live “in fear of staining my work surface”. The right stone was spotted on one of our social posts. It reminded her of flying over central Australia and looked perfectly forgiving of splashes.

With a photo of Fiona’s painting near at hand, our designer Beth got thinking.

Clearly influenced by her generation, Fiona’s whole house is a combination of millennial green and pink. Her painting and nostalgia gave Beth an excellent palette starting point, but also a challenge. She had to keep it rich and expressive without overwhelming the compact footprint. Terracotta, tan, pink and green are bold, characterful colours — gorgeous, but capable of misbehaving if not handled with care. The solution was very toned version of the colours – grey greens and pinks with an earthy brown undertone. Deeper greens and terracotta tones add depth and contrast where necessary.

Warmth came first. Timber and veneer elements were introduced to ground the palette and soften the transitions between spaces. The colours from the artwork were carried through the joinery, finishes and furnishings, creating a scheme that felt intentional rather than thematic. The natural stone was chosen for its ability to echo these tones subtly, reinforcing the palette without competing with it. And to hide spills, of course. Materials, like old brass, were selected to age with character, just as Fiona intended.

Managing the size of the space required clever thinking to make every centimetre work. Thankfully, Fiona was ready to make compromises, including letting go of the bathtub, to achieve a home that functioned the way she needed it to.

The bay window area became the project’s turning point. What had once been an awkward nook — home to the coffee machine, appliances and a separate dining setup — was reimagined as an extension of the kitchen. The new island now sits proudly in this space, offering Fiona the generous prep area she’d been craving. Integrated bench seating makes the kitchen feel more social and inviting, and removing the traditional dining area opened the room dramatically. Fiona can now cook, prepare food, and chat with guests at the same level, which has transformed how she entertains. Cooking in bulk is easier too.

“My new kitchen island is perfect for setting up for a batch cooking day with others. It’s been especially good when rolling out pasta for lasagna or folding a huge batch of Potsticker dumplings, with plenty of space for everyone to work while still making it easy to chat,” she said.

Functionality was improved across the entire home. The kitchen layout was redesigned to maximise bench space and eliminate daily frustrations. Fiona says her new coffee nook is a “literal dream”. “Having everything I need right at my fingertips makes every morning run smoother – especially when I’m still half asleep and need a hit of caffeine to get my day started,” she said.

We spotted a few happy tears shed as she walked in to see the stone bench and splash being installed. Fiona is also loving the new storage, which keeps work essentials easily at hand during WFH days and rapidly out of sight once she’s logged off.

The dishwasher finally found a home in the kitchen, where it always belonged, and cleaning up is way faster now. The bathroom and laundry were reworked to improve storage and usability, making the most of their compact footprint. In the living room, a cohesive run of joinery now houses Fiona’s book collection, with the television mounted against a dark green back panel so it visually recedes — a deliberate choice to keep the focus on the room, not the screen.

Milly and Dusty have, of course, claimed their favourite spots. Their satisfaction will be complete once they’ve worked out how to flick the radio onto ABC Country, their station of choice.

Fiona is 100 per cent satisfied, saying she knew right from the start she was in safe hands with Beth. “Spacecraft are impeccable. The team are so good at what they do and a dream to work with. I can’t thank them enough.”

Those lovely words work for us.