Some singers are great. Others are great, and they give you chills. Why? They’ve injected a bit of themselves into the delivery. You hear emotion and talent. Soul. Subject yourself to one of those annoying talent shows (sorry, fans) and soon enough you’ll see them point out a moment.

Similarly, some homes are striking but soulless. Not this one. The Tittertons, a family of five, have a revolving door of love, laughter and soul. On top of their self-made chaos, they love spending time entertaining friends and extended family.

Sam runs SJT Carpentry and built their brand-new home.  Corinne’s an in-house stylist known for creating the magic behind the mood at Sanbis Retreats, luxury stays on the Fleurieu. A place with personality was always on the cards.

Having gone down that very popular rabbit hole of ours on social media, Corinne fell in love with Spacecraft’s style. Our status as Fleurieu Peninsula locals was a bonus. She met with designer Sarah, visited the office, and the decision to choose us became a must.

Describing their home as “loud, messy, beautiful and full of life”, they wanted a design that would embrace this rather than fight against it. We were assigned design duties for the kitchen, pantry, laundry space and the entry/drop zone.

Stylistically, the brief sat somewhere between Mid-Century, Modern Farmhouse, Bali Retreat and Wabi Sabi (simple beauty) influences. Not overly polished or trend driven. A home with soul that feels lived in while also looking great.

Priority was given to natural materials, particularly timber elements in walnut tones, textured tiles and feature stone. Then a bit of green for good measure. They wanted every space to have a warm, textural, earthy and inviting feel.

Entertaining was a major consideration. The kitchen needed to act as a central gathering point for family and friends, with a generous island becoming the heart of the home.

A highly functional pantry was required, incorporating a coffee station, appliance storage, an easily accessible air fryer, and a dedicated bar/drinks area.

Even the laundry was to have some personality and feel like an extension of the living spaces rather than a purely utilitarian room.

The entry/drop zone would need to support the practical day-to-day needs of the busy family. Between parents and the three children, Leo, Alby and Molly, that’s a lot of shoes, hats, bags, balls, Barbie dolls and thingamajigs. It also needed to feel welcoming to guests.

It goes without saying that storage was to be maximised throughout all spaces, ideally without compromising aesthetics.

Did Sarah nail it…

Sarah did have to overcome a few challenges, though.

• Balancing something so functional with a strong aesthetic outcome
• Incorporating extensive storage requirements without allowing the joinery to feel heavy or dominate the spaces
• Creating cohesive spaces as well as areas with their own identity and purpose
• Distilling the various design influences (Mid-Century, Farmhouse, Bali retreat and Wabi Sabi) into one cohesive design language
• Delivering a design that felt deeply personal, rather than adhering to a trend or style
• The overall spend

She started by ensuring the kitchen acts as the home’s primary gathering point. It was designed around a large central island, intentionally sized to accommodate food preparation, entertaining and everyday family interaction

A statement stone was selected for the island and bar area, which became one of the defining features of the project and created a strong focal point within the open-plan living area. To quote Sam and Corinne, “OOFT!! Literally took our breath away. And every visitor there after”.

Also wanting to create a connection point between the feature timber legs and stone, Sarah designed the legs to cut through the stone top and run flush with it. The result is stunning.

Across every room, the material choices helped build a layered, tactile atmosphere that feels refined yet deeply inviting.

Rich timber tones were introduced through custom detailing and joinery elements, bringing warmth and reinforcing the Mid-Century influences without overwhelming the space. Having initially spec’d timber veneer throughout, we ended up using a durable timber-look melamine in all areas to reduce overall spend. It looks fantastic and matches well with the solid timber feature legs on the island.

Handmade-style green tiles (tick) were incorporated to introduce texture and variation, helping create the relaxed, collected feel the clients were drawn to.

For something a bit unique, we designed a custom rangehood feature to make it an architectural element as well as a functional necessity. Open shelving was introduced selectively to display styling pieces for personal flair and create visual breathing room amongst the larger joinery elements.

Storage solutions were carefully integrated throughout, including extensive drawer storage, waste management systems, spice storage and concealed appliance solutions. The air fryer is easily accessible within the pantry to feed the hordes fast.

The pantry was designed as a true extension of the kitchen rather than a secondary room, maintaining the same material palette and aesthetic language. Dedicated zones within include a coffee station, appliance storage, food storage, preparation space and a feature drinks/bar area for easy entertaining. Making this a pantry you can hide in for chocolate eating and a quick nip!

The palette extends to the laundry, where storage was maximised through a combination of tall cabinetry, adjustable shelving, pull-out laundry baskets and dedicated storage for household items such as brooms, vacuum cleaners and ironing boards.

The entry/drop zone incorporates integrated seating, concealed storage (for hiding thingamajigs) and practical family-focused functionality (like funky hooks), while maintaining the warm material palette established throughout the home.

This was a design that needed to comfortably support a family of five, frequent entertaining and everyday life while still feeling calm, considered and beautiful. Returning to those heavily produced talent shows for a moment, picture the Tittertons as judges. When it came to our performance, they all banged the buzzers and swung their seats around.

The quote from Corinne: “Amazing, Amazing, Amazing”.