Some clients become friends. And, sometimes – as in this case – friends become clients. It’s not something we ever push. That’s not the way we’re built. But Nathan and Ellen have known Kerrie and Shane forever. In fact, in a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth, Shane and Nathan used to play footy together. (Maybe it just feels that long ago.) Anyway, after seeing how well the Wundersitz kitchen works and looks over countless visits to Strathalbyn, they finally decided to find out what SpaceCraft could do for their kitchen. So, unlike with most clients, we went to their place one Sunday arvo for a chat over a bottle… or two… of wine, and the ideas started to flow.

The family’s beautiful old bungalow in Clarence Gardens was built in 1925, which Shane bought 20 years ago. When Kerrie came into the picture – and the house – the interior styling got a much-needed shot in the arm and she filled the place with art. Then, in turn, they both filled it with love, a couple of kids named Zac and Mia, and a dog called Minnie. Perfect. Except for the kitchen.

Situated at the back of the home, the kitchen faces towards a welcoming fireplace and a couple of comfy couches where you can lie back and watch the kids play in the backyard through big windows. So far, so good. However, the layout felt a bit cramped with an oddly angled big corner pantry taking up way more real estate than needed. Making it worse, the predominant colour was chocolate brown with white. Sure, it can work. But this chocolate wasn’t to Kerrie’s taste. And the chef is always right.

So, as the wine came pouring out, so did the inspiration. And Kerrie had a pile of it: a whole Pinterest page full. (A great tip, by the way.) Basically, what that boiled down to was four key elements: her main colour was a sage choice (a lovely tranquil sage), plus she wanted curves, open shelving and ribbing detail. Yep: everything we love in a kitchen. And when the words ‘mid-century modern’ were uttered, Nathan could hardly keep his pen still.

While the wine did loosen our tongues and our ideas, fortunately, the brief stayed on course. (Sometimes, this kind of session can go horribly off the rails: problems with the kitchen lead you to redesign the whole house, then decide to sell everything and buy a caravan, before moving on to the problems of the world and passing out on the floor at 3.00 a.m.) Oh, yes. It’s happened.

Not here, though. Kerrie and Shane had a pretty firm idea on what they wanted and it was pretty easy for the Kitchen Whisperer to coax out the details. First up, the monstrous pantry had to go. The replacement cabinetry would all be clean and smooth and extend right to the ceiling, with notch-outs instead of handles and gracious curves to soften the edges. The palette was to be sage and white with details and trim in American oak, which gives a lovely warmth to any room.

Specifically, they wanted an island bench to fit four stools with a lovely low pendant over it to create the mood and spotlight the worktop. They also loved the idea of feature timber ribbing. To finish it off, a stone top and beneath, open shelves for ease of access.

Somehow, we’d have to accommodate a coffee machine, grinder, SodaStream, toaster and kettle, along with an underbench microwave, a three-liner bin system, an integrated dishwasher and the existing fridge… all without looking – or being – chaotic. The truth is that the space was not huge and Nathan was going to have to perform one of his famous magic tricks to make all this work.

For the cherry on top, though, Kerrie wanted the same geometric style for their splashbacks as Ellen has in her kitchen. (Like that famous scene in Sleepless in Seattle, it was a case of “I’ll have what she’s having.”)

Abracadabra! As if by magic – or the awesome powers of wine – Kerrie and Shane’s kitchen was transformed into a thing of wonder and beauty. And here’s how it was done. First, Nathan removed that awkward corner pantry and, hey presto, created not just one but two replacements: a blind-corner pantry and another with double-doors framing the fridge.

To create an uninterrupted view into the backyard like the one in the lounge, the old window was replaced by a new one installed for us by Brendan Crouch at Rival Homes & Construction. The light now floods in. The beautiful new island bench has been ribbed on its curvaceous back and leg with 24-mm half-round American oak. The back also conceals three push-to-open drawers, which Kerrie wanted “wherever possible”. The top continues that lovely, soft curve in 20-mm-thick Caesarstone Snow, which has a subtle fleck that picks up the light from that new window.

Across the passage to answer those curves are the open shelves that serve to connect the living room to the kitchen and give Kerrie somewhere to place her greenery and books.

The tall cabinetry that houses the pantries and fridge, and the underbench cupboards have all been painted in two-pack colour-matched to Laminex Bayleaf, while the overheads are finished in a two-pack satin colour-matched to Polytec Blossom White, which is a subtle tone that’s not too stark. (When you start this journey, you’ll discover the colour ‘white’ is never quite as black-and-white as you’d imagine.)

Nathan also used pops of American oak throughout in little cameo roles to warm the scene and add interest. Have a look at the photos and you’ll see hints of oak peeping through from the notched-out handles on the below-bench drawers and doors. Plus, he had three custom handles made by Auburn Woodturning out of American oak as a special highlight for the pantry.

The final effect of all this is a kitchen that is glorious, harmonious, cool and uncluttered. Like a duck on a pond, you can barely see a ripple on the surface. But underneath, there’s plenty going on with all those appliances hidden out of sight but ready for action at the push of a door. So, the only thing left for Kerrie and Shane to do is invite us round to pop a cork and celebrate.