Some people love bling. Some love olde worlde character. Others are into big pops of colour, while others love nothing more than the down-and dirty industrial look. But for Sally and Steve, the kitchen of their dreams was always going to be a picture of ordered restraint. Nothing quirky. Nothing showy. Just pure, pared-back classic modern. What that requires, of course, is a strong sense of design, uncompromising quality, exquisite finish and absolute self-confidence. Which is exactly what you’d expect from a real-estate agent and a builder, wouldn’t you? Well, here’s how we made understated elegance a real statement in itself.

Sally and Steve are very much part of the fabric of Strathalbyn. During the working day, Sally is the proprietor of the town’s Raine & Horne real-estate agency and Steve builds locally. But after hours, both invest themselves in Strath’s community with a big part of their lives devoted to the footy club where their two boys play. Gregarious and big-hearted, they spend most of the little spare time they have in the company of family and friends.

You know the old story: a builder’s home is never finished? Well, in this case, the renovation was never started. Steve knew their 1997 home situated on 2.5 acres of picturesque land just out of the main town centre was going to take a major investment of his time (not to mention money) to bring it kicking and screaming into the 21st-century. And compromise wasn’t on the agenda. So, they finally bit the bullet to give Sally the open-plan kitchen/ living/ dining space she craved with a better connection to the outdoors.

Our main challenge was living up to the expectations we put on ourselves. You see, Sally and Steve have been very supportive of SpaceCraft since our inception, and have championed our business to the local community. In fact, a few years ago, we remodeled a kitchen for Steve’s parents. So we were delighted they chose us to do their joinery. But we were also absolutely determined to excel for such lovely people. Our reputation depended on it!

Whilst Sally and Steve knew the look and feel they were after, Nathan was able to lead them through the design process for the new open-plan space. This led Steve to get stuck in and create that area by demolishing walls, putting up new ones, and installing new floors, sliding doors and a study area along with the space for the new kitchen and pantry, built by SpaceCraft.

One of the many truly impressive features of this space is the generous servery opening onto their al fresco dining area, which provides seamless connection with the backyard and a totally relaxed and social atmosphere. Who needs an outdoor kitchen when your actual kitchen opens up like this?

For the most part, Sally and Steve trusted their instincts. But they also trusted Nathan’s. Although she first baulked at the beautiful big timber handle-pulls he proposed for the kitchen, Sally finally acquiesced to the ‘kitchen whisperer’s’ gentle persuasion and these added further warmth and tactility to the timber highlights on the island bench-top, feature rangehood canopy and open shelving.

Ultimately, though, Sally got exactly what she wanted: a white kitchen with crisp lines, creating a very livable space that’s perfect for entertaining. Light, bright, inviting, practical, timeless and understated. But it’s the finish that’s critically important here. We constantly reminded ourselves that Steve is a builder and he will look critically at our work every day. Just as well he likes what he sees.