We’ve worked on some small kitchens before. But, looking back, most were gargantuan compared to the space we had to work with on this one. I mean, we’ve installed fridges that were bigger than this kitchen. So: how do you make a small space feel bigger without bringing in Doctor Who’s Tardis? The answer is to be focused, restrained and to get the details just right. But it certainly helps when you’ve also got a client who has impeccable taste.

Our client, Shaun, is in the medical profession and a co-owner of Bank Street Social, an über-cool underground bar in Adelaide. (Head on down there and feel free to mention SpaceCraft Joinery; when the barman looks at you blankly, just order a drink.)

After buying a home that was built in 1910 in Mile End, Shaun wanted to update the interior and was casting about for a custom-kitchen designer on Google when he found us. What he was looking for was someone with a track record in original design and who could instill unique personality into their work; in his own words, he certainly “wasn’t after a cookie-cutter”.

The main challenge, as we may have already hinted at, was that the space was TINY. (Please note the ironic use of big letters.) Apart from squeezing the most practical use out of this space and managing to install the necessary appliances, Shaun also wanted a servery window to open the kitchen to more light and gain easy access to the outdoors.

The style Shaun is into is mid-20th-century with a neutral colour palette. What else for a dashing man about town? And, as he already has some furniture from that period, he asked us to match the timber colour. No problem. Well, a lot easier than conjuring space, that’s for sure.

Nathan’s first step was to call in a builder to open the outside wall and build that servery window with gas struts to allow it to lift out of the way like a garage door. Cleverly, this idea makes the backyard part of the kitchen and entertainment space.

But Shaun’s innovative thinking didn’t stop there and we went with him all the way. In fact, all the way to the ceiling. To make everything seamless and give a feeling of order, the subway tiles are laid to full height, instead of the traditional just-above-bench height. Fussiness would just add claustrophobia. With the same goal in mind, we built sleek floating shelves and added recessed hand-pulls into the tops of the cupboards instead of applying handles, which are also a nod to the mid-century.

The cupboard fronts are all solid Tasmanian Oak with a walnut stain to match the furniture. (Further irony when you think the timber for this tiny kitchen comes from the tallest flowering tree in the world.) One little quirk Nathan came up with was to utilise a nook that was already in the wall and transform it into a small pantry. So, there’s another hint: if you’re short on space, consider going outside and into the walls.

Adding a touch of luxury are the marble-look stone bench tops, including the servery bench that extends outside. And then there are Shaun’s special bold, brassy features. The Astra Walker Icon sink mixer in Urban Brass commands attention at the basin. But Shaun had to scour the world to find his lighting: the groovy pendant lights over the main bench are from Cedar & Moss in Oregon, USA, whilst the one over the sink is from Coco Flip, which is a studio in Melbourne. It’s just the right amount of detail. Any more and it would start to make its presence felt; any less and it’d feel cold.

The result is a kitchen we’re every bit as proud of as any we’ve produced, if that doesn’t sound too vain. We just know how much effort has to go into a kitchen you can’t fit much in.