Projects | Tudor Inspired Classic Kitchen | SpaceCraft Joinery

BLD283896

Di Tony

For Di and Tony’s kitchen, we got our inspiration from China.

Price guide*: $25K - $35K

Specifications

Doors: Polished Tasmanian Oak doors with bollection mold and v-groove paneling, finished in a 30% acid cat clear Kickboards: Polished Tasmanian Oak, finished in a 30% acid cat clear Stone Tops: Caesarstone 50mm thick in Frosty Carrina Drawer Runners: Blum Intivo, Pot drawers with glass sides Splashback: Tile in brick layout Handles & Knobs: Castella 1007601 Antique black    Pantry Lighting: LED with micro switch in white Top Mould with Dental Capping: Polished Tasmanian Oak finshed in a 30% acid cat clear Carcase: Melamine HMR Particle Board in White Leadlight: Diamond pattern with clear glass Oven: Miele H 6260 BP Built in Oven with Microwave: Miele H6400BM Gourmet Warming Drawer: Miele ESW6229 Dishwasher: Miele Freestanding Refrigerator/Freezer: Fisher & Paykel Pigeon Pair Undermount Sink: Clark Monaco 1.5b LHB Concealed Rangehood: Miele DS 2050 Mixer tap: Perrin & Rowe—Provence with levers Cooktop: Electrolux EHG953BA

*Price guide includes: cabinetry, tops and splash backs. Exclusions: appliances, electrical, and plumbing

The Challenge

...the kitchen was poky, tired and dated. Their idea was to reface it....

When they came to us, Di and Tony had already renovated their 1920s home, respectfully maintaining its Tudor-style character, fixtures and original fittings. All that was left was the kitchen, which was poky, tired and dated. Their idea was to reface it.

As for style, they were never going to be candidates for a sleek, minimalist, white kitchen. Instead, they wanted to create something in keeping with the period of their home, and which would showcase some of their fabulous antique collection.

Finally, as they both love to cook and spend a good portion of their day in the kitchen, they didn’t just want it to be more functional; it had to be somewhere they’d love to fritter away the hours.

Beyond the aesthetics, however, there was also a major structural challenge: the walls were all out of square. Our work was really cut out for us on this one.

Our Solution

...the gorgeous colour timber works beautifully with Di’s antique copper collection, which now hangs proudly on the walls...

Usually, we support the idea of reusing or recycling fittings. But Nathan knew right away that refacing this kitchen would be a bad long-term decision. The poor original layout would always compromise the best use of a very limited space. To their credit, Di and Tony conceded the best course of action would be to start afresh.

So, in order to maximise the space and create a better flow within the room, we moved a doorway. This had the added benefit of freeing up a corner to create a walk-in pantry.

Nathan’s design had to complement the home’s history without looking dowdy or being a parody. In the end, he suggested solid Tasmanian oak doors with bolection moulding and V-groove paneling, finished in a 30% acid-catalysed clear coating. The timber’s gorgeous colour works beautifully with Di’s antique copper collection, which now hangs proudly on the walls and adorns the window ledge.

For her antique Wedgwood china, there’s now also a glass-fronted display cupboard with diamond-shaped leadlights, mirroring the home’s original windows. A ceramic-tile splashback with grey grout lines echoes the leadlighting, whilst providing additional texture and pattern without being too busy in the small space.

Finally, to accommodate the irregularity of the walls, all the cabinetry was built with 16-mm voids, which allowed us to plane each touch-point as necessary for perfect fit. Naturally, that took our installers considerable time and patience. The end result, however, was well worth it: not only is it a warm, inviting and comforting kitchen space that works seamlessly with the rest of the home for Di and Tony; for us, it was selected as a finalist in the 2014 Kitchen & Bathroom Designers’ Institute of Australia small kitchen awards.

> belowSee more projects of similar style

Are you interested in accessing our renovation planning resources?