Pushed to the brink by the desire for baked dessert and an oven that hadn’t been working for several years, Adam and Blythe finally went from insta-stalkers to clients.

It’s no wonder they didn’t mind a Spacecraft scroll. When they first moved out – a few days after Blythe turned 20 – their furnishings were cobbled together hand-me-downs. They were fortunate that within this mix of things that people no longer wanted or needed, relatives gifted them the teak dining suite that was stored in their attic. That gorgeous mid-century piece (minus some dire velvet upholstery) has inspired their design choices ever since and it’s where they still share meals and entertain friends.

Adam and Blythe no longer live alone. They share a home with their children, Liljana (15) and Tait (almost 14), a cat called Kitsune (a name worth Googling), five chickens and a pond-full of Murray River rainbow fish in rapidly increasing numbers.

While their diary is always full of activities, they’re a tightly woven, home-oriented family that loves spending time together in the garden growing vegies and flowers, in front of the fire watching films projected onto the blinds, and in the kitchen cooking, baking and preserving what they grow. Our job was to cater for plenty of cooks, a couple of coeliacs and some stray soil.

We also had to honour the existing living area which was quite an unusual space with rough-hewn, handcrafted rammed earth walls and vast expanses of glass that look out to the garden. Adam and Blythe were mindful of wanting to do the home justice.

The brief was minimalist mid-century featuring a pared back palette, hard angles with the occasional softening curve, and to leave as much rammed earth exposed as possible. Materiality was key. They wanted to work with ‘really beautiful wood finished with exquisite detailing’ – timber with touches of black on black to coordinate with the black-painted timber floors while allowing the existing rammed earth to shine and not compete with the new joinery.

Functionality was important too. A working oven, obviously. A designated coffee preparation area. But also, an improved layout with plenty of storage. The current pantry was tiny, and a garden room was being utilised as back up. And with the kitchen the hub of the home, they wanted an island that had a space to sit and work at with laptops on charge. Their love of the wabi-sabi aesthetic would mean somehow still embracing the texture and irregularities in their existing rammed earth walls without compromising function.

Finally, they craved a connection to the outdoors where they also love to be.

Let’s start with the aesthetics. We used a limited material palette of timber veneer, solid timber, black (in stone benchtops/sanitaryware/handles) to be sympathetic to the existing rammed earth. By using minimal splashbacks, we could leave as much rammed earth visible as possible while also providing protection from spills and splashes.

To keep a streamlined aesthetic, we included an integrated fridge/freezer and dishwasher and put the microwave behind joinery (servo-drive). You’d hardly know they’re there. The undermount granite composite sink has a bench mounted tap in black. Dark stone benchtops with a slight vein were chosen to add interest without distracting from other features and because we couldn’t penetrate the rammed earth exterior wall we featured a concealed rangehood with recirculating carbon features.

The custom blackwood timber wave handles and frame detail on joinery fronts add detail without overwhelming the design. Slightly curved, the handles complement the additional curves we included to soften the hard angles within the space, like the top of the splashback, the sides of the rangehood, and the edges of the table, coffee area and open shelving.

Now for the space. The new CookCentre oven means dessert and dinner can be cooked at once. Hallelujah. Osso Bucco followed by Baked Cheesecake is back on. The new island configuration has given them much more area to work with too – perfect for keen gardeners who are always harvesting produce from their garden. The double sink allows them to keep the inevitable soil that makes its way into the house separate from whatever else is going on at the time. The ‘acres’ of bench top allow for the preparation of gluten free food separate from gluten-full food, without fear of cross contamination. Drawers were prioritised over doors in the base units wherever possible to provide better functionality. And not only can the family use their laptops at the island, but they can also tuck them out of sight there too. This and her stunning glass spice library on display at the oven’s end bring Blythe endless joy.

We had to be crafty to make this all work. The kitchen area was quite small with limited wall space. Using the room’s odd angles to our advantage, we incorporated a lowered table with angled waterfall end which extended 90 degrees from the island to provide the designated space for laptop use while someone is simultaneously using the kitchen. This lowered table included a contrast black post to once again soften the hard angles.

Theirs wasn’t a simple site. There was not one straight line to work with. Thankfully, Blythe and Adam say that, thanks to our attention to detail, their new kitchen feels truly crafted for the space. No longer a ‘shiny, cumbersome kitchen’, they say it feels like home.

‘It sits comfortably as though a collection of refined furniture pieces. The new configuration has fundamentally altered the sight lines across the space too and this, combined with the receding nature of the bench tops, makes it feel as though we’re moments from the garden before we even step across the threshold from the entrance hall.

On paper, the plans seemed iterative in many (very positive) ways, but the result is not just a pleasure to look at, it is truly a pleasure to be in.’