Contemporary kitchen design in modern addition with silvertop ash cabinets

Updating an older home to suit modern living can require a ruthless approach. And most often, it's the earlier add-ons and renovations that need to go.

That's exactly what was needed for this project, says architect Julie Firkin, who designed a two-storey extension to an Edwardian cottage.

"There was a lean-to added in the 1970s that needed to be demolished," she days. "It took up too much of the small site and was in bad shape and the living areas were very crammed."

Firkin says the kitchen needed to be central to the design. The owners, who are very keen cooks, wanted to be able to keep an eye on their children playing, both inside and out, while they were working in the kitchen.

"They also wanted a sustainable design, so we teamed natural timbers from a renewable resource with concrete. Other passive design features, including a cantilevered upper level, help to ensure the space is warmed by the sun in winter, yet shaded in summer."

Because the addition has two levels, the overall footprint could be minimised, creating space for a deck and grass. The kitchen, tucked beneath the cantilever, has large awning windows with gas struts that open up to this outdoor living area.

"The indoor-outdoor connection is great for entertaining," says the architect. "The counter has already been used as a soup kitchen and an ice-cream bar."

In keeping with the exterior of the addition, the kitchen cabinetry is crisp and contemporary, rather than rustic and busy.

"The solid silvertop ash joinery has a clarity that makes it simple and soothing, yet is also warm and natural," says Firkin. "We teamed with this honed black granite benchtops and an expressed concrete breakfast bar and floor."

A timber-wrapped box-like element accommodates the refrigerator and pantry. The low cabinetry is in white laminate.

Other features include colourful green and blue glass cabinets in front of the windows, which cast an inviting glow throughout the space.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes

Photography by: Christine Francis