Change of heart extensively remodelled apartment by Domus Interiors

When you have an apartment lifestyle, you probably still want a spacious, open-plan living area that's well set up for casual entertaining.

This apartment, owned by Phillip and Virginia Newell, originally had a standard fit-out, with a small kitchen. The couple commissioned designer Jos van Bree of Domus Interiors to come up with a new plan that would provide a much more spacious living area and a larger kitchen.

"We were able to remove a wall between the kitchen and the third bedroom," says van Bree. "Although this sacrificed a bedroom, it gave us the space to create something a little different, which was a key part of the owner's brief."

The designer says in order to maximise the space, the dining table is incorporated into the island, which is more than 3m long.

"This is a very practical solution one end of the island can seat four to five people. It also allows for easy socialising while meals are prepared."

The kitchen features a mix of materials. White lacquered cabinets are teamed with Eventruffle Eveneer, a mid-brown wood veneer. The horizontal graining of the wood veneer and recessed Solu door pulls give the cabinets a flush, uncluttered look.

"We also added a narrow aluminium strip, creating a negative detail between the cabinets," says van Bree. "The doors and drawers sit much closer together than traditional cabinetry designs, which allows for more storage space."

Cashmere white granite benchtops were specified to complement other tones in the apartment. The granite top on the island wraps down one end to form a supporting structure. A similar waterfall edge features on the opposite end of the perimeter benchtop.

At the table end, the island is supported by a post wrapped in the wood veneer. For visual continuity, similar veneer cabinetry extends through to the living area, where it forms an entertainment unit. Another bank of wood veneer houses a wine refrigerator. This can be removed if required to access a hot water cylinder behind.

Other key features of the kitchen include frosted glass overhead tilt cabinets, and deeply recessed toekicks that make the island appear to float.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes