Hidden genius

If there's not enough space available for a large kitchen full of cupboards, then good planning and organisation becomes far more important.

When the owner of this home decided to replace her kitchen with something more up-to-date, she realised some storage and bench space would have to be sacrificed.

"The old kitchen was a bit dull and didn't connect with the garden. I wanted my new kitchen to have a modern, streamlined look that would be fuss-free. I also wanted indoor and outdoor areas to flow," she says.

The owner worked with the design team at Creazioni to find the look and layout she wanted.

This involved some structural changes. Bifold doors were added to open the kitchen out to the garden and a window was removed from the side wall of the kitchen.

Adding the doors cut down on the space available for storage, but this was compensated for by the addition of an island and taking away the window on an adjacent wall.

"By organising the new space carefully, we have plenty of storage and probably more bench space," says the owner.

A tall pantry beside the refrigerator is spacious; spices and oils are stored in narrow pull-out cabinets by the oven, and pot drawers with inserts provide efficient storage space for pots and pans. Bifold cabinets on the left of the refrigerator conceal more shelving, a Carrara marble bench and the microwave.

"It's great in here now with plenty of natural light and afternoon sun flooding in through the bifold doors. Instead of looking at the wall behind the sink, I can see out to the garden."

To create the look the owners wanted, the kitchen cabinetry was finished in 20 coats of a high-gloss white lacquer. This makes it hardwearing and adds intensity to the white colour. A piece of pale honed Carrara marble was selected for the benchtops.

"The honed marble gives the kitchen a calm, natural look and blends in with the white lacquered cabinetry and stainless steel appliances," she says.

The walls are white, with a dark olive shade creating a feature wall behind the cooktop and range. White backpainted glass forms the splashback behind the hob, and the back wall of the island is finished in glass, backpainted in the same dark olive shade as the feature wall.

Halogen lighting in an arc-shape reflects off the high-gloss surfaces, enhancing the contemporary feel.

Story by: Trendsideas