Game changer

A new floor plan ensures that this kitchen is not just transformed aesthetically; it attains a whole new level of connection and flow.

It often pays to think outside the square, as was the case in the redesign of this Sydney apartment. The owners, parents to three young sons, were keen to modernise their 1990s kitchen and improve its connection to the rest of the home.

“The original kitchen was contained in its own room, with one small entry point,” says Studio Quarters interior designer Theresa Chan, who worked with her business partner Janice Chenchow on the project.

The owners’ original brief was for a servery window to connect the kitchen to the adjacent dining room, but Theresa and Janice felt a “larger gesture” was required. They removed the wall altogether, creating an L-shaped layout that opens directly to the dining zone. Instead of an island, they designed what they call a “central core” containing the cooktop and an additional prep area. The design maximises both work and circulation space, says Theresa.

“The double opening transforms how the kitchen relates to the rest of the apartment,” says Theresa. “It feels less confined and improves flow in and out of the space.” It also adds storage by ‘piggybacking’ joinery in the corridor and kitchen.

To soften the openings into the kitchen, Theresa and Janice designed curved corners for the cabinetry. Not only does this look elegant, it reduces the sharp edges in a household with young children.

The palette combines Porter’s Paints Wood Smoke on the cabinetry with grey mosaic tiles and concrete-look Caesarstone benchtops. “It’s calming, cool and contemporary,” says Janice.

Studio Quarters; studioquarters.com.au.