Limber living Expert spatial gymnastics create a connected kitchen surrounded by flexible living spaces.
Whiting Architects
Expert “spatial gymnastics” has been used to create a connected kitchen surrounded by flexible living spaces, resulting in a vibrant hub for family living.
Whiting Architects’ alteration and addition to an Edwardian dwelling in Melbourne’s Brighton is a compelling study in spatial planning and materiality. The homeowners, Ben and Lucinda, wanted their new kitchen to be the heart of the home and a place where their four young children could easily come and go. “It needed to be workable in this respect and highly functional, while offering an element of concealment and look neat when guests come over,” says Josie Somerville, associate director at Whiting Architects. “But it was also about creating flexible spaces that are practical today and will be just as practical in twenty years’ time when the kids have left home.”
A butler’s pantry is tucked behind the kitchen, while everything else is in close proximity to the island bench, the social hub of the home. It’s positioned adjacent to the step-down from the lounge, a split level that allows the kitchen to maintain an element of self-containment yet connect freely with the other living spaces. The step also creates a cosy nook – the sunken threshold between front and back – that’s reinforced by the kitchen’s lowered ceiling, an unexpected feature that is as visually satisfying as it is functional.
The Whiting Architects team wanted to vary the ceiling heights to introduce intimate spaces into the scheme. The kitchen’s lowered ceiling height also meant the architects were able to insert a playroom and study into the existing space directly above it. An exposed “mezzanine stair,” leading from these two rooms to the boys’ bedrooms and the central bathroom, adds to the spatial gymnastics, while the glass panelling and balustrade encourage visual connection between the upper and lower levels.
The main bathroom is upstairs, but the most hardworking wet room is undoubtedly the one on the ground level, where it serves family members returning inside from the pool and also doubles as a powder room for guests. The architects have used tactile materials to add a sense of warmth and depth to the small space. The materials are not only hardy, they are also incredibly beautiful, including the hand-trowelled concrete that has been applied to the wet room’s walls and the Oregon roof beams that were salvaged from the original structure and have been used for the vanity’s benchtop. A custom mirror is suspended in front of the window, its leather straps adding yet another textural detail. “We don’t follow trends because we want our projects to still look current in ten years’ time,” notes Josie. “So we keep things minimal and have found that texture rather than colour helps to achieve a sense of timelessness.”
Kitchen products
Internal walls: Painted plaster walls in Dulux ‘Lexicon Quarter’; painted MDF wall panelling in custom colour; painted exposed steel in Dulux ‘Monument’
Flooring: Signorino Tile Gallery Metropolis tile in ‘Berlin Night’; Tongue n Groove engineered timber floorboards in ‘Freado’
Joinery: Concrete Collective Melbourne concrete benchtops and splashbacks; painted MDF in custom colour; Ventech Architectural Panel Products quarter-cut American oak veneer
Lighting: Anchor Ceramics Potter DS pendant; ECC Lighting and Furniture Astro Minima Adjustable recessed downlight; LPA LED strip light with frosted lens
Sinks and tapware: Concrete Collective Melbourne integrated concrete sink (island bench); Oz Bathroom overmount black granite/ quartz stone kitchen sink (butler’s pantry); Astra Walker Icon kitchen pull-out sink mixer
Appliances: Fisher and Paykel freestanding dual-fuel cooker, built-in integrated rangehood, nine-function pyrolytic built-in oven, dual-zone wine cabinet, black french door fridge freezer and integrated cool drawer
Doors and windows: Painted timber-framed door and windows in Dulux ‘Monument’; Pittella hardware
Furniture: Mark Tuckey Belt and Cylinder stools; Thonet No. 18 Bentwood dining chairs; Jardan Hudson sofa; Halcyon Lake Beat Swing rug
Internal walls: Alternative Surfaces X-Bond Polished Bond
Flooring: Signorino Tile Gallery Metropolis tile in ‘Berlin Night’
Joinery: Oregon sourced from existing roof beam; laminate on water-resistant MDF
Lighting: Anchor Ceramics Earth light; Gineico Lighting NYX Frame recessed downlights
Tapware and fittings:
Astra Walker multi-function hand shower, diverter, and Icon+ tapware set and toilet roll holder; Par Taps Portsea Wall Top taps; Rogerseller Strap shower tray
Sanitaryware: Caroma Artisan above-counter basin; wall-faced toilet suite from KDK
Doors and windows: Timberframed external window; Axess Glass fluted glass internal window with aluminium frame; Interior Solutions linen curtain
Other: In-Teria Stealth timber knobs used on wall; custom mirror with timber dowel and Made Measure leather straps