You’ll do a double take when you see the before and after photos of today’s gorgeouuuus kitchen remodel. Is it really the same house? Yes it is! From a flatpack kitchen that seriously lacked functionality to a luxurious traditional style kitchen where every design detail is perfectly resolved, you’ll be pinning every image to your kitchen vision board!
Today we’re delighted to have the founder and principal designer of YDM Design Studio, Nina Di Marco — and the brains behind this kitchen transformation — with us to share all the details. Plus, Nina offers her top tips on how to use coloured joinery in the home.
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We’ll give you a minute to pick your jaws up off the ground. Nina didn’t just breathe fresh life into this tired kitchen, she completely remodelled the space.
“The existing home was very dated and did not meet the needs of this young family. The clients wanted to make a few changes to the floorplan to ensure it suited their lifestyle, including turning the existing walk-in-pantry into a Euro laundry facing the hallway. That way, we could remove the laundry from the bathroom and fit a bath into the space instead,” she explains.
“Our job was then to ensure that the new kitchen, laundry and bathroom space were designed to be as functional as possible. All while taking into consideration site constraints and the client’s needs.
“Our clients already had a good idea of what they liked in terms of colours and materials, but needed our help to put it all together in a way that felt cohesive.”
The harmony of traditional and contemporary is one of our favourite aspects of this kitchen renovation.
“The initial inspiration images that the client sent were either very traditional or quite contemporary, so it was important for me to spend some time analysing the images. I looked for common threads between the two styles and had discussions with the clients to understand what drew them to these images.
“Then I pulled together specific design features from both styles that felt cohesive. I also combined them in a way that worked with the home and the location while giving the client the look they wanted.”
Of course, every renovation has its challenges and Nina says maximising space was her biggest consideration.
“Even with the changes to the floorplan, the existing home was still quite compact. So it was important the new design not only greatly improved functionality but also made the rooms feel more spacious,” she explains.
“One of the things we did was remove the ‘island’ section of the previous G-shaped kitchen which made the space feel cramped. Instead, we extended one side of the new U-shape design further into the dining to elongate the kitchen. It also provided more usable cabinetry with no awkward corner cupboards.”
Read more about different kitchen configurations here.
It’s easy to see that Nina overcame these challenges! The new kitchen feels spacious while offering far more usable storage and bench space. We wanted to know her favourite aspect of the new kitchen.
“I love the way the Faucet Strommen Antique Brass Light tapware really finished off the whole project. This is an organic finish so it will change appearance over time. Having photographed the project around 6 months after it was completed, we got to see the beautiful tarnishing already happening. It adds a lovely natural texture that beautifully compliments the other finishes.”
The addition of overhead and full-height cabinetry provides far more usable storage, allowing the client to keep their benchtop free of small appliances like kettle, toaster and coffee machines.
Using coloured joinery can be intimidating yet bold design choices can pay off BIG TIME. So we asked Nina her top tips for using coloured cabinets in the home.
“This blue cabinetry we used is a 2pac finish called ‘Companion’ by Dulux. It’s a serene colour that’s incredibly versatile and well suited to almost every style of home from contemporary to traditional.
“When selecting a colour, it’s important to select a colour that you love and makes you happy. Don’t select a colour just because it’s ‘trendy’ at the moment. Joinery is a big investment and harder to change than cushions and paint. This reduces the chance of regrets later on,” she says wisely.
If you’re looking for inspiration on what colour to use, Nina says you just have to look around.
“It’s important to think about what colours you already have in the home. And not just inside the home, what do you see when you look out the window? Your cabinetry colour should complement your space.
“Although you can bring a sense of joinery colour into your home through artwork, decor and textiles. So if you want to embrace a new colour, use these styling tricks to create a cohesive flow throughout your home.”
Coloured cabinets still feeling daunting? Nina’s got tips for that too.
“You can select a muted version of any colour to make it feel more sophisticated and timeless. Plus, you can also combine coloured joinery with neutral tones and coloured metals, such as whites, greys, beiges and blacks.”
Credits
Interior design — Nina Di Marco, YDM Design Studio
Builder — Edwards Renovations
Thanks so much to Nina for taking us on a tour of this farmhouse meets contemporary kitchen renovation. Be sure to pin your favourite images to your Pinterest account so you can find this dreamy kitchen inspo when you need it. You can also find plenty more fabulous projects by Nina and the team at YDM Design Studios on their website or follow them on Instagram.
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