The oh-so-talented Nina Di Marco, founder and principal designer of YDM Design Studio, has wowed us again with the renovation of a tired coastal home. Much more than just a cosmetic update to bring it into the current era, her brief was to design the home for forever living. This meant accessibility and functionality were more important than ever, as well as adapting the home to the clients’ lifestyle (hello wine storage!).
We chat with Nina to understand the brief, how she developed the materials palette and get all the details of this dreamy renovation. If you’ve been considering walnut joinery for your home, we’re pretty sure these images will sway you into a YES decision!
Related article: Farmhouse meets contemporary style kitchen renovation
Related article: Stylish window and door ideas for modern living
The catalyst of the renovation was needing to install a lift and make the home future ready.
“This project came to us as a referral from an architect we often work with. The clients are a wonderful couple looking to design a forever home — a space that would serve them well both now and as they move through retirement,” explains Nina.
“The addition of a lift in the home was the starting point that prompted the need for the kitchen, powder room and ensuite in the first floor to be slightly relocated and redesigned.
“The ground floor bathroom was also redesigned to improve the functionality and to match the aesthetics of the first floor renovation.”
As with all her projects, Nina started by focusing on functionality first.
“The floorplan review stage of our concept design process was key in getting this right,” she says.
“We spent some time perfecting the floorplan and running it by a building designer before focusing too much on the finishes and fixtures.
Careful consideration was taken when designing these rooms to make the best use of all space while catering to the client’s specific needs.
“With the lift now taking up a percentage of the existing kitchen and the existing powder room, it was important to ensure that the new layout and design was still spacious and functional, but did not encroach into the surrounding bedroom or living/dining space.”
The solution to accommodate the lift was complex — taking space from different zones and carefully designing the joinery which resulted in a cool design addition.
“We extended the kitchen joinery along the external wall into the dining room to create more bench space and storage, without intruding into the dining area,” explains Nina.
“As we reduced the size of the ensuite, we removed the bath. This also allowed us to fit the client’s other priorities — including a double vanity and a double shower.
The kitchen is my favourite space of this project and I just love how the different textures come together.
“Due to the location of the lift next to the kitchen, I felt that the kitchen joinery was going to be too far back and become a little lost in the space. To make the kitchen joinery deeper without compromising the functionality of it, we added a 150mm deep ledge that could be used as additional storage. This also allowed us to neatly wrap the benchtop up onto the ledge, lifting the mosaic tiles away from the cooking zone and making clean up a lot easier.”
The beautiful warm yet contemporary materials palette used throughout this renovation instantly caught our attention.
“The colour palette was largely inspired by the home’s location, as well as the client’s existing furniture and their personal style,” says Nina.
“To tie in with their existing pieces, it was only natural that we selected walnut timber joinery — Polytec Notaio Walnut — and paired it with warm and inviting textures.
When using timber joinery on timber floors, the most important thing is to ensure the undertones are the same. That way the two timbers will feel cohesive. We usually prefer to go with a lighter and darker timber combination, rather than try to match the two — especially if we feel that the match will not be perfect.
“The lounge features a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling window with a stunning view of greenery and the ocean behind it so I felt it was a must to bring in calming green tones into the home to beautifully complement the view and location.
“I was very lucky to have clients that trusted me and my vision so we had no changes to the original design. This is also possible due to taking my time during the initial meeting to ensure I understood the client’s needs and style. We send all clients a questionnaire and ask for inspiration images ahead of this meeting, so that we can collect as much information about their preferences, likes and lifestyle, before we even meet to kick off the project.”
With so much care and intention behind every design decision, we’d have complete trust in Nina too! Huge thanks for taking us on a tour of this stunning home renovation that was so much more than just updating finishes. To see more of Nina’s work, visit the YDM Studio website or connect with her on Instagram.
More home tours
