Working together with Jess, a thoughtful transformation for our kitchen and laundry was achieved in our 1890 weatherboard cottage, which has blended modern elegance and functionality with heritage charm. The kitchen had last been renovated in the 1980s and was a glow of yellow formica, but is now a space which is both throughly practical to work in and one which harnesses modern materials and appliances with quiet elegance and luxury. Jess worked with my ideas which reflected my British heritage, seen in the central table and touches of brass throughout, and the gothic-church-like curves to the cupboard faces, with glass display cases at the top.
We used timeless and hardwearing bench materials, and the beauty and variety in the Patagonia Quartzite appealed strongly to my love of nature. I was very keen to have curved corners to the bench top and island bench both for the aesthetic and practicality of not bumping hips or small heads, and Jess rose to the challenge of arranging a beautiful curved corner to the porcelain bench along one side. The curves and antique brass touches were also echoed in the “chubby” kitchen handles.
Because the space was awkward, and it was a little challenging to fit in everything where we wanted it, Jess suggested using an Invisacook cooktop, which works absolutely wonderfully when preparing a meal and then being able to have the “cooktop” bench space available for a buffet style presentation of food. We had the rangehood installed in a unit which Jess designed, fixed to the ceiling above this bench, which enabled the kitchen to be opened up beautifully to the family room.
The central island bench featuring the stunning Patagonia Quartzite and painted in a handsome dark colour in contrast to the more neutral tones of the rest of the kitchen (which also pick up the flecks of dark petrified wood in the quartzite), was designed as a “table”, rather than a block of cupboards, making the space feel much more open and flowing. Two bar stools fit in neatly underneath one end of the overhanging bench and is a nice spot to share a cuppa whilst being amply big enough to serve buffet style meals when all the family come over.
It is a kitchen which is both designed and lived in balancing both sculptural appeal, with practical real-life use. Jess really listened and shared my imagination, and was meticulous in bringing it all to life in a practical but also beautiful way. Living, using and cooking in this kitchen is a real pleasure.
Moving onto the laundry, which my husband calls my “office”, this was the transformation of what was originally a long, thin toilet room into a well-organised laundry space which is a delight to use. The wall between the original toilet room and the adjoining bathroom was removed so the laundry now shares the bathroom space, but sits elegantly disguised behind tall doors which have the gothic-church-like curves routed into them as well, and also use the “chubby” door handles. Jess listened to what I wanted and designed the space so the washing machine and dryer are elevated for ease of use, with space measured out carefully below for washing baskets, pull-out shelves sitting just below the machines for putting laundry in and taking it out with having to bend down to the floor, and shelves above for all laundry needs. The porcelain bench was repeated in the laundry tub cupboard, with a curved shelf above (echoing the curve touches throughout) with a brass hanging rail for hanging items inside on a wet day. A very thoughtfully designed laundry which is indeed a pleasure to use.
