Anne and Marco’s Queensland kitchen was a gold-mine of potential. It boasted clever design and high-quality cabinetry, yet was “incredibly countrified and dated,” says Anne. “It desperately needed more light and the laminate benchtops had to go!” Rather than rip out the cabinetry, which would have been wasteful, Anne decided to paint the doors. “It saved an enormous amount of money, although we did replace a couple of the cupboards with deep drawers for practicality,” she says.
BEFORE: Anne and Marco’s kitchen
BEFORE: Anne and Marco’s kitchen
BEFORE: Anne and Marco’s kitchen
Today, Anne’s kitchen is light and white, an artful mix of the old and the new, with freshly painted solid timber cabinets and antique-style hardware sitting in perfect harmony with Italian designer tapware and cool, composite-stone benchtops. “It feels very satisfying to have updated rather than torn out the old kitchen,” says Anne. “We’re really pleased with the result!”
The only new appliance Anne purchased was a Smeg ‘DWA147X’ dishwasher. “The old Rangemaster ‘Leisure 110’ cooker stayed,” she says. “It has two ovens and oversized hot plates – it’s well-loved and well-used!” An Oliveri sink teamed with Italian Nicolazzi tapware, from Reece, adds a touch of designer style. “The big sink works so well when we’re entertaining,” says Anne. “It’s perfect for washing up large pots and platters.”
In line with Anne’s desire to lighten and brighten the space, dark grey laminate benchtops gave way to Essastone surfaces in Bone White. The generous island bench doubles as a dining zone, complete with a trio of pretty ‘Cafe’ bar stools from The Beach Furniture.
My aim was to create a really light and airy kitchen
Nearly every inch of the previously brown kitchen was saturated with white paints and finishes, including the walls
The existing solid timber cabinetry was painted in low-strength Dulux Silver Illusion
The cost of painting the cabinetry and adding new drawers came in at under $5000
