Practical meets luxury in radio show co-host Chrissie Swan's family home
Faced with a kitchen that felt dated and didn't work for her busy family, Chrissie set out to create a functional, family-friendly kitchen that was also stylish.
Enlisting the help of kitchen renovation specialists Granite Transformations the zone was reworked and modernised to better suit her robust family and accommodate her love for cooking.
"There was almost no bench space and a stupid overhead cabinet that was tricky and always malfunctioning. But the worst part was that the fridge was housed in a dark brown Laminex tower, smack bang in the middle of the kitchen blocking the view to the living room and closing in the kitchen completely, making it impractical and small.”
Wanting to create a luxurious and contemporary zone with more bench space, Chrissie opted for engineered stone on her bench tops to achieve the elegance of natural marble and the durability of a granite surface, which is heat, scratch, stain and impact resistant.
The fridge was moved to the back of the kitchen and long cupboards were installed to provide ample storage. The stone slab gives the family lots of working space and opens up the kitchen to the dining space. The simple palette keeps the space looking fresh and thanks to the overhead windows, the kitchen is drenched with natural light.
Chrissie shares her top renovation tips below.
- Do your research. Spend time collecting images of kitchens you like and think about colour, texture, materials, cabinetry handles, appliances etc. Once you've picked apart hundreds of photos of kitchens you'll get a good idea of the themes you like.
- Set a budget. The great thing about setting a budget is once you have an idea of what you want, you can identify low-budget alternatives.
- Find the right supplier. It was great to collaborate with experts who knew how to improve the design and what materials to use to achieve the look I was after.
- Be prepared. Have as much as you can ready to go. I purchased all my appliances and had them sitting in the house ready for the team to start the job.
- Timing. During the week we didn't have a kitchen so we cooked on the BBQ. I'd always re-do my kitchen in the warmer months for this reason.
Inspired to tackle your own kitchen reno? This traditional kitchen with a twist is a lesson in understated elegance.
