Spacious kitchen renovation in Perth

 What to do when you love cooking but have an 80s/90s project home with a typical teeny-tiny, impractical 80s/90s kitchen? Well it seems Perth couple Denise Pringle and her partner Peter did the right thing by calling in the design pros from Refresh Renovations, in order to give their ‘old culinary gal’ in the leafy suburb of Kardinya a much-needed makeover. 
Now imagine the ‘before’ scenario: As well as being just 15sqm in size, this kitchen had one of those virtually inaccessible corner brick pantries that commonly ‘adorned’ many kitchens back in the day. Adding a shoddy look and bad functionality, the cupboards in the entire kitchen were either tired or broken, with no sign of clever or practical storage solutions. 
One of the couple’s main goals with the renovation was to create more space – for a number of reasons. The first was that Denise, Peter and also Denise’s 22-year-old son Jamie are all tall, making above average-height bench tops were a main requirement.  “At the same time, we also had to look at maximising the use of eye level and overhead space,” Refresh Director and renovation consultant Diana May explains.
Another reason why creating ample kitchen space became a priority was that the family wanted to make the kitchen the heart of their home, where they could cook, dine and hang out. Plus, it had to be a place where Denise, who does most of the cooking in the household, could comfortably prepare the meals, including those of her beloved Italian Greyhounds Pippin and Bronte. Oh, and it had to accommodate her plethora of small appliances and utensils as well, of course… 

Carrying out the kitchen renovation

Based on these requirements, the Refresh team spent four weeks and AUSD 54,000 (about NZD 56,100) expanding the space and greatly improving its function as well as appearance. Diana explains the process: “While the kitchen still occupies the same footprint, we used every available space and incorporated functional, space-saving elements such as corner cupboards, large drawers, under-cupboard bins, pull out pantries and an accessory cupboard. As a result, the space now looks a lot bigger. And because we incorporated a lot of clean lines and an expansive bench top into the design, the kitchen now appears modern and welcoming.”  

The kitchen design

The style elements used to aesthetically up the game in this space were strategically chosen to tie in with the rest of the home, a generously proportioned 250sqm plus abode made up of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two lounges, a large dining area and a study.
“Denise and Peter really fancied the idea of incorporating timber into the kitchen,” Diana says. “They wanted it to balance out the array of existing wooden furniture and features throughout their house, including the aluminum doors they’d recently replaced with wooden sliding doors.” 
The Renovations team achieved this by installing a beautiful, expansive solid oak bench top, which brings warmth to the kitchen rather than giving it a clinical white look. “We also replaced the floors with a vinyl plank and mixed up the different timber colours,” Diana adds. “This worked really well with the rest of the house.
Last but not least, Denise’s choice of striking green subway tiles to use as a backdrop was of the essence in giving the space a uniquely bold yet classy pop of colour, not to mention the absolute wow factor.

QUICK CHAT

According to homeowners’ Denise Pringle and her little family their new and improved culinary hub is most definitely fit for a chef…

Q:

Which part of your new kitchen do you like most and why?

A

“Looks wise, the highlight for me was definitely the green tiles, and functionally the clever use of dead corners,” Denise enthuses, while Peter gives his thumbs up to the way the natural light reflects on the green tiles and timber top. And they both unanimously agree that they’re in love with the flooring…

Q.

How does your new kitchen complement the rest of your home? 

A

Both Peter and Denise acknowledge the impact the conversion has had on the bigger picture. Says Peter: “The combination of new floors and kitchen hugely complements the remainder of the house, improving it both visually and on a practical level.” And Denise: “The kitchen now really suits the style of house, and the area that we live in.” 

Q.

How has this renovation changed or improved your lifestyle?

A

“Having so much more room and storage in the kitchen is a godsend,” Denise says. “It’s just so much easier to prepare and serve meals.” Peter agrees that the practical improvements make life a lot easier, and that the better visuals mean the kitchen is simply a pleasure to be in.

Make sure you have a look at another Perth case study: Apartment kitchen renovation.

The focus of Refresh Renovations is on delivering excellent customer service and value by incorporating design and using world class systems and processes. If you're thinking of renovating or looking for a builder, talk to Refresh at 1800 33 60 33 or enquire online.