Room of the Week: A Hidden Kitchen in a St Kilda Apartment
Concealing the kitchen behind bi-folds was the perfect solution for this small apartment owned by a pair of downsizers
Georgia Madden
4 October 2021
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Images by Tom Roe
Answers by Claire Foot, stylist and marketing manager at SmarterBathrooms+
Who lives here: A couple and their rescue dog
Location: St Kilda, Victoria
Room purpose and size: A combined kitchen/dining space measuring around 13 square metres
Budget: Around $53,000, including interior design, drafting, materials, fixtures, fittings, trades and project management
Designer: SmarterBathrooms+
How did Houzz help with this project?
Houzz is one of our lead sources. We have a multitude of reviews on the Houzz platform and examples of completed projects, which allows potential clients to reach out to us and interact, ask questions and seek advice before inviting our design team into their homes to start the renovation process.
Answers by Claire Foot, stylist and marketing manager at SmarterBathrooms+
Who lives here: A couple and their rescue dog
Location: St Kilda, Victoria
Room purpose and size: A combined kitchen/dining space measuring around 13 square metres
Budget: Around $53,000, including interior design, drafting, materials, fixtures, fittings, trades and project management
Designer: SmarterBathrooms+
How did Houzz help with this project?
Houzz is one of our lead sources. We have a multitude of reviews on the Houzz platform and examples of completed projects, which allows potential clients to reach out to us and interact, ask questions and seek advice before inviting our design team into their homes to start the renovation process.
The kitchen before works
What was the original kitchen like?
What was the original kitchen like?
- Small with a tight working area.
- It was in an apartment block, with solid walls behind the kitchen area.
The kitchen before works
What was your brief?
The owners of this beautiful St Kilda apartment overlooking Luna Park came to us for a complete kitchen renovation. After decades of living in a big house, they were ready to downsize and enjoy the convenience of apartment living.
Being big entertainers, they wanted their new space to be versatile enough to mould to each occasion and serve as a gathering place. With a small footprint, our challenge was to deliver a functional kitchen that the owners could tuck away when it wasn’t in use.
What was your brief?
The owners of this beautiful St Kilda apartment overlooking Luna Park came to us for a complete kitchen renovation. After decades of living in a big house, they were ready to downsize and enjoy the convenience of apartment living.
Being big entertainers, they wanted their new space to be versatile enough to mould to each occasion and serve as a gathering place. With a small footprint, our challenge was to deliver a functional kitchen that the owners could tuck away when it wasn’t in use.
The new kitchen, partially open
What were the client’s must-haves?
What were the client’s must-haves?
- A kitchen that almost disappeared when not in use.
- A more unconventional design that strayed from the traditional white kitchen.
- A sophisticated look with natural materials.
- To be able to incorporate a thick rug under the integrated dining table.
- To have a focal point that integrated the kitchen with the dining area.
The new kitchen, fully open
What was your thinking behind the design?
To renovate this kitchen, we had to work within the confines of the existing footprint as moving walls and significant structural changes were not an option.
The client wanted to feel like the dining table was integrated into the space. It was a way of almost making the kitchen disappear when they are not using it, so it becomes an extension of the dining space.
They also liked the idea of being able to tuck the sink and cooktop away and have clean, seamless cabinetry in the background of this hero piece. So we integrated the working part of the kitchen behind bi-fold doors.
What was your thinking behind the design?
To renovate this kitchen, we had to work within the confines of the existing footprint as moving walls and significant structural changes were not an option.
The client wanted to feel like the dining table was integrated into the space. It was a way of almost making the kitchen disappear when they are not using it, so it becomes an extension of the dining space.
They also liked the idea of being able to tuck the sink and cooktop away and have clean, seamless cabinetry in the background of this hero piece. So we integrated the working part of the kitchen behind bi-fold doors.
They like natural materials, so we wanted the marble dining table to be the focal point of the room.
The client also didn’t want a conventional white kitchen, so we went with a darker matt finish on the cabinetry, which makes the back wall look as if it is receding into the background. The idea was to lengthen the space and draw attention to the integrated island and dining space.
We introduced touches of brass, which has a beautiful, tactile quality, to complement the natural stone.
The client also didn’t want a conventional white kitchen, so we went with a darker matt finish on the cabinetry, which makes the back wall look as if it is receding into the background. The idea was to lengthen the space and draw attention to the integrated island and dining space.
We introduced touches of brass, which has a beautiful, tactile quality, to complement the natural stone.
Key design aspects
Colour palette:
Colour palette:
- Oceanic blue.
- Matt-black cabinetry.
- Terracotta upholstered dining chairs.
- Copper cabinet pulls.
- Timber flooring adjacent to the kitchen in the dining area.
Materials palette:
- Polytec Black Matt melamine to the cabinetry.
- Cosentino Dekton Sirius to the bi-fold doors.
- Abey Armando Vicario SK5-AV chrome kitchen mixer.
- Honed Carrara marble benchtop, dining table and splashback.
- Mother of Pearl & Sons Trading copper cabinet pulls.
- Australian Hairpin Legs hairpin table legs.
What are the main storage inclusions?
A pull-out pantry, integrated appliances and the island is filled with drawers.
Recess-mounted LED strip lighting has been included in the cabinetry behind the bi-fold door to ensure there is adequate lighting on the benchtop when combined with the ceiling lighting.
Your turn
What do you love most here? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see more kitchen makeovers? Don’t miss this Room of the Week: An Expansive Coastal Kitchen’s Bright Rebirth
A pull-out pantry, integrated appliances and the island is filled with drawers.
Recess-mounted LED strip lighting has been included in the cabinetry behind the bi-fold door to ensure there is adequate lighting on the benchtop when combined with the ceiling lighting.
Your turn
What do you love most here? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see more kitchen makeovers? Don’t miss this Room of the Week: An Expansive Coastal Kitchen’s Bright Rebirth
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CP - this is an apartment, so in order to maximise use of the space, having a kitchen that looks less obviously ”kitchen” makes it more useful as a multiuse space
Interesting, it would be good to see how the new kitchen/dining area integrated in the open plan living area as it seems to take up the original living space.
Love it!! Can someone please tell me what the hardware is to fold the doors like that.