The moment Kate and Mark Nichols bought their two-bedroom apartment, they set about giving it a complete overhaul, first focusing their attention on the outdated 1960s kitchen. “Over the years the lino was multi-layered with carpet,” says Kate, “so the first job before installing a new kitchen was to rip up the flooring and lay beautiful Merbau floorboards from Planet Timber Flooring By Design.”
Kate had already envisaged the layout of her new kitchen, but called upon Marilyn Kale from Individual Interiors to design the cabinets and create the feel of the space. Marilyn suggested they spend less on the cabinets and more on the benchtops.
CaesarStone was chosen for the benchtops and splashbacks to create a seamless look. The stone colour ‘Linen’ harmonises with both the apartment’s decor and the new kitchen cabinets, which have a 2-pac polyurethane finish in Dulux Chalk USA.
The couple enlisted Joinery Dimensions to build the cupboards, which are completely concealed, with no edges or trims that will collect dust. Kate requested the above-bench cupboards run all the way to the ceiling to maximise storage and minimise dust. Handles were only fitted to the base cupboards, as Kate felt handles on every cupboard door would be too busy for the small kitchen. Instead, the other cupboard doors have spring-action touch catches, so a simple press of the door opens it.
As space in the apartment is premium, the kitchen was designed with every square centimetre in mind. “We even squeezed an extra two millimetres into the base cupboards, which gives us the tiniest amount of extra storage space,” says Kate. “And at first glance you’d never pick it, but the cupboards on the left side of the kitchen are deeper than those on the opposite side, designed specifically to fit the microwave and large platters.”
The stainless-steel fridge is cleverly placed for easy access and to create an alcove to store regularly used kitchen appliances on the benchtop, but out of view of the living room. “Now when I entertain I can cook in private instead of in front of guests, as the fridge actually hides a lot of the food preparation from view,” says Kate.
The Clark Vibrant 1.5 End Bowl sink was selected for its compact outline and large bowl size that enables easy washing of stockpots. The sink also comes with a range of accessories, such as an integrated chopping board and colander that fits in the large bowl, to make food preparation easier.
As Kate is constantly reaching for pantry items, Marilyn suggested installing a second set of drawers, which is a more accessible and space-efficient option than a standard cupboard. Beside the fridge, Kate has made the most of the precious drawer space with transparent storage containers holding spices, flour and other baking ingredients that can be easily identified at a glance.
Kate and Mark entertain often, using the apartment’s balcony for dining, so instead of having a dining table and chairs inside, the couple chose to incorporate a breakfast bar at one end of the bench. Cupboards underneath the bar provide storage for cake tins and other cookware.
The 1960s kitchen of this two-bedroom apartment was in desperate need of an update. Owners Kate and Mark were keen to remove the black-and-white check lino, open shelves, narrow laminate benchtops and stainless-steel sink, which were not up to scratch for Kate, a serious foodie.
When choosing kitchen appliances, the surface finish is an important consideration, not only aesthetically, but also in practical terms. Kate opted for Fisher & Paykel’s Designer Series appliances with the Iridium surface finish – an embossed, rather than brushed, stainless steel that has a pearlier look and doesn’t show fingerprints.
A single DishDrawer holds a six-place dinner setting and uses less than nine litres of water on its ‘eco-cycle’. “It’s perfect for a two-bedroom apartment and being so close to the lounge, we love that it is incredibly quiet,” says Kate.
Also perfect for this busy cook is the single oven with large internal capacity, triple-glazed doors to prevent heat loss, and Quadro slide runners (an ergonomic easy-slide system that carries up to 25kg of weight).
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