Family Glam

A 1990s kitchen was updated with chic black-and-white finishes and given a new, family-friendly layout.

What was wrong with your original kitchen? Sarah Lee: The big thing we didn’t like about the original layout was that the gas hob was in the middle of the island, meaning it was dangerous to cook if the children were sitting there. There was also no rangehood because of its position in the middle of the room. The cabinetry and benchtop were very dated, as were the terracotta floor tiles, which were cracked and so cold underfoot. And then there were the beige walls…

How did you solve these problems? We moved the oven and gas hob to the corner of the kitchen where we were able to install a rangehood above them, repainted the entire interior of our house, installed new cabinetry and benchtops, and replaced the floor.

What were your priorities? The existing layout of the kitchen worked well and there was plenty of storage, so our main priority was to modernise the space so it flowed with the rest of the house. Our home has a very monochromatic vibe so the kitchen needed to reflect this as well.