Open-Plan Makeover: Modern Kitchen and Living Area
The homeowners approached our team at Smith & Sons Franklin because they were unhappy with the layout of their kitchen, dining, and living areas. They felt these spaces didn’t flow well together and wanted to create a more open-plan design, allowing their family to gather and socialize more comfortably at the heart of their home. With our client’s budget in mind, we needed to develop a new layout that would improve the flow while keeping the existing load-bearing wall between the dining and living areas intact.
We repositioned the awkwardly placed kitchen to a more favourable location where it now overlooks the living and dining areas. To enhance the open-plan feel, we fitted a new large ranchslider that opens onto the existing deck. We also updated the joinery throughout these areas with new double-glazed black aluminium windows to ensure a cohesive look. Additionally, we focused on making the home healthier and warmer by installing extra pink batts in the ceiling and improving insulation.
The owners requested that this part of the home be wheelchair accessible, so we built a timber ramp with a matching timber handrail to meet their needs.
The highlight of this renovation is the stunning new kitchen. It features a spacious island bench, perfect for family gatherings. A new bulkhead was constructed along the back wall to house and conceal the rangehood above the oven. Designed with ample storage in mind, the kitchen features soft sage green cabinetry, which contrasts beautifully with the light grey stone benchtop and grey subway tile splashback. To enhance visibility, LED strip lighting was installed under the cabinets. The pop of green cabinetry against the crisp white walls brings a vibrant, fresh energy to this part of the home.
The skilled team at Kitchen Inspirations also crafted a matching built-in desk with overhead storage, seamlessly integrated into the dining area.
To finish the renovation, we replaced the outdated lino flooring with sleek, modern timber-look laminate planking.