kitchen cabinets Archives - Dunne Interiors

April 29, 2020

Kitchen Gallery

Kitchen and Dining Gallery

Photography: Janis House Photography

Home Tours

In Detail.

Appliance hub in kitchen with pocket doors

Vase of gum leaves in a contemporary Australian kitchen

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Create The Look

March 19, 2020

Master Suite Renovation Reveal

Episode Three: Master Suite Reveal

Episodes

In episode three of the Dunne home renovation we reveal the master suite. I like to call this space the calm among the storm. With the footprint of the master bedroom and ensuite remaining the same, these rooms just needed a good cosmetic makeover! In the ensuite we show how more is more when it comes to tile choices, and a separate toilet sees our boldest tile choice yet!

In the master suite we wanted to create a space to switch off, a place that was really pared back and a place to relax. In the ensuite we space planned so many different options, how to move everything around to create a better layout and in the end the layout that was there was pretty much perfect. We tweaked one door into the toilet gutted the whole thing and started again.

So we’ve gone with the herringbone tiles from Perini in a beautiful concrete-y grey that’s got a whole lot of tone through it to create a bit of a feature. We think we’ve created a really modern but relaxed, with a little bit of charm type of bathroom.

This is our master suite! This room was all about creating a sense of calm and we’ve really achieved that through the use of texture. We’ve got the Cultiver linen across the bed and that warm texture from the rug under foot which breaks up the floorboards throughout the house. I love how we’ve used the pendant lights to create this sense of pattern and light play against the lining boards on the back wall.

And in the ensuite you can really see how all of our tile selection have started to come together. That beautiful chevron pattern running down the wall in the shower and across the floor, then allowed us to create almost a feature wall within the shower with the white mosaic tiles. We wanted to add a lot of earthiness into this bathroom, we’ve got the cool grey tones and that’s given a whole lot of warmth by the beautiful hardwood vanity. The concrete basin sets that off and is just highlighted by a sense of luxury and elegance in the tapware that we’ve chosen. The living brass tapware just gives this sense of luxury but the patina over time gives it a really organic feel.

And my favourite thing in the ensuite has to be the bold tile choice we’ve gone with in the toilet. Having a separate little toilet allowed us to do something wild and crazy and who doesn’t need a jungle within their bathroom?

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Thanks to our suppliers + partners

March 16, 2020

Kitchen Walk Through

Home Tour

The kitchen is absolutely the heart of this home and was the launching pad for this entire renovation. In fact the intention was originally just to so a ‘small extension and kitchen reno’ – ha who were we kidding?! This is the epicentre of our home and it warms my heart every single day.

The intention was to create a space that made living simple – a space that felt cozy for 2, comfortable for 4 and effortless for entertaining 20. I wanted the kitchen to be the connection point of the home, so that people could be spread out through the living rooms, the dining space and even our home office and still feel connected. I think this really reflects modern day living.

In the original house the kitchen was in a good central location, but was a pokey U shape and left a small, oddly shaped living room. Directly outside the kitchen window was a section of garden which sat between the back of the garage and the deck. We knew that we could extend the house out and utilise that garden space to relocate the kitchen which would open up the home to create a large open plan kitchen, dining and living space.

In the kitchen seating is varied and plenty. There’s stools at the bench for breakfast, a casual cup of tea and homework, a dining table for 8, but a bench seat see’s us squish in plenty more, a cosy window seat which has my morning coffee written all over it, and possibly my favourite part the nook under the kitchen bench

When I initially showed Brendan & our cabinet maker the kitchen plans with the ‘dining nook’ I got a blank reaction soon followed by ‘are you sure?’ As a self confessed storage addict I think it came as a huge surprise that I would sacrifice cabinet space. But I knew there was plenty of storage in the kitchen to take out what would normally be 2 cupboards and create a nook to tuck away 2 extra stools. Coupled with the gas strut window and the extension of the benchtop out through the window, it enabled us to create an entire additional dining space, which is perfect on a hot summer’s day when the kids come running from the pool, or for a cozy space to casually entertain friends.

The gas strut window creates a seamless connection to the outdoor living space, and the fact that you can be standing in the kitchen with the window open talking to the kids playing in the backyard is a parenting dream.

The second blank stare when it came to kitchen design, came about with the realisation that the pantry kind of isn’t in the kitchen. We’d already nulled having a butlers pantry as I wanted to keep the floor plan as open as possible, and I switched out the traditional pantry for a ‘breakfast bar’ pocket doors slide back to reveal an extension of the kitchen, with stone benchtop that runs through the cabinet and timber veneer internal shelves. This little breakfast bar houses the coffee machine, the toaster and all of the everyday essentials. I love that everything we use on a frequent basis is easily accessible but just as easily tucked away, because a bench full of appliances doesn’t fill my cup, and by creating a dedicated cabinet to the space, and using feature internals there’s this moment of luxury with each cup of coffee.

But yes, we have more food than breakfast spreads and coffee pods so a pantry was included, but it takes place in the full bank of cabinetry that flanks the living room. So whilst technically you could say it’s not ‘in’ the kitchen, its 2 steps away from the island bench {which is less steps than going from one end of the island bench to the other!} By moving the pantry into the cabinetry wall, it allowed me to utilise more of the space for the gas strut window, which not only increases the bench space, allowed me to fit in the dining nook but also maximised the amount of natural light into the space.

When it came to choosing the colour for the cabinetry I wanted something that drew you in and made you pause and look twice. It’s possibly the softest shade of grey I’ve seen – Knowing by Dulux, and it changes throughout the day as the light hits it. We contrasted the light colour palette with black Atticus knobs from Hepburn Hardware, these pops of black appear throughout the entire house which creates a connection and consistency.

I chose the Franke upright freestanding cooker from Reece which along with the black hardware throughout the kitchen gives the space a really subtle traditional farmhouse feel which feels warm and hearty. We carried the black feature into the island bench through the Franke onyx sink and contrasted this with the living tumbled brass gooseneck tap from Sussex Taps. This baby is the jewel in this kitchen and adds that sense of fun and luxury amongst an incredibly grounded space.

When we bought the house, despite the jungle that flanked it, the dining space received the most beautiful natural light all day long, so I knew we needed to make the most of that by including a large north facing window. The bench seat is another piece of intuitive storage, and with drawers in the same door profile as the living room cabinetry and the same colour as the kitchen it creates a common thread throughout the space. This is absolutely one of those spaces that creates a moment to pause, and appreciate the simple things – a warm cup of coffee bathed in natural light.

I’ve always loved a dining table with a bench seat and chair combo. There’s something about the asymmetry that’s a bit more relaxed, and I love that a bench seat is perfect for squishing up and maximising seating capacity. The table is 3m long and we easily squish 6 – 8 kids on that side with 4 of my favourite Tanner chairs from Barnaby Lane for the adults still. It’s proximity to the window and bench seat often sees that as a break away or additional spot for a few more bottoms too. The table was custom made by Kane from Quality Hardwood Furniture, and we designed it the same height and width as our outdoor table from Satara so that the two can easily be placed side by side and push into the entrance space to effortlessly seat more than 20 inside.

I love the connection point that the kitchen provides our home, it’s the most practical of spaces and functions across every phase of our daily life, but it still feels warm and homely.

Kitchen Renovation Reveal

Episode One: Kitchen Reveal

Episodes

Episode one is here and its kitchen reveal time! We’re kicking off the Dunne home renovation series with everyone’s favourite room – the kitchen. The kitchen is the epicentre of our home and this renovation proves that practicality doesn’t have to come at the expense of a beautiful space.

The kitchen is the heart of this home. We wanted to create a space that made living simple. We wanted to create an open plan home that still felt really connected and a space that can entertain 20 comfortably.

The house was effectively an L-shape which gave us the ability just to push out to one direction and create this really big kitchen dining and living space without having to add a whole lot to the house. So we were able to connect the kitchen directly out onto the outdoor living space and have this central part that connects the entire house together.

In the kitchen whilst keeping it relatively minimal we wanted to add a whole lot of character and we were able to do that by picking up a whole lot of detail in the cabinetry. We’ve gone with a classic shaker style profile but with the infills in a v-groove panelling, it just gives that line and a little bit of oomph. We’ve added all of the black knobs from Hepburn Hardware which give the contrast between a relatively light, bright and simple kitchen.

We ended up going with the Franke freestanding oven from Reece and I love that this oven gives the entire kitchen a really traditional warm hearty feel.

One of my favourite things to do in a kitchen when we’re looking to add character is work with a tiled splashback. We’ve used the Render tile from Perini tile which has this incredible texture to it. It’s got a whole lot of movement and picks up the light throughout the day.

In this kitchen we have so much storage, so we have taken away the cupboards from underneath the island bench and added in two little stools from Satara. It’s the best spot to grab a coffee, push open the gas strut window and feel like you’re connected to the outdoor space.

We wanted to create a really minimal streamlined kitchen and I think we’ve achieved that by integrating and hiding away a lot of our cabinetry. Instead of opting for a butlers pantry which would have blocked the really open plan living space we’ve got, we’ve gone for pocket doors to create a little appliance hub. It’s a great way to have a beautiful setting for the appliances and everyday activities, but we can simply close the doors and tuck it away as well.

I love that we’ve been able to achieve a kitchen that has heaps of character feels really warm and homely but is still modern, fresh, light and bright.

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