Somewhere in the past year, our family went from eating in the ‘formal’ dining room to our breakfast place for more meals. Of course, this may have had something to do with the fact that we weren’t having much fun, but thereis somethingsomething about the ease and simplicity of the eat-in kitchen that has become so popular. So my question is – is it possible to have a dining area connected to the kitchen in a way that feels formal enough for guests, and comfortable enough for breakfast? Well, my friends, I think we’ve got it…
The renovation of this 19th century Victorian home, located in Sydney,(designed by Smith + Levine)it offers many beautiful details, preserved beauty, and thoughtful design, but the kitchen – and adjoining dining room – is my favorite room in the house. The way these two spaces alternate seamlessly(note how the backsplash and counter form one continuous line connecting the two!)while there is still a parting mark on the door it is just perfection. The two spaces also have different ceiling treatments, and the dividing wall allows that to happen without feeling uncomfortable.
But it’s the classic curved island that really stands out to me as far as the kitchen goes. Mark my words, this is a trend we will be seeing more of!
The traditional ogee edge and the use of different things from all over the kitchen(brass and oak hardware!)lends itself to the style of the piece’s furniture, giving it a repurposed antique feel while still being able to customize the space.
The cabinets, meanwhile, are painted Dulux ‘Heifer’ and make a lovely compliment to the oak while the modern edge matches the clean lines of the rest of the kitchen. The mix of traditional and new everywhere in the house is really lovely.
In the dining room, I like you to choose a different dark wood for the table and chairs, and a black leather bench. It brings a little complexity to the room while breaking up the sea of oak. The way the bench is built into the wall with lots of storage space is also amazingagainto work.
As for the rest of the house…, it has a lot of beautiful architecture and details to note.
I always love vintage furniture like this – especially in the entryway – to set the tone of the house. A large mirror really fills the wall and creates the illusion of more space in the entryway. It is aslowlyon the big side for me, but I appreciate how it works. Also, if you look closely you can see that the front door is painted a beautiful shade of green – I wish we could have seen more of that little detail!
A second entry – which I think may be possible through a carport – is through the laundry room, where practical storage awaits. The bench top which is a stone area is very clever, as I imagine coats of water dripping from the surface.
The living room, sadly, is my least favorite place. The material is modern and the style is cold for my taste, although it looks comfortable. It’s tucked into the narrow back part of the home, and I wish it had a few antique accents or details to it.
The bathrooms at home are also more on the modern side, but the tiles are so beautiful, I really don’t mind! There is the use of traditional hardware to help balance, and I love the curved marble backsplash detail behind the sink!
The custom details of the built-in bench and panel behind the headboard in the master bedroom are nice touches. However, I also find myself wishing for a few more features that reflect the warmth of the kitchen and dining room. To be honest, one of these could be the arrangement of these pictures where the subtle creams on the linen beds do not work. I can see how keeping these details uniform in color helps create one cohesive space, but one could also argue that it all blends together. Which one would you choose??
Here in the room we end up with more wood storage in what looks like a shoe storage area. I can take this whole closet situation and all that natural light!
And finally, we have a large bathtub. My God, this house has itmany windows!!I always notice when designers come up with clever ways to float mirrors over windows, as it can be such a help in solving structural problems when designing bathrooms. I think it’s done very well here where the scale of the mirror mimics a smaller version of the windows.
I also really like the mix of tile on the walls and the addition of an extra creamy tone for warmth. Do I sound like a broken record yet?
Overall, I think this home renovation was a great improvement! I think we all know that I veer towards more organic and vintage than some of the rooms featured here, but that won’t stop me from appreciating the creations of the designers and owners. For more information about the home, the process and the designers, you can refer to the original article Beautiful Home.