Q&A with Rose and Paul & their Align Kitchen Designer, Jo
We sat down with Rose and Paul to have a chat about the experience they had with Align Kitchen’s interior renovation specialists. Rose and Paul were impressed with their kitchen makeover that combined their desired aesthetics with optimal functionality.
We then sat down with Align Kitchen’s designer specialist, Jo, who worked on the home renovations in The Gap, Brisbane. Jo gave us some insights into Align Kitchen’s redesigning process to actualise Rose and Paul’s dream kitchen makeover.
What Rose and Paul Have to say
1. The Preparation Stage
What inspired you to begin a kitchen renovation?
The vinyl flooring started to fall apart as well as bits of the cabinetry, which prompted us to bring forward our renovation plans.
How did you come across Align Kitchens?
We often drive past the Align Kitchen showroom at Red Hill and thought we’d check it out.
What information did you need to provide Align Kitchens?
Align sent a designer out to look at our kitchen and discuss what we liked and wanted to improve.
What were your must haves?
We wanted the kitchen design to give a nod to the mid-century modern design of the house, and to replace cupboards and open spaces with more practical drawers.
2. The Challenges
What was the biggest challenge for your renovation project?
Due to asbestos removals, some of the structure of the kitchen changed. We were also hoping to open up a void behind the fridge space. Align was able to plan to be flexible with the design depending on what we found after the cupboards were removed.
3. The Design Phase
How did you decide on the colour and style of the custom made cabinets?
We wanted to pick up on the style of some nearby cabinetry and to include some timber accents in keeping with timber floors and the rest of the house.
What type of benchtop did you choose? Was it difficult to decide?
We chose a Nikpol terrazzo benchtop that was suggested by Jo. We loved the colour, and it looks great.
How did you choose your kitchen splashback? What was important to you?
Jo suggested a kit kat style of tiles and which tile shops to visit. We thought the splashback was a great opportunity to add a fresh, interesting colour to the kitchen while picking up on the mid-century modern look we were after.
4. Post-Renovation Outlook
How has this renovation improved your lifestyle?
We enjoy cooking and being in this space. It’s aesthetically pleasing, so much easier to clean and the extra storage is so welcome. The kitchen feels larger because we were able to push the fridge further back.
If you could give advice to someone thinking about renovating, what would be your top 3 key tips from this experience?
- Find a designer who understands what look you’re after and how to achieve it
- It was ideal having someone knowledgeable to provide advice in line with our budget
- We preferred working with a designer who was focused on delivering quality and value, but who wasn’t pushy from a sales perspective because they knew their product and didn’t need to be.
Designer Jo’s Take on the Project
1. About the Project
Tell us a bit about the design?
This kitchen was designed for a family of four. It was a sixties style home that had many split levels, so we had to allow for some of the quirks of the space. The back of the kitchen servery bench had a large built-in timber panel that dropped to the lower level of the home, so we had to take that into account.
The other being that our client didn’t want to modify the windows, so because of the depth between the architrave of the window and the back wall of the kitchen that the wall units were to be installed on to, the design had to take this into account. We were able to have our cabinet makers build custom kitchen cabinets to fit within the required space and therefore preserve the authenticity of this lovely Brisbane home.
There was also an unknown behind the fridge space where there was an odd cupboard built on the wall behind the fridge space. When designing this space, we took both options into consideration, as to whether or not we could remove this. We then explored this during the installation process. It ended up being an area that we could utilise, which gave the fridge room to be set back as much as possible, which made it more streamline.
There were constraints with ducting of the range hood to the external wall or roof. But we wanted to install a concealed rangehood for a clean and flush look. To achieve this, we installed a vent grill with a ducting kit and vented the range hood out from the bulkhead.
What was your favourite aspect of the renovation project?
It was a really different space to work with. The split-level was a really interesting part of that because you couldn’t do anything about that so-to-speak. I’m a fan of that mid-century style of home, so it really appealed to my taste. They were very conscious of their environmental footprint, so anything they wanted to keep we didn’t throw away.
2. How the Design Works
Why does the design work so well?
For the space, they were able to create a lot of storage with drawers on the servery bench section. They had a lot of nice surface area to work with and it was conducive to the style of the home.
How do you feel the home design integrates into the wider environment?
Apart from moving the kitchen, it wasn’t a kitchen where you can add an island bench or anything like that. And obviously with the style of home, it wasn’t going to be ideal to relocate services to other areas. This was the best part of the house to have the kitchen in.
3. The Specialist and Artisan Skills
What specialist or artisan skills were involved in the making of the project?
We needed to be sympathetic to the existing back panel and wall structure to keep as much of that as possible. We also needed to work with the existing features of the stair balustrade.
This project required concise planning as there were a number of trades and aspects of the job outside of our scope of work that we needed to be scheduled around. Careful planning with time frames was imperative to the success of this renovation.
As we learnt from Rose and Paul’s story, sometimes your home starts to give you clear signs that it’s time to renovate. An interior makeover doesn’t have to be a daunting or overwhelming experience. With the right home renovation specialists, you can rest assured you’ll get the quality makeover you and your home deserve!
At Align Kitchens we pride ourselves on creating meaningful relationships and understand our client’s desires so we can help create the dream home they’re after. So, if you’re looking to renovate, remodel or redesign your home, contact us to speak with one of our friendly interior home renovating experts.
And remember, your forever home doesn’t have to have a forever design. A renovation can rejuvenate your home into the space you’ve dreamt of!
