Is Going Grey Right For Your Kitchen?

Usually seen as an easy neutral option for bedroom walls and soft furnishings, grey has quickly become one of the most on-trend colours for the kitchen. No longer considered just the ‘safe’ choice, renovators and home builders alike have started to appreciate the flexibility of grey tones and the visual impact they can create. While traditionally associated with minimalist and industrial styles, the cleanness of grey can add a contemporary edge to almost any home. Despite being a cooler colour, it’s the perfect complement to everything from the deepest blue to the most vibrant yellow. And with a wide variety of shades available, there’s a grey tone to suit every taste.   The psychology of grey   To fully appreciate why grey works so well in a kitchen, you first need to understand how people perceive the colour. Despite the association with ill health, bad weather, and uncertainty, the overriding Read More

Is Going Grey Right For Your Kitchen?2020-09-10T09:55:56+10:00

What are the 6 types of kitchen layouts?

When designing a kitchen, it’s easy – and usually more fun! – to focus on the fixtures, fittings, and finishes. However, getting the layout right can have the biggest impact on how you will feel about working in your new kitchen. A thoughtful layout will suit the way you and your family live and help you get the most out of the space. It can also make working in the kitchen easier and even prevent injuries.   The basics of good kitchen design   Traditional thinking is that a kitchen should be designed around the ‘work triangle’ – the space between your storage area (fridge), preparation area (cooktop), and cleaning area (sink). This theory has evolved over the last century in response to the changing use of our kitchen. With multiple cooks and using the kitchen as a key focal point for daily life becoming increasingly common, modern kitchen design Read More

What are the 6 types of kitchen layouts?2020-08-17T18:58:13+10:00

How can I design my own kitchen?

Spending more time at home and turning to the simple pleasures of cooking and baking to keep busy recently may have found you thinking that it’s time for an upgrade. Maybe the extra time in the kitchen has made you painfully aware of the functional issues. Maybe you think it’s worth splashing out on higher-quality finishes if you’re going to be using them more. Or maybe you just want to refresh the look and feel of the space. Whatever your motivation, designing your own kitchen can be even more difficult than usual right now. However, with a little extra thought and careful planning, you should still be able to achieve the result you want, all from the comfort and safety of your own home.   What do I need to think about when designing my own kitchen?   If you’ve never designed a kitchen before, it can be difficult to Read More

How can I design my own kitchen?2020-10-27T17:25:29+11:00

How Much Does it Cost to Have Someone Design a Kitchen?

Renovations might seem exciting at some times and daunting at others, but there’s one way of thinking about your renovation that we find helps. A renovation, especially in a room as important as a kitchen, should be thought of as an investment.  First and foremost, it is an investment in your enjoyment and functionality of your home (if the kitchen you're renovating is in the same house that you live in!).  And second of all, it is an investment in a more traditional financial sense and can add significant value to your home.  Why? Because the kitchen is arguably the first thing a home buyer looks at when they are assessing a home. A bad one can be a deal-breaker while a good one can conjure images of great dinner parties or having family over to celebrate special events.   Design Dilemma So for such an important investment, it might Read More

How Much Does it Cost to Have Someone Design a Kitchen?2020-10-05T11:50:00+11:00

What is the Most Popular Colour for a Kitchen?

Colour choices are important for any home, but even more so when you are putting the time and effort into renovating one of the most important rooms in the house: the kitchen. If you’ve ever been to an open home inspection for a house that is thirty or forty years old and has a kitchen that hasn’t been updated recently, you can often be confronted with colour schemes that make you wonder how people could have looked at it every day (brown countertops and lime green tiles anyone?).  So, what are the most popular colours and colour pairings you can use for your kitchen, and why do they work?     White A pure ‘white’ colour palette might seem daunting, but for a fresh, clear ‘Hamptons’ vibe, it’s hard to go past. White is a fantastic base colour to live with and the accents of colour that you choose, whether it’s Read More

What is the Most Popular Colour for a Kitchen?2020-10-05T11:50:41+11:00

Melbourne Kitchen Renovation

This modern Apartment in Flinders Street, Melbourne was ripe for a Kitchen update when our lovely client moved in. Although practical, the kitchen was dated and lacked flow that the client was searching for especially when entertaining guests. The kitchen layout also made the Apartment feel like it was shut off from the main living area inside the apartment. While the look our client wanted to achieve was open and spacious.                     The client was hoping that a distinct change would make the kitchen and living room feel more integrated. Wanting to bring the older style into a modern-day look which would be carried out throughout the Apartment. When our Richmond Showroom Designer first visited the Apartment it was clear a small space could achieve an open look if it was designed well.  The design needed to work to open the Read More

Melbourne Kitchen Renovation2022-05-02T09:33:29+10:00

What is the Best Layout for Your Kitchen?

They say that beauty is the eye of the beholder, and the same applies to your kitchen. It may sound simple but the ‘best layout’ really depends on exactly how you want to use it, your space and also your budget. How do you use your kitchen   If you’re an entertainer at heart, with the kitchen a focal point for your nights in with friends, then you’ll favour wide-sweeping benches, minimal obstructions, and perhaps space where stools can be placed so you can turn the kitchen into a place to socialise. If you’re after a more functional space for a big family, you’ll be chasing plenty of storage, a separation between food preparation and the sink and fridge, and a large space for your dishwasher. Or perhaps you’re just after something easy to use, maintain and adapt as your needs change. Whichever one it is, your ideal kitchen and Read More

What is the Best Layout for Your Kitchen?2020-10-05T11:51:55+11:00

How You Could Get $25,000 Towards Your New Kitchen Through HomeBuilder

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the news this year, you are not alone. 2020 seems to have already had a decade’s worth of news packed into one half of the year. And because of that news fatigue, many of us have spent more time avoiding the constant stream of updates and government announcements (or at least looking for more cheerful news). And that’s understandable. But the Federal Government has been very busy in the last few months. And lost in the mass of announcements about JobKeeper, JobSeeker, JobMaker, border closures, and quarantines is some welcome news for home builders and renovators, the HomeBuilder grant. Because  we’re in the kitchen renovation business, we’ve done the hard work of breaking down the package for you, and now share what you might be able to get as a homeowner, and the process of applying for it.    Construction Industry Crunch   Read More

How You Could Get $25,000 Towards Your New Kitchen Through HomeBuilder2020-10-05T11:52:49+11:00

Designing a home office that suits you!

Working from home definitely has some advantages but life can be tricky when everyone is at home!  Designing a home office that suits your needs now as well as the future is key. A successful home office requires creating a space that will promote efficient motivation as well as turning your space into an asset. A key to productivity is minimal distractions from daily life. Whilst this may be true for yourself this may not be the case for young children who need supervision.  To ensure you design a space that is right we’ve put together some tips to create a workspace that will grow with your family. Identify your needs Your needs will depend on the type of work you do and whether you will continue to use this space in the future. Ask yourself if you will work from home in the future and what that may look like. Read More

Designing a home office that suits you!2020-04-29T14:45:23+10:00

Planning your Kitchen

When you’re in self-isolation you may realise just how outdated your kitchen is and planning your new kitchen now makes perfect sense.  With families spending even more time in the heart of the home you get a feeling what's working and what's not.  The trick is what steps do you take and where do you start? Mary Maksemos, Zesta Kitchens Designer has advice on the steps you can take now that will bring your kitchen closer to an update. The great news is this can be your focus and new project now while in isolation. Kitchen Planning is key now. The first step when planning your kitchen renovation is to identify the styles and products you like. You can download our Kitchen Renovation Guide or collect ideas on the internet and home improvement websites like Houzz. Anywhere you find inspiration save the images and then create a mood board. For Read More

Planning your Kitchen2020-04-22T12:03:30+10:00