A Hobby Farm set in the picturesque mountains of Maleny required a kitchen, dining & outdoor kitchen renovation. Due to family demands and multi-generational living, the original kitchen & breakfast room was converted into two kitchens. A reconfiguration of the space allowed an interconnecting pantry for both kitchens & transformed the old pantry into a mudroom. The clients desire to use materials that would age overtime was brought to life with brass and creates a space that is vibrant and reflective of the client’s love of pattern & unique materials.
2 Kitchens | Mud Room | Outdoor Kitchen including pizza oven
It’s absolutely stunning! The drive and location overlooking the hinterland and back towards the ocean is hard to beat. I love having jobs where I can be inspired from the outside in.
It’s a gorgeous hobby farm with animals, meticulously tended gardens & a pavilion style home perched up on the hill drinking in the Sunshine Coast. As it’s a holiday home, it was viewed differently in terms of design. I had worked with my clients previously and had an understanding of how they lived and what they liked. I knew, even though functionality is key, we could have a bit more fun with the selections.
Number 1 is visiting the site and understanding the client’s requirements. This particular project was a holiday home for a large family with grandchildren. They wanted a main kitchen to allow for entertainment and a smaller prep kitchen that could be used separately for smaller meals. We also looked at the connection of the existing BBQ area to the Kitchen & what function this space would hold.
Number 2 is to space plan. The existing kitchen was a galley kitchen, with a separate walk-in pantry and a secondary dining room attached. I knew this room would need reconfiguration to meet the brief, so we decided to turn the second dining room into the main kitchen and install an interconnecting pantry to divide the space and allow for the prep kitchen behind.
As a result of the interconnecting pantry a Mud Room was created in the old walk-in pantry. This allowed extra storage for the dirty boots when entering the house, additional freezer space, as well as a seating and hanging area for hats and coats.
Lastly, we removed the stairs to the existing BBQ area & built in the deck so the outdoor kitchen was flush with the interior. The use of hardwood timber cabinetry & vibrant patterned tiles offset the dominant pizza oven.
Brass has definitely had a resurgence in the last couple of years. My client loved the finish as it has a luxe feel whilst still being organic in the way it patinas over time. It is certainly not a traditional farmhouse kitchen however more importantly its true to my client’s design aesthetic and her family needs.
My design philosophy was fully engaged in this project. I started from the floor up and started layering the room. As brass can be quite dominating, I needed to pair it with equally strong materials to counter it. The patterned tiles were perfect, and although they are neutral in colour, the pattern was the ideal ‘visual strength’ to balance the room. This is the same methodology I used with the splashback and the fluted glass cabinet. Understanding whether the combination is too much or little is an intuition thing, yet it always starts with my design principles. The use of lots of different patterns and textures, with cohesion, creates a balance between luxe and liveable.
Each of my clients has very different aesthetics and visions. Furthermore, the principles I follow for a main residence and a holiday home are different. A holiday home can usually be more experimental with materials and patterns as you are not living with them day in day out. In saying this, there are definitely elements of this project, like the layout and use of spaces, that I have been consistently asked about. Visually the use of brass in this particular project works beautifully because it will age and weather just as the farm and landscape will overtime – I think there is a lovely story to that.
I love the material palette. The combination of the brass, tiles, wallpaper, fluted glass, and leather in the mudroom, adds irresistible drama and interest to the eye. Individually, they are strong materials, but together they balance each other in true harmony. It was inspiring pulling them together and wonderful seeing it come to life.
