AU Renovation Trends Vol 30 No 11 AU Renovation Trends Vol 30 No 11 | Page 14

of bench space for food preparation and
serving. The front of the island features
backlit Opalite translucent laminated
glass that helps to bounce light around the
room. The large pocket doors concealing
the pantry are also frosted glass. These can
be pulled right back, so the entire pantry is
open to the kitchen.
To add visual definition to the rear
wall of the kitchen, the high bank of cabinets around the tall appliances features a
dark-stained timber veneer, while the rest
of the cabinets have a white lacquer finish.

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“The stairs from the garage come up
into the house on the other side of the
pantry wall, so the access is a lot easier
than it was with an external garage,”
the architect says. “The owners virtually
arrive straight into the kitchen.”
A long living room in the original part
of the house was opened up to the family
room. Formerly, it was a closed-off room
that opened to a side passage from the
front door.
“We also widened the hallway near
the kitchen so the space doesn’t seem so

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cramped,” says Aimer. “It has become a
much more free-flowing interior, which
is better suited to a young family. At the
same time, however, the house still retains
its traditional elements – there are formal
rooms off either side of the entry passage.”
Further major changes were made
to the upper level, which now houses a
new master suite, two bathrooms, another
bedroom, home office and storage area.
“Essentially, this became a three-storey
renovation,” says the architect. “We created a new wider stairway to the upper