Bohemian Vibes
After more than a decade working on Home Beautiful’s own picture desk, homeowner Helen was never short of inspiration when the time fainally came to renovate her own abode. “I had a lof of exposure to different interior style,” she says. “I just love different textures and we really wanted a warm home where we could instantly relax when we walked in".
A new kitchen with plenty of space for her family of four was high on Helen’s priority list when she extended her semi-detached home in Sydney’s Inner West. “Our old kitchen was so small the fridge didn’t even fit inside and we lived like that for 11 years,” explains Helen.
With an abundance of ideas, Helen enlisted the help of friend and designer Alexandra Mason, of Studio aem, to refine the design. “Helen is a fabulous cook and entertainer, and she loves making beautiful food and socialising with friends and family over a good meal, so we needed to work hard to get the most out of a kitchen,” says Alexandra. “The brief was for a functional yet fabulous space… there was a sense of joy that needed to be captured.”
Making the most of the newly built extension at the rear of the original house, the L-shaped kitchen now opens into the living room and is complete with a walk-in pantry. An Astra Walker pot filler tap in Eco Brass and a double butler’s sink from Belfast Sinks were some of Helen’s original must-haves but, given her plethora of inspiration, the list didn’t remain condensed for long. She quickly added a handmade Moroccan ‘Thin Snow’ bejmat tiles from
Tiles of Ezra; they add a tactile element to the splashback. “The finishes, to me, were one of the most important details as this is what you see every day,” says Helen.
Crucial details
Helen chose the Greek Odyssey pull handles in Solid Brass from Mapio for the cupboard doors and brass handles from Little Swagger for the drawers, which perfectly complement the peaceful hue of
Resene Triple Merino on the cabinets.
Designer’s Tip
“Natural material were important, as was the need for a layering of warm tones,” says Alexandra. A rattan feature from Orient House, the ‘Luka’ woven bar stools in Vintage Cognac leather from
Inartisan and the timber-look shelves filled with overgrown greenery breathe life into the design.