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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 [...]

How Much Does it Cost to Have Someone Design a Kitchen?2020-07-28T10:18:39+10:00

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 [...]

What is the Most Popular Colour for a Kitchen?2020-07-17T09:42:31+10:00

Essendon Kitchen, Butlers Pantry and Laundry Renovation

This stunning home situated in Essendon has been transformed to cleverly hide the previous support beam that was an eyesore for this family. When Mary, Richmond Designer first visited the clients in their home the timber support beam was deemed the main problem in the kitchen space. The clients wanted to know “how do I remove the support beam to create an open plan into adjoining dining and living spaces?” To date no other Kitchen Designer had been able to design anything that worked for the client. This provided a unique challenge for Mary to solve the clients problem in their family kitchen. As seen by opening up the space and aligning cabinetry along the hallway butting straight into the support beam means that the beam can be hidden in the wall so now you don’t even notice it. Further designing a standalone island bench has not only provided additional [...]

Essendon Kitchen, Butlers Pantry and Laundry Renovation2020-07-28T11:25:17+10:00

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, Mary 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 [...]

Melbourne Kitchen Renovation2020-07-27T12:42:32+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 [...]

What is the Best Layout for Your Kitchen?2020-07-08T08:18:12+10:00

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   [...]

How You Could Get $25,000 Towards Your New Kitchen Through HomeBuilder2020-07-08T08:14:59+10:00

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. [...]

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 [...]

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

What Does a New Kitchen Cost?

You’ve been thinking about changing that dated, less than functional kitchen for some time now, maybe years. It’s time for a kitchen renovation, but you don’t know where to start. How about at the very beginning? What will it cost? Unfortunately, that’s a bit like asking, how long is a piece of string. Every kitchen has a different size, style and finish. Here's some cost indications to get you started on making a budget. What should you spend on a kitchen? Let’s start with what experts think you should spend on a kitchen. Consider the home prices in your suburb, particularly if it is an investment property or you plan to sell in a few years. For instance, if your property is valued at $1.5 million you can spend more on your kitchen than you can if it is $600,000 property. Buyers for an expensive property will demand a mid [...]

What Does a New Kitchen Cost?2020-04-19T10:38:28+10:00

Top 5 Kitchen Design Tips to Get That Timeless Look

Many homeowners would love to update the look of their kitchen regularly. However, with a median cost of about $20,000, a kitchen renovation is something most can afford to do only once. With that in mind, keeping your kitchen design simple and classic is usually the best choice. Not only does this mean it will stay in style for longer, it’ll also be easier to add little touches to keep the space on-trend. If you’d like a kitchen with timeless appeal, but aren’t sure where to start, here are our top tips.   Tip #1: Keep it neutral Bold colours tend to go in and out of fashion, so you want to keep your palette neutral. In addition to not ageing as quickly, a neutral colour scheme provides a clean canvas for your daily life. It also allows you to introduce personality through unique accessories (which are much easier to [...]

Top 5 Kitchen Design Tips to Get That Timeless Look2020-03-23T12:28:31+11:00