Rob & Maria's Rural Retreat

Turning a 1940's bungalow into an open plan entertainers dream!

"We hired Sarah because both of us are busy career people with limited down time. For us it made sense to use a professional who knows her business. Sarah certainly ticks those boxes and more. Her communication was outstanding and her knowledge of products that would fit our brief, yet be functional, assisted in guiding us towards making the right decisions. Our project not only included a kitchen but a scullery, a dining room and a lounge."

The final outcome is amazing!

Project Details

When we first met Rob & Maria, they were nestled in to a rural 1940’s Bungalow with a dream of creating an open planned space of the living, dining & kitchen. They live a busy lifestyle trying to balance their careers, a large family & multiple schedules. Our clients wanted to create an inviting functional space suitable for entertaining large groups of people & extended family, as well as establishing an indoor-outdoor flow to look at the amazing view of the valley.

The existing retro styled kitchen had no functionality and little storage, with dated cabinetry and poor spatial design. We had to remove four walls, close in an existing door way and remove a double sided fireplace. One of the walls we removed was structural, which is always a hurdle, but we soon found a solution of a timber beam to support the roof. The high ceilings were great to work with and we removed the existing window joinery and replaced it with large sliding doors to create a panoramic sight of the views.

The clients took advantage of the original Kauri wooden floorboards and polished them to create a real country feel. We had to come up with an innovative way to hide the ducting by building the wall out behind the oven so the cabinets could still appear floating. There was a need for more efficient, practical and modern appliances which were built in to the kitchen design with an integrated dishwasher, freestanding gas oven.

The scullery was a no brainer for Rob & Maria as the backyard is filled to the brim of homegrown vegetables, the orchard plump with fruit & the pantry always stacked with home baking. They wanted to be able to use the scullery to prepare food tucked away, hide the dishes and be able to wash & prepare fresh fruit & vegetables with enough space for the large family to be using the kitchen at the same time.

“Using the scullery to be able to prepare all of the meat for Rob to cook on the barbecue is great, I just slide the window open and pass it through to him on the deck.”

When entertaining the scullery is such a great option as a ‘second kitchen’ to prepare the food and leave the main kitchen island for serving and sitting at the breakfast bar.

The Finished Space

It was so exciting doing a complete revamp of four different spaces to create a timeless open planned area suitable for the clients needs. Rob & Maria brought a great builder in to the project who had top class attention to detail and understood our plans. This four month renovation went really smoothly because the right people were involved!

Photography: Cindy Younger Photography

Let Us Solve Your Problems

Let's be honest - designing and renovating are daunting tasks. Time and time again we see people get bogged down with the intense level of detail required. They often forget huge aspects of the project and blow their budget to smithereens. But we've got you covered - Sarah Burrows Design will take care of you throughout the whole journey of your project.

1. Consultation

We'll chat all about your project to get clear direction, help you create a budget and create a plan for next steps to take.

2. Design

Involved throughout the process, you'll have complete control over even the finest of details. You'll even get photo-realistic renders of what your re-designed space will look like.

3. Installation

There's no need to organise the installation yourself! We know all the best suppliers and tradies, which means we get you the best quality at the best price.