behind the scenes - sage sensation

Come behind the scenes of our latest inspiration gallery, sage sensation, as we speak to homeowner and professional stylist, Tilly Roberts, about how she transformed her kitchen, laundry and living room spaces with kaboodle.

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Located in the Australian Capital Territory, Tilly decided it was time to upgrade her kitchen, laundry and living room. Tilly transformed her 70’s kitchen by opening up the space and adding some Scandinavian inspired design elements. For a cohesive look and feel Tilly continued the colour scheme from her kitchen into her laundry and added timber floating shelves in her lounge area.

“We wanted to update our kitchen and laundry as the original layout, particularly the kitchen, was not using the space in an efficient way. We didn’t have a pantry and only just squeezed our fridge in with no prep space at all”, says Tilly.

In an attempt to make the room more open plan, Tilly extended the benchtop and created a small island, for two people to sit up to. In doing this, it helped to open up the space and also connect the kitchen to the living room.

“We wanted to open up the kitchen to look out onto the dining/ lounge area so that we could see our baby while in the kitchen as well as make it more sociable when entertaining. We originally planned on this house as an investment but then decided to move into it sooner than expected and love it so will stay in it until we outgrow it!” says Tilly.

Tilly selected our versatile paint your own door range in the classic alpine profile, and paired the cabinetry with american oak benchtops and salento gold handles in both the kitchen and laundry. She selected a light sage green for the doors and panels and painted these herself. The soft colourway creates a refreshing palette and adds a subtle pop of colour.

“I chose the paint your own door range as I love being able to have the freedom to pick a colour that makes our kitchen feel a bit different and ours. It’s also a safe way to be able to experiment, we like having a bit of colour but if we changed our mind or wanted to sell it could easily be painted white."

"I chose the american oak benchtops as I wanted a natural material that brought some warmth to the space, it’s also originally a 70’s kitchen so I feel the inclusion of timber is a nice nod to that.”

The best part about choosing our paint your own door range is that you can literally choose whatever colour you desire, the painting component is also really enjoyable! Tilly found that once you get into a rhythm with painting the whole process was easy.

“Once we took the time to set everything up and create a little production line it was really easy. Once we got the under coat done the colour went on really nicely. I love that we can also just touch it up whenever we need.”

To plan her kitchen transformation, Tilly used our kaboodle 3D planner. She experimented with layouts and different design concepts which was really handy, as it can hard to visualise what a space will look like once complete.  

“I loved using the 3D planner to see what we were creating and how it would feel, but most importantly it was great for checking all our dimensions were correct and we were fitting everything we wanted in while creating a functional layout. “

Tilly painted all the doors and panels herself, but then decided to get some help with assembling and installing the kitchen and laundry.  

“We had a joiner assemble and install the kitchen super quickly. He generally custom builds and installs kitchens and he was amazed at the quality of kaboodle’s products. He also noted that it was super given every box was clearly labelled.”

Tilly utilised our american oak benchtops throughout her home as floating shelves in each space! She used offcuts from the kitchen and laundry to create the feature shelving in her living room, which is a gorgeous design feature but also a great use of excess product.

“I love floating shelves, they’re perfect for displaying all my favourite pieces and making the kitchen feel open. But still needed somewhere to hide away all our appliances and pantry items.”

Finally, we wanted to hear how their new kitchen has impacted Tilly’s and her family’s everyday life….

“The new layout has made the kitchen so functional and it is now so easy to cook one or several meals on the go. I have my spice rack pull out directly next to the stove and don’t have to rummage through cupboards, I have ample cutting and preparation space, and I can now speak to guests and family in the lounge room while I’m doing it,” says Tilly.

Tilly and her family are now making the most of their newly renovated home and enjoying these beautifully designed spaces!

“Above all it’s a just a beautiful space which is so important when it’s an open kitchen because it faces my dining room, front courtyard and lounge room. I love being able to look at and enjoy all my special pieces on the floating shelves. We love cooking and entertaining and our kitchen makes having people over and cooking for a crowd so enjoyable!”

We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about Tilly’s kaboodle transformation journey! You can view the sage sensation gallery here. For more inspiration and ideas to create your kitchen, your way™, visit our design blog or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.