Minimalist Kitchens

Minimalism as a life choice and home style has become a popular trend around the world. Chunky rugs and throws have been replaced with basic furniture. Scatter cushions have been packed up, leaving clutter free couches. And gone are the times when we displayed our appliances on our benchtop. As home owners look to reduce their carbon footprint and live on less, minimalist homes and minimalist kitchens have become a popular choice.

So what makes a minimalist kitchen? Is it the colour? The finishes? The fittings? We've defined a minimalist kitchen as a kitchen that only contains the bare essentials. And also a little bit by the colour. Nothing more than the few utensils, crockery and cutlery you need to function in the kitchen. A minimalist kitchen does't contain bread or ice cream makers, waffle machines or any other appliance you may have purchases on whim while watching day time TV.

Here are five minimalist kitchens we love...

"Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It's yous master piece after all."

The colours of this kitchen definitely assist with that minimalist feel. Light grey cabinets, light coloured laminate wooden floors and a white marble benchtop create an open, airy and tranquil space that helps achieve that minamlist look. The benchtop is not completely clear but it only contains the essentials (no blenders, toasters or kettles). The shelving is kept uncluttered too. The clear pendant lighting is simple and understated which contributes to the style too.

"I'd rather have extra space than extra stuff."

Again we see light colours used in this modern minimalist kitchen. Light laminate wooden flooring provides a bit of warmth against the sheer white bench tops and cabinets. The benchtop is kept almost completely clear with only a few tea and coffee containers and small pot plants which add colour to the room. Shelving has been built into the island which helps keep clutter off the top. Appliances are kept hidden away.

"Minimalism is an appreciation of space."

Aside from the shoes and train set, this kitchen is clutter free. Although they have their kitchenware visible, you'll notice the only have what they need (four plates, eight glasses, one wine holder, etc.) The more unnecessary kitchenware you build up, the harder it is to maintain the minimalist look. A kitchen like this could easily accommodate a single person, couple or small family.

"Less is more."

And now for something completely different. A minimalist kitchen in a darker shade works too. The secret to this kitchens minimalism is the available storage space/cabinets to keep clutter and appliances out of sight. The kitchen is lightened by the light timber benchtop, breakfast bar stools and flooring.

Are you wanting to revamp your kitchen to have a more minimalist style? Get in touch with Adelaide Outdoor Kitchens for a free quote.

8 Modern Bathroom Vanities That Will Make You Go Wow

You bathroom vanity needs to support a lot of different activities and items. You need enough storage to store your toiletries, the right size basin for hand or face washing (you might even have two basins) plug points for shaving and hair straightening, the list goes on! If you're building or renovating and looking for a bathroom vanity upgrade check out these 8 modern bathroom vanities that will make you go wow...

Empty Vessels

This vanity was designed and built by Adelaide Outdoor Kitchens. A simple modern vanity is built from Rosegum timber and furnished with two vessel basins. Storage space exists in the two drawers below and on either side of these.

Built for Two

This stylish vanity is both aesthetically beautiful and functional with spacious basins and plenty of storage space. The contrasting black walls and vanity accessories against the white ceramic counter top basin and counter top and timber drawers makes this vanity extremely eye catching.

Rustic Beauty

This contemporary, rustic style vanity can be taken on as a DIY project. Simple timber storage custom made to include a  self-rimming sink. If your bathroom is compact and doesn't allow for much space to install an elaborate vanity, this is the way to go.

Industrial Style

We love this industrial style bathroom vanity. If you're wanting to achieve an industrial or vintage look in your bathroom you'll achieve this through three key features/materials: black polished concrete, pendent or bulb lighting and copper accessories. Pipe exposure works well too.

Glamourous

You can usually capture a glamorous look with the right mirror. It's big, intricately bordered and typically gold, silver or black. This classy vanity has gorgeous black walls and cabinets contrasted with a white counter top and vessel sink with touches of silver in the mirror and accessories.

Modern and Simple

Bulk basins give a modern feel, while the timber cabinets makes this vanity cosy and slightly more traditional. The simple mirrors add a bit of edge to the bathroom and the pendant lighting provides ample lighting for all your vanity needs!

Minimalist

Big fan of this minimalist bathroom vanity.  A square vessel sink above a beautiful walnut finished timber accompanied by a sleek and simple mirror.

Kitchen Wine Storage Ideas

Last week we shared the best places to store wine at home. In this blog, we'll share some super cool kitchen wine storage ideas.

Island Life

Re-purpose your kitchen island to accommodate wine. Keep it simple with a shallow, trellis style rack for several bottles or go all out and install a wine cooler within your kitchen island.

 

Rack it Up

Utilise free cabinet space to store wine by installing shelving to accommodate your wine. This is suitable for home owners who'd like to store their wine collection, without taking up too much space. This idea is less work than re-purposing your kitchen island and looks really slick and modern.

Cabernet Cabinets

If you have excessive cupboard space you're looking to fill, turn that space into a wine storage area. Depending on your level of experience, this idea is totally achievable as a DIY job. Try fitting the cabinets with timber shelving and/or steel racks to hold your wine collection.

Pull Out a Piccolo

Probably the cheapest and easiest kitchen wine storage idea is utilising drawer space to store your wine. You can use a fridge tidier to stop the bottles from rolling around the drawer. Make sure you test the weight of the drawer before loading it up with wine. We suggest using the bottom drawers, as you should avoid heavy top drawers Wine drawers can also be custom made, specially for wine bottles too.

READ: Kitchen Drawer Ideas

Counter Offer

If you've got the counter space grab yourself a wine rack that can simply be placed on your kitchen counter.

Creative

There are some awesome custom designed wine racks that can be placed on the wall or left as a standalone feature in your kitchen or even your lounge.

Best Places to Store Wine at Home

With an abundance of delicious wines at our door step, every South Aussie home deserves a special place for a wine collection.  This blog covers the best places to store wine at home...

Choosing a wine cabinet is pretty much down to two things:

1. Personal preference: style, design, how it fits with the rest of the room's decor.

2. Space: how much wine you want to store. Depending on how much wine you drink (or like to collect) you might opt for a simple 12 bottle rack.

Choosing the right place for your wine cabinet or cooler requires a little more consideration.

Bad Locations to Store Wine at Home

Avoid locations that:

• Have too much light
• Insufficient ventilation
• Fluctuations in temperature

Wine deteriorates under light. It could be natural light or electric lights. Either way - avoid placing your wine cooler in an area that receives a lot of light. Avoid placing your cooler by a window for instance. If you're running out of dark spaces in the house, somewhere with minimal light is okay, as long as the light isn't on for long periods of time.

Keep the surrounding temperature as constant as you can. You might find an office at the back of your house tends to stay cooler than other areas of the house or is more constant in its temperature.

Make sure the area around your wine stock is well ventilated.

Best Locations to Store Wine at Home

A Cellar

Not everyone has the space to build or accommodation their own wine cellar. But if you do, there are 4 tips to remember when building your wine cellar:

1. Remember to check the temperature of the cellar all year round. People often assume an underground cellar is cool all year round, but this isn't always the case.

2. Install climate control equipment to manage the temperature of the cellar. Using a traditional aircon will use up a lot of electricity and will only keep temperatures low, rather than adjusting to outside temperatures.

3. Install adequate installation to reduce the amount of energy the climate controller uses.

4. Carefully select a door that assists in keeping the room at the right temperature.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is the most convenient place to store your wine. It's easily accessible when serving guests and kitchens typically have enough space to accommodate a wine rack or cabinet. There are some real nifty ways to store wine in your kitchen which we'll share in next week's blog!

The Dining Room

Another convenient location, especially if you host a lot of dinner parties and/or frequently use your dining area. Dining room cabinets are a great place for storing wine. Just remember to keep it away from a window or any direct electric light.

Under the Stairs

The next best thing if you don't have a cellar but have a two-storey home. It's usually junk that takes up space in the cupboard below the stairs - ditch the junk and install a wine cellar under your stairs.

The Living Room

If you tend to consume your bottles of red in front of the telly, the living room may be the right place for your wine cooler. Like the kitchen and dining room, the living room is also a convenient place to store your wine. It can also be a cool feature for the room.

Getting Colour in the Kitchen

Traditionally, kitchens are designed with natural materials or painted in neutral colours. Black, white, beige, etc, are usually the colours of choice. While neutral colours seem like the safer option, adding a dash of colour to your kitchen can really transform the space! Depending on how brave you are, you could give your kitchen a complete make over in colour, or just add licks of paint here and there. Accessories, chairs and appliances can also add some colour to the room. Here are some awesome examples of how good colour in the kitchen can look!

A Drop of Yellow

Where: The blinds and the breakfast bar chairs.

Yellow: Freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment.

Why we love it: This is an easy and cost effective way to add colour to your kitchen without having to commit to a massive change to cabinetry or walls. The simple addition of colour in the chairs and blinds turns, what could be a pretty dull kitchen into something warm and sunny.

A Shade of Blue

Where: The cabinets and splashback.

Blue: Associated with sky and sea, depth and stability. Calming.

Why we love it: Blue is beautifully bold! Here, it takes up a lot of the kitchen, but works really well. It's inviting, fun and different. The timber and polished concrete complement the blue really well too.

A Dash of Red

Where: Splashback and walls.

Blue: Love, passion, fire, desire, heat and sexuality.

Why we love it: "No colour is as territorial as red. It stakes a claim." Derek Jarman. Red is a statement colour. It's for the fun, and brave. The contrast of the brick/plum red and candy red works well off-set by the white cabinets.  It's an inviting kitchen, with plenty of sass for the sausages to be sizzled in!

A Palette of Paint

Where: Cabinets and accessories.

Red, coral, orange and yellow: Joy, sunshine, happiness, success and creativity.

Why we love it: The combination of these colours screams the tropics! You can almost taste the cocktails and smell the coconut tanning oil when you look at it. Not only do these colours go really well together, but they are associated with feelings of joy, happiness, success and creativity which are fantastic emotions to kick off your day with! The hanging light looks like a coral which also works well in the unobvious tropical theme. It's also weaved the colour red through accessories like the couch cushion, kettle, mugs and dish cloth.

A Trickle of Turquoise

Where: Walls, cabinets, splashback and accessories.

Turquoise: Refreshing, calming, balance, clarity and cleanliness.

Why we love it: Aside from the fact that turquoise is my favourite colour, it provides a clean, refreshing and calming atmosphere to this kitchen. The space is my no means news, however they've managed to pull off a very modern look with their colour of choice. The bohemian splashback complements the walls and cabinetry well turning it into an alternative modern/boho style. The splash of yellow works well too!

Looking to renovate your kitchen? Maybe you're just looking for a re-vamp! Get in touch with Adelaide Outdoor Kitchens today to get a FREE quote.

6 Ways to Create Extra Benchtop Space

Ever cooked a meal and feel like you're playing some sort of game as you move through all the obstacles on your counter just to get what you need? A game that's no fun of course. There's something really satisfying about having a clear kitchen benchtop. If you're in need of some extra counter space, read on! Here are 6 ways to create extra kitchen benchtop space...

1. Sink covers

These were an absolute godsend when I lived in a pokey apartment in Uruguay. Although, it wasn't actually a sink cover - just an ordinary chopping board. Sink sliders, or covers, come in all shapes, sizes and materials (plastic, wood, steel) and in different textures too (wood for chopping, steel for drying, etc.) Sink covers are a cheap and easy way to instantly create extra benchtop space. Make sure they fit snug, so they don't wobble!

2. Single sink

Personally, I like to have one sink for washing and one for rinsing. But if you're shy of space, use a sink cover to create additional space to prepare on. Alternatively, you could look at having it removed altogether! At least with a sink cover you can use the sink if you need to.

3. Pull-out benchtop

If you've got a small kitchen with minimal benchtop space, try a pull-out benchtop. These temporary benchtops are concealed and look like an ordinary drawer. Once pulled out, they provide additional benchtop space to chop, dice and splice! Make sure it's built sturdy, so it doesn't wiggle under pressure. It also needs to be built to handle some weight.

READ: Kitchen Drawer Ideas

4. Pack away appliances

The cheapest way to create extra benchtop space! It only takes 21 days to achieve - once you've cemented the habit. Use empty cabinet space to pack away appliances you don't use every day. Even the ones you do use every day can be packed away if you need the space. The kettle and coffee machine are the only appliances you'll find on my benchtop.

5. Island life

You might not have benchtop space but if you've got the floor space you could build an island bench or simply place a table there for extra benchtop space. The island doubles up as an area to sit, socialise or share a meal with family or friends.

6. Declutter!

Clear some drawers for iPads, speakers, chargers, etc. Buy a nice bowl to chuck any loose items that constantly appear on your benchtop. Use canisters to sort any breakfast items that might live on your benchtop.  READ: Chaos Control Tips

Outdoor Furniture that Works Indoors

With summer upon us you might be decking out your outdoor area with a few bits and pieces to make your guests feel comfortable. There's some fantastic outdoor furniture to choose from, many of which look great indoors too...

Hammocks

There's nothing quite like looking up at the sky, swaying back and forth on a hammock. Traditionally, hammocks are kept outside. But, homeowners are bringing this piece of outdoor furniture indoors. And it works!

Hanging Chairs

Probably one of the most versatile pieces of outdoor furniture is the hanging chair. It seems to work in every room. Placed in front of the fireplace, beside your bed or in the lounge room. They come in all shapes and sizes. Mostly large and egg like but some are designed to take up less space and kept simple.

Polished Concrete Tables

Concrete is commonly used as a material for outdoor furniture for its durability, strength and weather resistance. But polished concrete looks incredible indoors too! Kitchen bench tops, flooring, tables and seats are just some places you'll find polished concrete in the home. The material works well if you're trying to get that industrial look indoors, but can also be toned down with the right surrounding colours and decor. This coffee table is one of our custom made furniture pieces. It was created using reclaimed jetty timber. The contrast of the timber and concrete looks amazing indoors! If you're looking for  a custom made piece of furniture for your home you can contact me here.

Concrete Seats

These concrete block seats double up nicely as side tables or extra seats. They're beautifully craftedusing lump aged concrete and CorTen steel. If you'd like to find out more about these custom made seats for your home - get in touch with me.

Traditional Dining Table Outdoors

On the flip side, if you fancy a quirky look, taking some traditional furniture and placing it outdoors looks good too. Head to your local furniture op shop and pick up some mismatched chairs and a table for your outdoor area. Dress up the chairs with some cushions and give the table a lick of paint to bring some colour to your outdoor area. READ: Adding a vintage look to your kitchen.

Revamping a Kitchen on a Budget

Do you get dollar signs in your eyes when you think about revamping your kitchen? Of course, a full revamp may be costly but there are loads of cost effective changes you can make to give your kitchen a re-fresh. If you're on a budget or only have a couple hundred dollars to spend - this blog is for you! Here are our tips and tricks for revamping a kitchen on a budget...

Put Up Some Art

A super easy way to re-fresh your kitchen on a budget is my adding some wall art. There are a lot of really sweet quotes and kitchen sayings you can dot around any empty wall space you have. Or if you want to go for a more artsy look - try a vintage poster.

Paint the Walls

Probably the most cost effective way to re-vamp your kitchen is by giving it a lick of paint. Generally kitchens aren't too 'wall heavy' which means you don't need much paint. A large tin of paint is around $100. So you could get away with a whole new look for only $100. Cut your cost down even further by painting it yourself. Keep it cool with a grey or light blue or make it pop with red, turquoise or green.

Paint the Cabinets

If you'd prefer not to paint the walls, or want to keep them neutral, paint the cabinets and/or island instead. It's a great way to add some colour to your kitchen and isn't a massive commitment if you decide you want to change it. This would also cost between $100 - $200 depending on how many cabinets you have to paint. Purchase some matching display items or crockery to complement the new cabinets.

Kitchen Pendant Lighting

If you've got an island bench - upgrade your lighting to pendant lights. Depending on the length of the island you could have three to four. Check out more kitchen lighting ideas here.

Mosaic Splashback

If you've got around $400 to spend you could add a mosaic splashback to your kitchen. It'll not only add colour and re-fresh your kitchen but it will add interest too. Go for fun and colourful or glitsy grey depending on what sort of re-fresh you're after.