Build House Home on Houzz Australia

Very excited to be featured on Houzz Australia today!  Did you know Houzz has now got an Australian branch?  They are planning to feature Australian and New Zealand designers, architects, and other creatives including bloggers.  All of us who like making the world prettier. 
 It was a good excuse to take some updated photographs of my home to share.  Pop by and see the full interview, and lots more photos!   Plus leave a comment on the Houzz post by Sunday 23 November to be in line to win a $50 voucher from Adairs.  Can you tell that I am a little bit excited?

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why the kitchen is the heart of my home... making open plan work

The best thing about designing a new home is you get to make the living spaces suit you exactly.
We always knew the kitchen would be the heart of our home, we love cooking and being able to prepare and eat meals as a family. 

My favourite thing about the design is that from the kitchen bench I can see the pool and garden, across the main living areas and right across the central courtyard to the playroom.  
Whether I am cooking or reading a magazine at the counter, I can keep an eye on the kids, whatever they are up to, which means I can keep going and get things done while they play.

Having such an open plan design comes with challenges too.  You need to be able to do the cooking in the kitchen but hide the storage and washing up.  Want to know how to do it?
Here are my top tips for planning a successful open plan concept that you will love as much as I love mine.
This post is brought to you by Creative Design Kitchens: designing, creating and installing dream kitchens in Sydney for over 18 years, but as usual all opinions are my own.

The butlers pantry:
How is this different from the walk in pantry?  This room contains double sinks, ample counter space for washing up and stacking dirty pots and pans, and the dishwasher.  This is a cleaning utility area rather than a food storage or prep area.
Many people thought it was a crazy waste of space, now they all want one too, and its becoming a must have in any well designed home.  
It totally allows you to enjoy cooking and then shut the washing up away until you want to deal with it.  Out if sight out of mind as the saying goes.  Our space can be shut totally out of sight with space saving pocket doors.

A walk in pantry:
This pantry is for storing food.  Our pantry has two side: fridge, freezer and microwave on one side, open shelves for groceries, and a coffee counter on the other.  
The fridges are close enough to the kitchen for easy access, but hidden from sight.  Not only does it not affect the look of the kitchen, but you are not tied to a specific cabinet spaces for your large appliances, future proofing for unforeseen appliance changes.

A separate coffee prep counter:
Kettles, toasters and coffee machines are a necessity in most kitchens, but they sure do clutter up your surfaces.  All of these items are on a counter in our butlers pantry, out of sight from the living area, but opposite the fridge.  Never having to tidy these appliances away is one of my favourite ways the kitchen works for us.

Extra long and wide counters:
There has to be space for at least two people to cook, and place for people to sit and keep the cooks company.  Our center counter is 3m long and 90cm wide, and if we had the space I would have made it both longer and wider.

A powerful and quiet extractor:
Especially important where the kitchen opens onto your entertaining area.  Extractors come in a multitude of shapes and finishes, but whatever you choose make sure that your fan is not to noisy when it works.  You don't want to drown out conversation.

Prep bowl - don't put it in the center counter:
You don't want to be walking to the butlers pantry every time you need water for a pot or you want to wash your vegetables.  A prep bowl is a must but don't put it in the center counter!   Ignore those spotless show kitchens where its done this way because:  they tend to splash as you rinse which is bad news for kids doing the homework or your guests sitting at the counter,  it detracts from your gorgeous and expensive counter top, you don't want to set up a buffet meal right next to the sink.   Keep your center counter clear!!

Our prep bowl in near the stove on the back counter, handy for filling pots about to go on the stove, or refilling the kettle.  It's absolutely the right place for it.

Storage, storage and more storage:
A place for everything and everything in its place.  Yes to more drawers for everything from pots and pans, to coffee cups and spices, no to open shelves unless you have gorgeous collections to put on display, and are very tidy.  This goes for all kitchens, not just open plan ones.  

I have open shelves in the butlers pantry for storage of platters, baskets, books and vases (see left in both photo's).  I do keep them tidy but can also have pocket doors that shut that area off from the kitchen, just in case we don't want them on display.

For us open plan is fantastic, the kitchen is truly the heart of our home, with space for all of us to be together but doing different things.  We love it.
Let me know if you have a hot tip to add to this list.  

This post was written for Creative Design Kitchens, but all opinions are, as usual, my own.

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living with marble in the kitchen

Would we put in marble kitchen counters if we built again?  If you are trying to make the marble vs other counter tops decision I can give you a little feedback.
We have lived with ours for just over a year, I still love it but here are my pros and cons.

We love our marble counter tops because:
They are gorgeous, they are just as beautiful as we imagined, a hard surface with a timeless patina.  Centuries of European kitchens can't all be wrong, it gets worn, but that only adds to the patina and beauty.

Does marble scratch and etch?

Marble does scratch occasionally when something is pulled along it, and yes it is etched slightly by acids like citrus juices and tomatoes.  By etching I mean you will be able to see the ring where a cup was, but only very slightly, in the right light and from the right angle.  Not so bad really.  You do not walk in and just see etch and scratch marks, and you use the right products these will fade away.  

The first Christmas we were in the house my father segmented about 5 oranges on the marble counter and left a very large square etched mark from the bowl he was using.  I took a deep breath and decided not to let it annoy me.  Instead I would think of my dad and that Christmas every time I noticed them, trying to be positive right?  The funny thing is a year later I can't find  them even when I am trying to.  They have simply been buffed away with cleaning and use.

Does marble stain?

So far so good, we are fairly diligent about cleaning up spills, especially red wine.  We had a dinner party a few weeks ago and several bottles were left on the counter overnight with red drips along the bottom, they cleaned away easily the next morning.  Who leaves large spills to sit on the counter any way. 

How to care for marble

Clean your marble with warm soap free water. The worst thing you can do is use an ordinary dish washing liquid or worse a scouring agent on the surface.  Acid and alkaline both cause damage, so make sure any product you use is PH neutral.

To protect and nourish my marble I use Du Pont Daily Stone & Tile Benchtop Cleaner, and the Granite & Marble Benchtop Cleaner + Protector.  It makes the marble shine and is safe to use on unsealed stone.  When I notice etch marks I spray on the cleaner and let it just sink in.  I am sure doing this repeatedly makes the etch and scratch marks fade over time.

This product is worth tracking down.  The Du Pont sales team were really helpful when my normal retailer stopped stocking it, they found my next nearest supplier, made sure it was in stock for me, and even sent me free bottle to keep me going until it was back in stock.  That's what I cal service!!

Why are kitchen manufacturers so anti marble?

Kitchen manufacturers never recommend marble but you have to think about their motivations.

They don't like comebacks and granite and composite stones are certainly hardy.  People are less likely to complain, and that's what they want, no complaints.  

Composites and granites are often pricier, is it any wonder they want you to buy them?  They are thinking about what is going to make the most profit, not what you really want.

Marble durability tests

Sealed and unsealed marble was really put through its paces in this post on The Petch House. 

Good before and after photos for citrus, tomatoes and red wine, when the results were in it held up well.

Should you choose marble?

Over all if you want a perfect surface then marble is probably not for you, choose a granite or stone composite that is scratch and etch proof.  If want the warm patina that only marble has, and don't mind a slightly worn look, then go ahead and indulge your marble desires, you won't regret it.

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