Makeover

Block’s Andy & Deb share kitchen & laundry tips from new reno

May 29, 2023

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DNA of Design, AKA 2019 Blockheads Andy and Deb, are back with a brand new home renovation and sharing what they like best about it and their biggest design tips.

Their second renovation, Unearthed, is inspired by a wabi sabi philosophy, which heavily influenced the design and décor throughout the project. The refreshed home features 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a large open-plan kitchen with butler’s pantry and a generous outdoor entertaining area.

“We are calling House 2 Unearthed as the downstairs section of the house has quite literally been built into the earth and needed to be lightened and brightened. With the main focus being how to bring in natural light, we decided to open up the space and extend it, adding large doors and windows. The colour palette features earthy muted greens paired with taupes and warm oak-coloured timbers, really appealing to anyone who loves a coastal retreat style of home,” says Deb.

The home embraces imperfections and creates a space that is authentic, functional, and calm. “We’re particularly loving the indoor-outdoor living trend that’s as strong as ever in 2023. Outdoor kitchens and BBQ areas that extend living spaces and suit our Aussie lifestyle are always on trend which was important when designing this home,” continues Deb.

Here, Andy & Deb share their approach to designing the perfect kitchen and laundry:

Be flexible. When it comes to renovating, things never go to plan, it’s just a given. Make sure you’re prepared to be flexible and make compromises. At the end of the day, you’re not going to remember some of the smaller things so always keep the bigger picture in mind.
Think about the overall flow. If your kitchen and laundry are close to each other or linked like in this house, keep your design flowing into each space. We did this by using similar colours, tones, lighting and appliances in both the kitchen and laundry.
Do your research. Particularly when it comes to appliances, doing your research is crucial. Andy is an appliance research expert from way back! He looks at features, performance, warranty and price, and I look at the style and finishes. Between the two of us we cover everything. We loved the stainless steel finishes of our Westinghouse appliances as they complement the dark coloured vein in the stone we used in this kitchen. We also love that the Westinghouse ovens we used are made in Australia because besides good design, good quality is also something we look for.
Work with the space you have. We always like to keep a comfortable distance between the main fixtures. Work with the space you have but make sure not to skimp on width between the island and back cabinets. Making it too small here would make it difficult to work with. This kitchen isn’t huge, but we have so much storage and a large island bench. We managed to get lots into the space making it functional, but it still looks great, too.

Andy & Deb’s House 2 features the following Westinghouse and BeefEater appliances:

Kitchen / Butler’s Pantry

90cm Pyrolytic Multi-Function 14 Oven with AirFry, Dark Stainless Steel – Built In Australia (WVEP917DSC)
90cm 4 Zone Induction Cooktop with BoilProtect (WHI945BC)
86cm Integrated Rangehood, Dark Stainless Steel (WRI824BB)
Freestanding Dishwasher, Dark Stainless (WSF6608KXA)
624L Side by Side Refrigerator (WSE6630SA)
211L Top Freezer Refrigerator (WTB2300WH)
44L Built-In Combi Microwave, Dark Stainless Steel (WMB4425DSC)
60cm Multi-Function 10/5 Pyrolytic Duo Oven, Dark Stainless Steel – Built In Australia (WVEP627DSC)

Laundry