Welcome to another episode of House Everything?, Singapore’s latest reality TV show on Channel 8 about tidying up and overhauling participants’ living space. This episode features one of the most essential areas in our home – the kitchen. Everyone wants a beautiful and functional kitchen, but maintaining it often requires some effort. Can our team turn a messy kitchen from the ’80s into a modern sanctuary?
The Scenario
Unlike most kitchens, the kitchen we are tackling in this episode is used for two functions – cooking and sewing. As a seamstress, the owner of the flat had carved out a workspace for herself in the kitchen, which significantly reduced the area for cooking. Furthermore, the sewing area was piled with fabrics and other sewing materials used for dressmaking.
At the same time, the cooking area had many large usable and unusable electrical appliances such as oven, toaster and microwave. The kitchen cabinets were also cramped with empty snack containers, baking and cooking utensils and an extensive collection of recipes written by the owner at the time when she was conducting cooking classes. Overall, the space was untidy with not enough storage space.
An untidy kitchen for cooking and sewing.
The Challenge
Our interior designer, Thomas, is tasked with the challenge of creating a space that can incorporate all three purposes of cooking, sewing and laundry. At the same time, there should be sufficient room to store all the kitchen utensils as well as sewing materials. The owners have also requested for a multi-functional table that can double up as a work counter and a dining table.
The Solution
Thomas decided on the European country style as the interior design concept as it eludes a rustic, cosy and warm feel in the home. To strengthen the countryside look, intricate details such as raised borders on all cabinet doors and cross braces are included. Even the drawer and cabinet handles are carefully chosen to serve the theme. The primary palettes are lively and comfy-looking colours, specifically light grey and light wood accented with a touch of blue that matches the colours of the sewing machine and the refrigerator. Lighting is also added to brighten up the entire kitchen.
At the centre of the design is the multi-purpose island that separates the sewing and cooking areas. The island can be used as counter space for sewing work as well as a dining table for the family. The creative use of colours is also effectively employed here to demarcate the two areas visually.
A kitchen island that serves all purposes.
To store the baking and cooking utensils, food, condiments and other items, both sides of the kitchen walls are lined with plenty of upper and lower cabinets. Thomas wanted to keep the refrigerator and the washing machines in their original locations, but to maximise the space, additional cabinets and shelves are built above them. However, he repositioned the washbasin to face the window instead of the kitchen, and partitioned it off for a neater look. The choice of the backsplash – tiles with a pattern that resembles fabric patchwork – adds an interesting design element.
The fabric patchwork pattern of the backsplash tiles is one of the focal points of the design.
The sewing area is also decked with lots of storage space, including underneath the kitchen island where the owner can keep all her sewing materials. The standalone sewing machine table is also restored with similar wood colour to match the overall design concept.
A lovely workspace that inspires more lovely dresses!
The Bonus
Thomas has also prepared a little surprise for the owners – a built-in ironing board that can be folded and stowed away. Not only is it space-saving, but it is also neatly hidden in the cabinet when not used.
For more information about the European Country kitchen interior design, please contact the designer of this episode, Thomas Tan at tel. no. 6778 6866.
