Well-known Geelong interior designer Rebecca Jansma is all about sourcing the best craftsmanship to deliver the look her clients want.

Rebecca explains how she brought a recent project to life in Geelong’s Home & Lifestyle Magazine.

To source the best craftsmanship, Rebecca frequently dips into a pool of local talent, including the Independent Cabinet Makers (ICM Geelong) group of 24 artisans who make and custom-fit some beautiful pieces.

A recent project harnessed a number of local trades and suppliers, whom Rebecca knew would use their creativity and skills on the tools to produce exactly what was needed.

She says that she was initially contacted by the project’s clients by email, living as they were in Canada at the time. The couple sought assistance in revamping a newly purchased home, an Edwardian cottage in Newtown.

“We conducted an initial inspection and I passed on my recommendations for quite a major renovation, in line with their expectations. We laugh about it now… no surface in the house ended up untouched,” says Rebecca.

“Initial work was reconfiguring the main kitchen/dining/living area, but that grew to include the laundry, bathroom and master suite.”

The four-bedroom cottage had undergone some unsympathetic renovations in its time, sadly removing all period character. Rebecca set about reinstating cornices, skirts and a beautiful original fireplace, as well as replacing internal doors and hardware in keeping with its classic style.

“But we also wanted to create a liveable home for a young family, so contemporary elements were also brought into play.

“We worked on an ‘inspiration palette’  with our client and the design developed from there quite naturally,” says Rebecca.  “By changing up the floor plan, we increased the functionality, light and storage enormously, with full-height doors and under-seat storage in a new banquette dining area.”

Phase 1

As always, she started in the kitchen with the selection of appliances. Rebecca got expert advice from the e&sTrading team, the result a streamlined, clean aesthetic from an integrated Fisher & Paykel fridge/freezer and a Bosch dishwasher.

 

 

 

 

The kitchen joinery, by ICM Geelong member SCLK, was finished in bespoke wire-brushed oak.  The cabinetry, with a solid edge, was hand painted a soft-grey to retain the visual effect of the timber grain, and provide a counterpoint to the grey marble splashback and benches.

“We wanted to include punches of brass and black throughout the space, and the range hood canopy made by Ore Designs (also from ICM Geelong) is now a talking point in the kitchen. Handles and knobs are a mix of brass slimline and round.”

The brass motif reappears as a shelf in the laundry, while satin 2pac cabinetry, and penny rounds from Geelong Tiles and Bathware also make the space shine.

 

Phase 2

Next came a reconfiguration of the master suite, with a backlit wine rack installed in an unused and difficult space under the stairs also carried out.

“We changed walls and door openings,” Rebecca explains, “so what was a previously strange and inefficient use of quite a generous area is now maximised and has a super-luxe retreat quality about it.”

All the tiles and Faucet Strommen gunmetal tapware were supplied by Geelong Tiles and Bathware, with striking terrazzo flooring in the ensuite. Underfloor heating was installed to tie the spaces together. And Ore Designs stepped up again and installed a black powder-coated handrail.

 

Phase 3

To provide a soft backdrop, all walls were painted crisp-white to bounce around light, while the floorboards – original Baltic pine in the older part and Tasmanian oak in the extension – were very lightly white-washed to blend the two woods together and complement white walls.

Lighting is deliberately very decorative, with elements of brass featured throughout.

“We like to rely on ambient light. Wall lights, table lamps, and pendants on dimmers are favoured over masses of downlights,” says Rebecca.

Rebecca Jansma, Space Grace & Style, Newtown. Visit www.spacegracestyle.com.au for details and to view finished projects. And, you’ve come to the right website to find a quality cabinetmaker near you.

 

 

Click here for more Kitchen Ideas from Rebecca Jansma.

 

As appeared in Geelongs GC Home & Lifestyle Magazine.  Image Credit: Nikole Ramsay.