Clever re-configuration was integral in the transformation of this generic apartment kitchen into a generous, ‘house-sized’ entertaining area. The lightbulb moment was to ‘waste’ space in order to create more – by pulling the kitchen joinery forward, a previously blank wall and awkwardly sized cupboards became an expanse of sleek, maximised storage, with deep drawers and built-in elements. The new kitchen system allowed us to treat the whole 5.3m wide apartment as ‘kitchen’, giving the clients – serious cooks and entertainers – a 2.5m island bench, that simultaneously works as a partition between the kitchen and dining/living areas. The cooktop was liberated from the back wall, finding a new position that allows the cook to interact with guests without turning around. Bathed in Corian, the rangehood merges seamlessly into the splashback, bench tops and sides, creating a visual and tactile flow from one area to another. From this island bench ‘cockpit’, a beautiful expanse of new oak, engineered-timber floors stretches out into the dining and living areas, continuing up and around the re-configured ‘snug’ that houses the study. The rich warmth of this private space offsets the sleek whiteness of the kitchen and living areas, and allows for privacy while retaining visual connection to the other spaces. Small spaces can be fantastic, and maximizing the functionality of every component in this home was a satisfying challenge. Photography: Nexus Designs