Most home-makeover stories see outdated traditional design replaced in favour of contemporary style, but this transformation has a twist. Paul Coulson from Earthborne by Design has expertly redesigned a once sleek and modern home into an elegantly chic retreat for a young professional couple and their two boys.
Paul has injected a sense of contemporary charm and grandeur into the home, keeping a clean and simple approach to stripping back the property’s original modernity and replacing it with classic character.
The transformation began with the home’s entrance, which, the designer says, needed some improvement.
“Originally, the entrance was closed off, with two decorative structural supports that we liked to refer to as ‘wings’,” explains Paul of the redesign. “My clients wanted us to improve their home’s entrance and to open up the space to achieve a better sense of homecoming – starting with the removal of these existing features. That wasn’t without its challenges, though, as a large structural beam had to be installed in the entrance to accommodate the redistributed load.”
Throwing the home open to a fresh new style allowed Earthborne by Design to step effortlessly into a redesign of an entertainer’s kitchen, giving the space better flow, form and function and a Hamptons aesthetic.
“The new grand entrance dictated the overall theme of the new kitchen design,” Paul says. “This room wasn’t always such a celebration of practicality and style – originally, it was a disproportionately small kitchen with an awkward layout, including an unused meals area located right next to the formal dining space. I’ve kept the new design clean and simple through layering the dark woodgrain finish of the island bench, the white Shaker-style cabinetry and the light stone benchtops.”
Now a beacon of old-world character, the new kitchen designed by Earthborne by Design is a light-filled heart to the home, with an enviable island bench for the family to gather around at mealtimes. Complete with ample storage, a dedicated coffee station with an all-important wine fridge and what seems like miles of usable bench space for prepping meals, it’s an elegant, functional and streamlined space.
“Visually, the room is a feast,” says the designer. “Quirky black-and-white-patterned splashback tiles add a bit of personality, and the flooring is composed of rich warm-toned oak. The bold but simple pendants over the island bench complete the Hamptons-style aesthetic my clients dreamed of.”
Photography: Ash Chynoweth Photography
