Achieving a masterful villa renovation is kind of a magical formula involving a clever design, meticulous planning and a great construction team. But ultimately it depends on how well all those elements are coordinated. That’s the skill of designer Joanne Godding of Bespoke Kitchens.
When the owners of a traditional villa in Freemans Bay came to update their home with a modern pavilion addition, Joanne was part of the team tasked with realising their vision. As well as creating more contemporary interiors, they were keen to respect the heritage of the villa by highlighting and complementing lovely architectural character detail like the deep skirting boards, scotias and wall panelling.
Her client had a clear vision of what she wanted to achieve and Joanne worked closely alongside her to bring it all together by designing and specifying a new kitchen, four bathrooms, a laundry, and all interiors. It was an extensive project.
Although the finished design looks dramatic but simple with beautiful clean lines, that simplicity belies many complex construction details. It helped that Joanne had an amazing builder/project manager in Ryan Strawbridge of Our Projects, and cabinetmaker, Bjoern May of BMC Cabinetry. Both shared the experience and skills to interpret exactly what she was after.
“The end result is due to the great relationship we had. It was a seamless installation process and the synergy we had brought the best result for the client. A lot of thought and discussion went into the finer details.”
She explains that when you’re working on an old house, it’s never easy. Having a clear plan is one thing. But because you never know what you will find, a lot of decisions need to be made in situ.
“Ryan does that really well. He has an eye for detail. He’s very precise and can look ahead to what the finished result should look like. I really appreciated that working with him. He also comes with a great team of sub-contractors.”
Likewise, Bjoern is very exacting, which was important as all the cabinetry is bespoke, customised especially for this project.
“I designed the cabinetry but he has strong ideas and always has a solution on how to make it even better.”
As the design coordinator, for the interiors, Joanne’s main concern was making sure the proportions and scale were correct for the space.
The kitchen was the initial key focus.
“Because the pavilion space is large and voluminous, the kitchen is of a similar scale. It’s quite bold with layers of texture. We selected the benchtop first, a quartzite in white, marbled with black. The same material clads the wall behind the hob. Those choices dictated a lot of other decisions.”
The dark timber flooring is also really textured, which makes the kitchen feel more grounded in the large space.
Bathrooms have a similar aesthetic with the same rich, deep colours and soft matte natural textures enhanced by details like the brass fittings that add warmth. Lovely lighting from ECC delivers the finishing brilliance to provide a moody ambiance.
“We were fortunate in that our clients knew what they wanted and they were open to being challenged. And there were many challenges, particularly around transporting the traditional into the modern and merging the two, getting the intricate details just right.
“For example, in the living area, we wanted to add detail for texture in the high ceiling but there were issues like the position of skylights and beams. It took a lot of calculating to make it look seamless.”
Over the two years it took to complete, the design evolved. It was quite a process. However, at the end of the day, the clients are thrilled. It exceeded all their expectations and they love living in it – which just goes to show, when all team players are aligned in what they’re aiming for, there’s a kind of alchemy that makes a home more than just the sum of its parts.
