This Photographer-Stylist Couple Took Cues from ’80s Diners for Their Kitchen Renovation
When photographer Sean Fennessy and stylist Jess Lillico started home hunting, they never thought they would end up buying an apartment. But a soaring real estate market in Melbourne, Australia, plus their need for more space (with a baby on the way) presented a dilemma. Their solution? A well-situated apartment from 1970 in a suburb close by.
The good news: The apartment was spacious and had a thoughtful layout, providing a perfect blank canvas for Sean and Jess. The bad news: The original kitchen was like a time capsule to the 1970s. Salmon-colored walls, timber cabinet fronts, brown countertops, and what Sean calls a “faux-Tuscan” style were among the first things to go. Sean and Jess wanted to make their new kitchen feel bespoke and original but without breaking the bank—especially since this isn’t their “forever” home. And they wanted a fun use of color that wouldn’t compromise on elegance.
Their wallet-friendly answer? A few gallons of pink paint for impactful allover color. After sampling countless options, they painted the kitchen in an entirely different shade, but it didn’t turn out as they had hoped. Eventually they found a perfect dusty pink. By mixing IKEA basics and—yes—laminate counters with a few vintage details, they were able to create a showstopper of a kitchen for just over $8,000.
Read on for how they did it.
Kitchen location: Brunswick West, an inner suburb of Melbourne.
The “before”: An unfortunate 1970s country-kitchen style.
The inspiration: The couple channeled an unusually specific vibe for the kitchen: a 1980s diner. “It wasn’t necessarily intentional,” says Sean, “but I do feel that’s what we ended up with—the combination of the breakfast nook with its Venetian blinds, elements of booth seating, laminate surfaces, and pastel colors. Something about the square tiles evokes a sense of nostalgia too.”
Square footage: 107 square feet
Budget: $10,000 AUD (or about $6,892)
Main ingredients:
Counter: Laminate from Laminex in Deep Sea
Flooring: Herringbone hardwood from Storey Floors
Cabinets: IKEA cabinets and cabinet fronts, with brass handles from Superfront
Wall paint: Baroque, in a half-strength mix, from Resene.
Sink: IKEA
Appliances: Ilve
Backsplash: Vintage speckled tiles from the 1980s. The couple fell in love with a tile sample at a warehouse in the nearby town of Sunshine and dug out the last remaining ones from dusty, crumbling boxes that hadn’t been touched in decades. The resulting simple backsplash has a subtle throwback feel.
Most insane splurge: “Budget was at the forefront of our minds, so we really didn’t splurge on anything, but our drawer handles from Superfront added a bit of extra detail,” says Sean.
Sneakiest save: “Laminate countertops, which allowed us to choose a fun color,” says Sean. He and Jess went with Deep Sea, a dark, muted teal. Compared to other materials, “they’re a massive money saver,” he adds.
The best part: “Our breakfast nook with its beautiful natural light,” says Sean. The Saarinen tulip dining table from eBay was a happy accident: The couple had ordered the (more affordable) side-table version, but they were shipped the dining table by mistake and the seller let them keep it. They added restored Cesca-style chairs to complete this cozy corner.
What I’d never do again: “DIY!” Sean enthuses. The couple did much of the manual labor themselves, along with Sean’s father, a retired builder. “But it saved us a lot of money, so we can’t really complain!”
The final bill: $12,000 AUD (or about $8,282)
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
