Olinda Kitchen Renovation

Melbourne Kitchen Renovation: Olinda

Project: Kitchen Renovation including Pantry
Location: Olinda
Designer: Chris wing Shing
Photographer: Victoria Wilson Photography

The Brief

Some renovations are about more than updating a kitchen — they're about transforming how a space feels to live in. This Olinda project is exactly that. What had been an old farmhouse-style kitchen with a clash of styles and very little natural light became something entirely different: a bright, confident, modern kitchen full of warmth, colour, and personality. The transformation is remarkable.

The Design

One of the central challenges of this renovation was light — or rather, the lack of it. With limited natural light available, every design decision was made with brightness in mind. The solution was layered and considered: LED strip lighting supplements the room lighting throughout, while toughened Starphire glass splashbacks in Resene Grey Chateau at quarter strength provide a subtly reflective surface that bounces light around the space rather than absorbing it. The 40mm Caesarstone Ocean Foam benchtops contribute further, their pale, soft tone drawing light downward and keeping the kitchen feeling open and airy even without the benefit of natural sunlight.

The cabinetry is finished in 18mm V-groove MDF doors painted on site by the client in Taubmans Chinese Porcelain — a process that, as with the Wonga Park project, lends the finished kitchen a warmth and authenticity that a factory finish simply cannot replicate. The V-groove profile adds a subtle architectural detail that nods to the home's character without tipping into the farmhouse aesthetic being left behind.

And then there is the blue. Rich, vibrant, and entirely deliberate, the Chinese Porcelain tone lifts the kitchen from what could have been a subdued, low-light space into something joyful and welcoming. It adds warmth where there might have been coldness, colour where there might have been neutrality, and light where there might have been shadow. Tasmanian Oak veneer floating shelves complete the palette, introducing a natural timber warmth that grounds the blue cabinetry and connects the kitchen to the bush setting of its Olinda surroundings.

The Result

A transformation in every sense of the word. From a dark, stylistically conflicted farmhouse kitchen to a bright, confident, and deeply personal modern space — this Olinda renovation is proof that the right colour, applied with conviction, can change everything. A beautiful result in a beautiful setting.