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Why Buy a New Home? Renovate! – Part 1: A Kitchen Replacement

The housing market is in decline across a number of suburbs in Melbourne. Houses are sitting on the market for record periods of time causing vendors to crumble and reduce their asking price due to market pressure. With house prices heading south, there is also little incentive to buyers to come out because prices may […]

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What do Australians Spend on a New Kitchen?

Many renovators find themselves a little stuck when it comes to deciding what to spend on a new kitchen. Kitchen companies find it hard to design a kitchen for you if you are unclear on the budget they are to work within and renovators find it hard to come up with a budget in the first […]

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Hide It Or Style It? Tips On Styling Your Kitchen

We all want a stylish kitchen – like the ones you see in the magazines – but every home cook needs certain items on hand. To hide or not to hide, that is the question! It’s all down to selection, and selection only comes naturally to some. The rest of us have to learn. We’ve […]

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The Most Durable Benchtop Material

From the cheapest to the priciest, all kitchen benchtop materials have their pros and cons. Our handy guide gives you all the information you need about durability, cleaning and price to make the best choice for your new kitchen. CHOICE has taken the time to study each kitchen benchtop material and provide an evaluation. We […]

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Live In Kitchen Luxe

What features add a sense of luxury in a kitchen? We can all point to a kitchen that has wow factor and a sense of luxury, but what are the individual components that contribute to the overall effect? The list below offers key areas where careful thought and the right choices can add real value […]

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European Kitchen Design

Many look to Europe to inform their direction in style in fashion, but what about kitchens? Is European kitchen design worth looking into for the average Australian consumer? There are definitely style notes to take from European kitchen design, however it is important that a few things about their kitchen industry are taken into consideration. […]

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8 Tips to Avoid a Cheap Looking Kitchen

It is possible for even the most high quality kitchen cabinets to end up looking cheap and nasty. Without proper care and attention, beginning at the design stage, it is a steep and slippery slope from kitchen magic to kitchen tragic. Some of these points relate to easy updates that can be made to your existing […]

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The Worst Thing to do in a Kitchen Showroom

You walked into the kitchen showroom and your natural instincts kicked in. You told yourself you wouldn’t do it, but you did. The worst thing to do in a kitchen showroom is to walk through without opening doors and drawers and without talking to the showroom staff. Is it really any better than looking at […]

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Australian Kitchen Design Trends 2016

Looking for 2019 Kitchen Design Trends? At Smith & Smith, we stay abreast of design trends in Europe, the UK and around the world. In performing this research, it is clear that Australia has its own specific trends. In recent years our director, John Lorych, has seen a forking of trends. A vast […]

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Kitchen Design Trends 2019 – Part 2

Last month we began looking at the kitchen trends that will take us through 2019. This month we continue that post. Trends may be started in magazines but they can only continue if they are practical, beautiful and people actually want these things in their homes. 1. Pared Back Hamptons The Hamptons/Cape Cod style has […]

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Kitchen Design Trends 2019 – Part 1

Look anywhere on the web and you can find ideas for kitchen design trends in 2019 – only here do we give you the tips you need to incorporate the style into your new kitchen. Learn how to incorporate current trends in your new kitchen and tweak them to suit your lifestyle needs. We asked […]

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Butler’s pantry functionality without the butler’s pantry price tag.

A butler’s pantry is infinitely useful if you have the space and the budget to include one but what if your home is too small for a butler’s pantry. Aspects of the convenience and storage of a butler’s pantry can be gained through other means – even within the smallest of homes! The top reasons […]

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One of These Kitchens Cost $10K More Than the Other

“But they look exactly the same!” I hear you say. Yes, they do! These kitchens may look the same but their prices are very different. The number of cabinets is the same. The cabinet doors are the same. The cabinets are all the same size. They have all been constructed to the same high standard. […]

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10 Classic Kitchen Mouldings To Amp Up The Warmth And Wow

Why do some timber kitchens look paper-thin and others look sturdy and well built? What is it that makes one painted kitchens look cheap and another luxurious? How do you set your kitchen apart? The difference is in how you approach the details. Bespoke components add the substance to timber or painted kitchens, without feeling […]

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Butler’s Pantry: Is It The New Kitchen Necessity?

Who needs a butler’s pantry? What is the use of another (very tiny) kitchen right next to a perfectly functional larger one? It seems that everyone desires a butler’s pantry these days. What is the appeal? Do they really perform a function that is impossible in the main kitchen? Clients with a variety of budgets […]

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What is the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary Kitchen Styles?

Contemporary kitchen and Modern kitchen are terms that are often used interchangeably. While this is not a problem in everyday speech, confusion can arise if you are talking to architects or interior designers. At Smith & Smith, we are aware that ‘modern’, for many, has come to mean contemporary. We use the terms interchangeably on […]

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