Pavilion House

1. Marble magic (Bellevue Hill, Sydney, NSW)This kitchen leads the way in sophisticated splendour with its central feature of a stunning marble splashback and coordinating end panels on the island bench. The pendant lighting punctuates the space with shimmery colour and texture.

7. Go naturalIf your home is decorated in a neutral palette, with very little colour in sight, pair natural materials with distinct details or markings – like timber and Calacatta marble – together to achieve a mixed-pattern look that suits your decorating scheme.

7. Make it a stand-alone featureTimber gives colour, texture and warmth to a spectacular figured marble kitchen, and is a good example of how this magical material can be an asset to any style.

TO TASK LIGHT: Kitchen islandPendants look better in odd numbers so hang three in a row over an island bench (or five if it is a particularly long island). A contrasting metallic finish can add some interest, contrast and personality to neutral or mostly white kitchens.

Because of its striking effect, calacatta works amazingly well in an all white kitchen where it can shine as the main feature. It looks also beautiful associated with timber, for added warmth and softness. The timber must be as devoid of knots and features as possible in order not to compete with the bold patterns of the stone.See more wonderfully white kitchens

To achieve exactly what you want out of an interior designer and their final design solution, it is very important to present your ideas and inspiration in a clear fashion. Following are some ways you can do just this.

9. Light up your home naturallyTake advantage of natural light wherever possible. Generally, the more we can bathe in natural light, the better we feel. Avoid harsh fluorescent lighting which can often make you feel tired and irritable.

8. Stick to a light colour palette The clerestory windows illuminating the breadth of the kitchen and living zone are the saviour of this kitchen. A simplified light colour palette of white carcass and white, grey-veined marble work beautifully together. Additionally, wrapping the rear bench stone up the wall to form the splashback is a winner. The solid timber bench to the island adds a lovely warmth to the space and marries with the timber floors. It is important not to discount secondary daylight when renovating your kitchen. Borrowing light from another room, taking out a wall or adding a cut-out can make a big difference if your kitchen is room-locked with no direct sun.More: Kitchen Inspiration: 13 Wonderfully White Kitchens

5. Lift up the locationJust by simply considering high windows, you not only create privacy, but also allow plenty of light into a space. Here, high windows over the kitchen are louvred in some sections to also allow ventilation as required.

A book-ended marble splashback stunningly showcases the natural characteristics of Calacutta marble. This, set against the timber island benchtop and polished hardwood floors, makes for a refined and relaxed look. The addition of three gold pendant lights above creates a visual balance by drawing the warm golden tones of the floor and benchtop to a higher visual point while providing a luxe highlight.

1. VentilateIt’s tempting to close up the house on a hot day, flick on the air-con, kick back and enjoy a cold beer. But, really, we might as well burn dollar notes. It’s quite easy to get a cross-breeze going through the home – and it’s free. An effective way is to open a door or window at one side of the house and then open up high windows on another. Because hot air rises much of the warm air will escape through those high windows. Experiment with creating cross breezes in your home and save turning on the air-con for just the hottest parts of the day at the height of summer.

4. Butterfly-effect marbleRather than just using a singular piece of stone that runs across the wall as the splashback, you can get two cuts of the one piece of marble and mirror them from the centre, as done here. This look is not for everybody, but it is a very visually interesting statement and allows you to play with balance within the entirety of your kitchen. Look at how the marble in the splashback of this Arent & Pyke kitchen is also balanced at either end of the island.More: Kitchen Trend: It’s Time to Marvel at Marble

Adding accessories in copper colours will also add some warmth to the space and give it a timeless look.Avery Bronze Pendant Light: Castelle & Leon

Play with metalYou can follow the trends – just don’t overdo it! I’m seeing a lot of gold and copper in kitchen design at the moment and it’s spreading throughout the home. A neutral backdrop is the perfect stage on which these metallics can perform. It is important to only use metallics as accents as they can quickly overwhelm a room, making it feel more like a nightclub than a home. Look to lighting, tapware, handles, even utensils for metallic accents that won’t overpower the space and you won’t tire of.

‘Variations’‘Variations’ are simply additional costs on top of the contract (quoted) price, and they may take the form of materials and/or labour costs. Under the provisions of most building contracts, a variation occurs when work outside the scope of the original contract is introduced, or when items within the contract are adjusted, which includes our friend’s prime costs and provisional sums. Generally speaking, if the cost of a variation is a result of the client changing their mind or altering the scope of work, the client will be exposed to being charged a variation and a builder’s margin of up to 20 per cent.Like this kitchen? See more beautiful designs here.

Plan an open-plan kitchen that is clutter free An open-plan kitchen with children can easily turn into an open-plan mess. However, if you plan ahead and think of the additional things your kitchen will need to store as the pitter patter of tiny feet arrive, you could continue to maintain a clutter-free zone.

Why is it so important?Knowing that you are doing your part to create a sustainable future should be enough of a motivating factor to implement these design principles. However, a more evident payoff is the immediate savings you will see in the cost of running your home. Many homes we are living in now that were built in the last 50 – or even five – years did not take into account our climate and environment. Up front, these homes required large amounts of energy and resources to initially be built. On top of this, the energy used to run these homes is huge and often wastes energy; working against the climate and putting further unnecessary strain on our environment. Basic passive design principles can be easily incorporated into your home design for no extra cost, and can reduce – or even eliminate – the need for auxiliary heating or cooling, which accounts for about 40 per cent of energy use in the average Australian home.

Opposites attractMarble has seen a huge resurgence in popularity throughout the kitchen, with its bold veining adding drama to surfaces, splashbacks and breakfast islands. However, it’s also pretty dramatic on the wallet, and as each slab of natural marble varies in colour and pattern, so does the price – expect to pay upwards of $800 per square metre. Therefore, dedicating a sizeable chunk of work surface to another material, such as wood or laminate, will save you a fortune and still retain that classic look.

brass - butcher block and marble

High windows, louvre air breeze