After contemplating whether they should sell or renovate, Nikki and Adam Yazxhi, decided to stay in the house and area they love and create their dream family home.
“With the boys being 11 and 14 we were at a crossroads on whether to sell and buy something bigger, or stay and renovate to make the house work better,” says Nikki creator and editor of lifestyle website BellaMUMMA.
“We decided to renovate and to put the money that we would have spent on moving and stamp duty into creating our ultimate dream home.”
The 1940s-weatherboard beach home in Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches was purchased when Nikki and Adam, creative director at Maxco, a brand strategy and design agency, fell in love with the area, almost 15 years ago.
Friend and interior designer, Nina Maya was engaged to direct and style the home renovation. Following two previous renovations, this final makeover involved the family moving out for three months so that the house could be gutted and rebuilt.
To achieve the simple and elegant interior, a refined palette of neutrals was chosen, using only natural materials such as European oak flooring, marble, stone and brass. Nina designed a space that maintains the home’s original charm, while maximising the indoor areas with added storage. The original wall separating the living area and the kitchen was removed, and to increase the connection to the outside, full-height glass bi-fold doors were installed on the back deck and skylights were used to boost the amount of natural light.
The kitchen is one of the first rooms the family had outgrown. With Adam’s love of cooking and the couple’s passion for entertaining, the kitchen was maximised and upgraded with new appliances for a modern and contemporary space that performed as amazingly as it looked. The kitchen and the benchtop bar are now the hub of the house.
The new kitchen appliances were selected for their aesthetic and functionality. “We loved the look of ASKO products first off, then we started doing some research and watching Adam Liaw’s YouTube videos and realised how amazing the appliances were,” says Nikki.
“The ASKO Elements range is sleek and sexy, and we are beyond impressed by how they make life so much easier in the kitchen. I think the first couple of months we were continually impressed with all the new features that we were discovering.”
“I can remember when Adam first started using our ASKO appliances, I could hear him swearing. I remember racing into the kitchen expecting something to be going wrong, but he was swearing about how good they were. We can’t believe that we’d put up with such inferior appliances before we renovated.”
As the main cook of the family, Adam grappled with the idea of having an induction cooktop and whether they needed multiple ovens, “the ASKO Duo Fusion gas and induction cooktop provided me with a gas option. To be honest, the hardest thing to get over here was just getting induction compatible cookware. Induction cooking is fast, very fast when boiling, and incredibly precise. I really only use the gas hob when searing steaks in my large cast iron skillet or when using a wok,” says Adam.
The ASKO Elements Pyrolytic Multi Functional Oven, Elements Combi Microwave Oven and Elements Warming drawer were installed for their attractive and hard-wearing qualities. The clean lines, smooth finish and minimalist design of ASKO’s Elements oven range adds to the modern kitchen design and has introduced the family to new ways of preparing and cooking meals.
“For us, it’s the perfect mix and allows for a wide array of cooking for large dinner parties, gatherings or just family dinners. Again, there is a great preciseness with both ASKO ovens and their cooking heat is amazing. I’d be hard pressed to change now.” says Adam
Nikki and Adam are beyond delighted with the results of the makeover. After three months of renovating, the family has enjoyed their first meal prepared in the new kitchen, which is the start of a lot more entertaining to come in Nikki and Adam’s dream beach side home.
Source: ASKO