Kitchen Renovation - 2026

 We started this year off with our kitchen renovation. As soon as the school holidays were over the kitchen was ripped out and the renovation started!

We built this house 24 years ago and in that time we have given the kitchen a mini makeover about 15 years ago when we changed the bench top, replaced appliances as needed and refreshed the cabinet colour. The structure and internals of the cupboards never changed nor did the layout.

The footprint of the kitchen had to be kept as it worked best for the flow and space of our home but it definitely needed improvement and updating.

We knew we wanted something neutral and classic in colour and style. 

We wanted all appliances integrated and we wanted a white oven. 

We chose a Billi tap with boiling, filtered, chilled and sparkling water and the main item to bring it all together was the bench top and backsplash.

We knew that would be the main feature and interest and we spent a couple of months looking at marble, sintered stone, engineered stone, porcelain etc. In the end we chose Calacatta Royal Ultrasoft from Neolith.

We liked the colour, pattern and hardy nature over marble as we didn't want to be precious with stains etc when cooking. 

We went with a slim shaker door profile and white handles to blend in and create a seamless look.

The whole kitchen took about 4 weeks from beginning to completion which was quite good really although it was hard going at times without a kitchen! Uber eats & the bbq worked overtime for a while ;)

Although we had a temporary kitchen set up in the living room!

We are so happy with the finished result! 

Everything looks so fresh and blends in well with the rest of the house.

 We are thrilled with the extra storage, bigger pantry and fridge and seamless look of the cabinetry.

 Everything flows easily when cooking and having a few people in the kitchen at the one time.

I'm so glad we kept the kitchen shelves to style and add interest and break up the colour palette.

We also added lighting under the cabinets which looks lovely and warm at night.

Our suppliers -

Kitchen company - Kitchen Connection - Belrose

Stone supplier - Marble Hub

Appliances - Harvey Norman

Tap - Billi

Handles - Momo - Keeler Hardware

Let me know if you have any other questions! x

The latest additon to my kitchen - Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre + My recipe for an Acai Bowl

I was recently approached by Vitamix to ask if we wanted to add the Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre to our kitchen appliances. As our old blender had just broken down it was perfect timing and we jumped at the chance to try it out. We had heard great things about Vitamix and wanted to see for ourselves if the hype was true. I am happy to report that it is!

This model works really well for us as we were looking for a blender that could stand up to blending large amounts of ice and hard ingredients like nuts etc. Kind of like a blender/food processor all in one. Also the 2 litre jug is the perfect size for our family of 5.

"It also effortlessly processes a full two litres in a single blend. The cool-running motor processes the toughest whole foods while ten variable speeds give you complete control over every dish."

One of our favourite breakfasts are Acai bowls (so fruity and fresh) and the Vitamix whipped it up so easily and quickly. The mix was lovely and smooth, it is really easy to make a batch up quickly for the boys to eat before school. I've popped the recipe down below if you're interested in making one yourself.

Acai Super Berry Bowl

(makes 2 bowls)

2 x Acai Pure frozen bricks

120ml Apple Juice

3/4 cup frozen strawberries

3/4 cup frozen raspberries

3/4 cup frozen blueberries

Granola, fresh fruit and mint to place on top.

Add your ingredients into the Vitamix. Blend on high til the mixture becomes velvety smooth.

As the mixture is very thick you need to continually push the mixture down amongst the blender blades to eliminate air pockets and ensure all ingredients are blended. (which in the past with our old blender caused a lot of my wooden spoons to be ruined!) This is not the case with the Vitamix as it comes with a lid that enables the tamper (that comes with the machine) to push down the mixture but stops short of hitting the blades. Genius!

Divide the Acai mixture into 2 bowls and top with your choice of fresh fruit and granola.

We purchase our Acai bricks in bulk from here

We love them! It's the perfect "cafe style" breakfast in the comfort of your own home.

The Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre comes with a recipe book and I'm looking forward to trying out different soups, smoothies and dips.

More info on the Vitamin Total Nutrition Centre-

Large Batches

The size and shape of the 2.0-litre container is ideal for blending medium to large batches.

Variable Speed Control

Easily adjust speed to achieve a variety of textures. The dial can be rotated at any point during the blend, so you’re in complete control.

Pulverise Seeds

The power and precision of our patented designs are able to pulverise every recipe ingredient, including the tiniest seeds.

Hot Soup

The blades in the Vitamix container reach speeds fast enough to create friction heat, bringing cold ingredients to steaming hot in about six minutes.

Who has used a Vitamix before? Do you have any recipes I must try?

What's your family's favourite breakfast?

Vitamix gifted me the blender but all opinions are my own. 

I only write about products I truly believe in.