When architect Madeleine Blanchfield was engaged to redo a kitchen she didn’t anticipate the three year overhaul of a house in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that ensued. “We literally started on the kitchen, but in the end the only thing we weren’t changing was the upstairs bedroom, so we thought we better do that,” says Blanchfield. Faced with the construction costs, the owners contemplated buying something else before committing to making the house work better for their family of three young boys and two dogs. It soon became apparent not only did the kitchen need to be refreshed, it should be relocated. The kitchen was at the front of the house, with smaller dark rooms facing the view to the south. “The kitchen needed to go in the middle so you could activate the whole space and from there it expanded,” explains Blanchfield who was madly lodging drawings with council and detailing once construction had commenced. Casual living and more formal living now flow on from either side of the new kitchen. “One of the reasons it is so open plan is to enjoy the view from everywhere,” she says.