CONTACT MARGOT NOW TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT AND SEE HOW WE CAN HELP YOU COMMENCE YOUR RENOVATION. Email: margot@kitchenandhomeconcepts.com.au OR Mobile: 0419 348 546 |
|
Introducing Margot Kirke“Doesn't matter where the furniture goes,” said Dad to Mum as he went out the door, “we won't be here forever.”
36 years later a decision was finally made…. My family's ‘entertainment' was scouring the 'burbs for another home. As a child I learnt about orientation, the impact of the sun’s position; I learnt about outlook, distance to local amenities, floor plans, size of rooms, privacy, views and noise from and through the home and the impact of a well thought out garden plan. I also learnt how convenient it is if all the plumbing is together and how wrong it is to see the toilet from the front door! All manner of considerations for creating the perfect family home in Victoria permeated my mind and were filed away. Whilst the “how and why” of building did not occur to me at age three, the joy of it did. I regularly used the pillows in my cot to make houses instead of having an afternoon nap. Cuisenaire Rods or any blocks, pencil and paper of course, autumn leaves lined up in the garden became walls: always and only houses! I also learnt how delightful it was to have a flower and edible garden outside the bedroom window and to listen to the bees, birds and lazy airplanes tracking across the sky. Noticing those things seemed far more important than sleeping. Looking for our home when married, my husband and I reluctantly visited a place where machetes were needed to get to the front door through the ‘garden’. The house itself, an old holiday shack, had been extended several times - but badly. But there were two selling points: we could just about afford it, and the living side of the house was angled perfectly to face the north sun. It has proved eventually to be a beautifully comfortable and inexpensive home to heat. Two kiddies later and it was obvious the existing floor plan was sorely lacking. It only had two bedrooms, one bathroom in the center of the house, no access to the back jungle garden and no storage. We looked in the same area we love but couldn’t find a site with comparable orientation, so we decided to renovate. It took years, in multiple stages, but in the end, we have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a powder room, lovely kitchen and two living areas, plenty of storage and a wonderful accessible garden. We raised our family in this home and hosted all our kids’ friends too. We’ve had house guests for extended times, thrown big parties and managed wheelchairs. We’ve had the full gamut of life experiences in this house and know that it now performs brilliantly. It is the home in which we want to stay forever and which our daughter wants to move back into with her family. I say she can only do that when she finds us a brilliant nursing home with the same orientation and comfort OR carries us out in boxes! When our kiddies were little, I studied architectural drafting and then worked for builders, cabinet makers, and stone masons. I identified a gaping hole in the market – all the ideal attributes of a great home that I learnt as a child are seldom apparent in the expensive cookie cutter plans. Houses are being plonked onto sites with no thought for the orientation: sadly only for the fashionable facade. Large monstrosities are built without thinking about sun, features of the site, outlook, privacy, etc. And this is a dreadful waste of time, effort, money, materials and power. The worst thing is they will be uncomfortable and expensive to heat and cool for many years. I always pay utmost attention to the orientation for the best passive solar use on the specific site. I aim for clear, straightforward home designs that consider the nuances of the family who will live there. We study your family’s daily goings on and social enjoyment, cooking style, the foot traffic flow, flexibility for now and future and of course functionality and practicality. I created this business to offer my passion, knowledge and experience. To help you make the very best of the opportunity that a new build or renovation offers. To assist you to create a home – and sensational asset - that is comfortable, inexpensive to maintain, and a beautiful place to rest and enjoy your life whilst “future proofing” the value for countless years of wonderful memories. It’s what I’ve loved and learnt about for a lifetime and I am always excited to help people create and enjoy their dream homes. A little more about me so you know who you’re inviting into your home!
See our Terms and Conditions. |
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
"Margot went above and beyond when redesigning our kitchen and living areas. She provided a number of different layouts, each with their own considerations. She thought of things we never considered! She was extremely professional but approachable in all of her dealings with us. We can't thank you enough for the inspiration Margot!"
Jo J
Title / ny
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
I recommend the skills and ability of Margot Kirke for kitchen/bathroom and home sketch designs. We have used Margot's services to draw up plans for us on two occasions. Several years ago Margot designed a kitchen renovation for us and this year we used her services for a bathroom renovation. There were significant benefits in having plans drawn up for both these renovations.
Pam P
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
"Thank you for your initial help with our kitchen. The suggestions you
made, especially the pull out pantry, has made our kitchen more efficient and we seem
to have so much more room. Having our own plans gave us an advantage when
asking for quotes, we are so pleased with the final product."
made, especially the pull out pantry, has made our kitchen more efficient and we seem
to have so much more room. Having our own plans gave us an advantage when
asking for quotes, we are so pleased with the final product."
Karen K
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
It was great to have Margot help plan our new kitchen. She was easy to work with and very enthusiastic for our new room.
Margot has great ideas and listened to my needs. As the hub of activities the kitchen is our favourite room and now a pleasure to work in. Margot ensured there was plenty of storage and bench space where I need it.
I love my kitchen I love showing it off to friends and family with pride.
Margot has great ideas and listened to my needs. As the hub of activities the kitchen is our favourite room and now a pleasure to work in. Margot ensured there was plenty of storage and bench space where I need it.
I love my kitchen I love showing it off to friends and family with pride.
Joy
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Margot is a creative and lateral-thinking kitchen/laundry designer. She assisted us in conceptualising and drafting our kitchen renovation and extension. Margot was such a help in coming up with a range of creative ideas – taking us to a new level in our design. I really appreciated her woman’s eye of attention to the detail and function of design.
Additionally we really valued her enthusiasm for the project and her capacity to hang in until we were happy. She is so reasonably priced, prompt, always pleasant and friendly and fun to design with.
Additionally we really valued her enthusiasm for the project and her capacity to hang in until we were happy. She is so reasonably priced, prompt, always pleasant and friendly and fun to design with.
Anne C and Julian B
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Margot is a friendly and accommodating person, and did a great job understanding our needs to come up with creative ideas and designs. We wanted to change the layout of our three bedroom house (from 1963) to better suit our family's needs, and the design Margot developed was great. Thanks again for your great work.
Simon, Gemma and Chloe
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Margot was fantastic to work with—she was so enthusiastic for our house when we were despairing of ever being able to enjoy our teenagers here. The house had been ideal when our three were little but we had grown out of it.
With the changes Margot suggested, we now we can not only enjoy the real indoor-outdoor in our kitchen, family room and study, with the sun flooding into the areas we are living in most of the time, our heating bills have plummeted - passive solar at its best.
The construction is so well matched that once I have the deck, lawn and garden established it will be hard hot the think these rooms were always here! We have sanity back in our home—thank you Margot.
With the changes Margot suggested, we now we can not only enjoy the real indoor-outdoor in our kitchen, family room and study, with the sun flooding into the areas we are living in most of the time, our heating bills have plummeted - passive solar at its best.
The construction is so well matched that once I have the deck, lawn and garden established it will be hard hot the think these rooms were always here! We have sanity back in our home—thank you Margot.
Laurel and John
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
The old layout and decor of our 1980's kitchen was not practical or functional. There was lots of wasted space, dead corners and we had no idea where to commence with redesigning. I love to cook but this kitchen did not encourage me.
Margot had great suggestions, in a timely manor, the value for money great and quality of the plans outstanding. Having the plans we were able to compare quotes from cabinet makers, purchase appliances etc. with confidence.
I commend Kitchen and Home Sketch Designs to anyone looking to do a renovation or new kitchen.
Margot had great suggestions, in a timely manor, the value for money great and quality of the plans outstanding. Having the plans we were able to compare quotes from cabinet makers, purchase appliances etc. with confidence.
I commend Kitchen and Home Sketch Designs to anyone looking to do a renovation or new kitchen.
Mel and Martin
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
“Margot Kirke consulted with my husband and myself when we extended our solar powered, sustainable house in Gippsland, Victoria.
Her fresh approach enabled us to fully utilise the spatial limitations, and enhance the appearance and ambiance of our design to give us more usable space.
Her insightful concept drawings were used by the builder to fully utilise the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and WIR space in the house. Margot listened and clarified our ideas to contribute to a fantastic design.
Margot fully conceptualised our design thoughts and requirements. We wholeheartedly recommend Margot for any building design needs."
Her fresh approach enabled us to fully utilise the spatial limitations, and enhance the appearance and ambiance of our design to give us more usable space.
Her insightful concept drawings were used by the builder to fully utilise the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and WIR space in the house. Margot listened and clarified our ideas to contribute to a fantastic design.
Margot fully conceptualised our design thoughts and requirements. We wholeheartedly recommend Margot for any building design needs."
Kaye and Ian
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
"Kitchen and Home Sketch Designs Solar Principles has designed a four bedroom home in the West Country for us. The Principal, Margot, met with us and her knowledge and patience are apparent immediately. We felt she listened to our wishes and acknowledged the features that were important to us. Her suggestions for the orientation of the windows to gain maximum natural light was invaluable. Passive solar and timber flooring were a feature that we really wanted to include and Margot was able to guide us in this area with information and suggestions. We highly recommend this passionate professional who provides the ideal holistic approach."
Dee W
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
A huge thank you to Margot from Kitchen and Home Concepts for her service and support in creating a beautiful yet functional plan for our home renovation/addition. Margot got to know our family, our lifestyle, and our values, and then took our design brief and came up with more ideas than we could have ever imagined. She brought lots of experience and advice to the process, particularly when it came to functionality, the best use of space, and natural light. Margot gave consideration in her design for the beautiful views of our property, and the position of high traffic areas in relation to bedrooms. Margot is genuine, professional, helpful, knowledgable, and had amazing communication. The whole process was fun and easy, and we are incredibly happy with the result.
Simone P
/
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10