Modern luxury meets provincial charm in this Melbourne home renovation

Curves, natural stone and timber accents define the kitchen of this Ivanhoe home from the 1800s. With renovations completed in 2022, it’s a space that is not only comfortable but exudes sophistication – a result made possible with Galanti’s attention to detail and expert craftsmanship. 

With nearly four decades of experience, Marc Galanti and his team have grown to become one of Melbourne’s leading contemporary designers and cabinet makers, whether it’s crafting bespoke cabinetry for stunning residential homes across Melbourne, or delivering designs for volume projects where quality, price and performance are of utmost importance. 

“In the past 20 years, Galanti has altered to doing more bespoke joinery for both homes and even commercial; we enjoy the challenge when making bespoke joinery,” says Marc Galanti, Director of Galanti. 

Bespoke joinery was a must for this heritage home to elevate it into modern living with older features of the home adding complexity when it came to adding the details in the joinery. 

“Our aim was to incorporate the old with the new, while still working with the old,” says Galanti. “The kitchen was very involved which we love, as we are always up for the challenge in trying to find solutions to achieve the client's wants and expectations.”

The kitchen cabinetry by Galanti is beautiful with its timber veneer finish – complementing the natural stone splashback and countertops, with vertical white kit kat tiles adding a touch of modernity. This combination of finishes extends to the butler’s pantry where there are also open cabinets for easy access when preparing dishes behind the scenes.

The nearby wine cellar is a standout feature of the home with its sleek, dark cabinetry. “The wine cellar and the kitchen are two of my favourite parts of the project because they’re different and weren't straightforward,” says Galanti. 

“We love clients to tell us what they want without being limited to what they don’t have. If they have a vision for something, we will work with it and make it come to life. We don’t want them to feel limited in just imagining it and thinking it can’t happen – we believe that people tend to subsidise what they want because of the time spent waiting for materials, for example, but you shouldn’t lose focus on what you want.”

For this Ivanhoe project, blending joinery with the walls was on the client’s wish list, as well as ensuring the joinery would blend and embrace the traditional aspects of the home – all of this made possible by Galanti.

Beyond the kitchen and wine cellar, the Melbourne-based cabinetry makers transformed all of the bedroom wardrobes and vanities, the laundry cupboards, the master ensuite and walk-in-wardrobe, the guest bathroom vanity, and crafted the sideboard table in the dining room and the entertainment unit in the lounge room. 

“The clients loved the results and were happy from the beginning to the end, even through the process of coming up with solutions to different challenges. They were great to work with and they wanted our constant expertise to give them what they wanted.”

If you’re a homeowner looking for expert cabinet makers or are a design professional wanting to collaborate to bring a client’s vision to life, the process of working with Galanti starts with the quoting stage, followed by visiting the site for measurements and then moving into design with 3D conceptualisations. Materials are then ordered before the job moves into production. Following assembly, the joinery is loaded and then ready for installation. 

To learn more, get in touch with Galanti Pty Ltd and explore more recent projects on ArchiPro.