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After a sleek renovation, the photogenic Melbourne apartment of creative Yasmin Suteja effortlessly shifts between work and play, serving as a perfect backdrop for her work as a director, photographer, and content creator.
It all started with the idea for a stainless-steel kitchen, inspired by one she’d seen at a cafe in Bondi.
‘I wanted something sleek and modern, good for shoots, easy to clean, and recognisable: a unique choice for a space like mine, small but memorable,’ Yasmin says.
‘I love the contrast between the natural warmth of the wood floorboards and the industrial, cold tones of the steel. But the biggest inspiration overall was Solange’s apartment, featured in Apartamento.’
This warm and minimalistic vision was a far cry from the apartment’s original form, which featured dark vinyl flooring, grey carpets in the bedrooms, and an especially awkward U-shaped kitchen tucked into the corner.
In hopes of completing the project in just three months (to move in just before Christmas), Yasmin didn’t set a fixed budget: ‘The approach was more “get it renovated as soon as possible”.’
The first step was to completely gut the interiors. She pulled up the floors to lay down timber, repainted, replaced the toilet, and installed all new plumbing and electrics.
While the bedrooms and bathroom were reconfigured around new wardrobes and a vanity, Yasmin was careful to retain the original bath and tiles: ‘I’d heard nightmare stories about waterproofing gone wrong [in other apartment renovations].’
Transforming the kitchen was one of the most expensive, but most impactful, parts of the project.
The single galley layout maximises space, integrating all the appliances, the sink and bench seamlessly into the new joinery that stretches the full length of the wall. The only problem was this left the opposing wall with holes from where the electrics once sat.
‘This is where the mirrored wall came in. We installed a full-height mirror on the wall facing the kitchen, floor to top,’ Yasmin adds.
‘It bounces light and makes the kitchen feel double the size, while also disguising the reworked wall. I also thought about feng shui when positioning the mirror wall. I’d read that mirrors bring whatever they reflect into abundance, so you have to be careful what they’re facing. Reflecting a plain wall isn’t good, but reflecting nature is.’
In addition to enhancing the views of treetops outside her windows, the mirrored wall has become a space for Yasmin’s ‘fit check’ photos and documenting her daily outfits.
‘Friends come over just to get a selfie here — it’s very sweet. And very on brand for me. My apartment overall has become an amazing studio hybrid space and location for me to make films, and my show In-House!‘
Budget breakdown
Floor, paint and blinds: $16,720
Wardrobes: $9,500
Bathroom vanity and office desk $6,325
Kitchen: $14,300
Appliances: $12,520
Rendering and storage units: $8,008
Kitchen mirror and shower (glazier): $5,390
Demolition: $3,367
Hot water tank: $3,400
Electrical and plumbing $9,250
Renovation total: $88,780
