This little project is all to do with light and careful touches and a Japanese approach to making things from wood.

The house is a classic piece of Peter Lambert modernism from the early 1970s. Located in the wide open spaces of the hills of West Chermside: our attempt at The Garden City (Suburb) when there was lots of land, not that many people and petrol was about 9c a litre (at your local Esso -"put a tiger in your tank").

The kitchen was beautifully made in Blackbean (Castanospermum australe) veneer and white "laminex", but tired and worn.

The house had some decay externally and fine-tuning was needed to improve the plan.

The kitchen was fully replaced in Laminex, stone, Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and Queensland Maple (Flindersia brayleyana) veneers. The connection to a north Patio from the Kitchen was opened up (servery window and sliding door).

A Queensland Maple screen was placed to better define the formal Dining space. Part of it is solid to provide a backing for a beautiful antique Queensland Red Cedar (Toona australis) side table.

The study, with its beautiful modern joinery in Queensland Maple and silk, was transformed by adding a window in the right spot.