Daily Rituals
Drawn to Cantilever’s refined aesthetic and commitment to quality, Millie and David embraced a collaborative design process that has crafted moments of joy in a tailored design solution.
System
EDIT
Service
Joinery + Interiors
Location
Victoria
Author
Aleesha Callan
Photographer
Martina Gemmola
When Millie and David set out to refresh the kitchen in their Queensberry Street townhouse, the goal wasn’t to chase trends. What they wanted was a space that felt considered – refined, functional, and timeless. They were after something with design credibility and lasting quality, which led them to Cantilever.
““We were looking for something handcrafted, with real materials and a bit of an architectural sensibility,” ”
For a couple working in property, the standard was always going to be high, and Cantilever’s thoughtful, cabinet-making heritage hit the mark.
Originally scoped as a joinery update, the project quickly grew in scale.
““Effectively, once you change the kitchen, everything connected to it follows – the floors, the ceiling, lighting. The whole room opens up. We approach these projects holistically. The joinery is often the spark, but the whole space is what gets transformed.””
That sense of cohesion – of everything belonging – runs right through the completed design. Millie and David entrusted Kylie and the Cantilever team to lead the creative direction. “We didn’t have a firm brief,” David says. “We knew we wanted something well-crafted and were happy to be led by Kylie’s design eye.”
The trust paid off. The final space balances strength and softness, function and warmth. Working with Cantilever’s EDIT system, Millie and David’s new kitchen, living and dining joinery features clean lines and subtle curves. The use of Chalk and Black stained veneer through the body of the joinery, highlighted the natural tones inherent in the natural stone benchtops. Combined with a stainless steel back bench with upstand, EDIT’s durability and functionality are executed with refined detail. The selection of finishes responded to the home’s natural light and existing furniture palette – resulting in the selection of a sumptuous Pilbara green dolomite, and White Santorini natural stone, both of which ground the space.
The stone pairing makes a duality and tension that works well, one Kylie appreciates.
“My role was to find what felt good to both David and Millie, to make a space that reflects their personalities and how they live.”
The process, she says, was intuitive and site-responsive, shaped by the architecture and the couple’s aspirations.
The combination of colour and play is tempered by more understated elements. A deliberate transition of paint tone from stairwell to open plan living, engages the integration of one of the guiding inspirations for the project – a Kate Ballis and Tom Blachford photograph the couple already owned. Its composition, colour and luminous layers needed to feel at home within the new design.
““We use what’s already meaningful to the client as a springboard,” Kylie explains. “That way, what we create settles into the home, and feels like it’s always been there.””
Working with Cantilever’s trusted network of trades – a collaborative model under the Cantilever & Co initiative – meant that the entire build unfolded with an uncommon ease. “The team on site was amazing,” says David. “Every trade was exceptional, from the builder to the electrician to the guy who did the caulking. They were meticulous.”
Elegant details, subtle curves, high-end materials all coalesce to make the space feel special. A particular favourite is a floating powder coat steel shelf that connects across length of property, featured either side of the Kitchen, in the Dining and Living areas. While these elements add points of interest, functionality remains front and centre. Millie and David’s kitchen is made to be lived in.
“It’s so easy to keep clean,” Millie says. “We’ve got a kid, a senior dog, and we both work from home all the time – and it still looks amazing.”
For David, the real payoff comes in the new everyday rituals. Tucked at one end of the main work zone is a bar and dining area. Distinct from the kitchen itself yet exuding the same design language, this special addition has become a place for small rituals: morning coffees, evening wind-downs, and shared meals.
“It’s a little daily moment of joy,” he says.
More than just an aesthetic upgrade, the renovation has reshaped how the space feels and works. It reflects the couple’s personalities without overpowering them, balancing bold design moves with a sense of ease. For Cantilever, it’s an example of how a considered, integrated approach can bring lasting value.
