There's something rather special about walking into an Adelaide character home and discovering the details that have been there for generations. The generous ceiling heights, original fireplaces, decorative cornices, beautifully proportioned windows and timber floors are often the very things that make us fall in love with these homes.
But while we love their original architecture, the way we live today is quite different from how these homes were designed to be used.
Our kitchens work harder, we need more thoughtful storage, our laundries accommodate far more than they once did, and increasingly, we're looking for ways to integrate home offices, technology and contemporary conveniences into existing spaces.
This is where custom joinery can make a wonderful difference.
At Young & Co, we approach joinery as part of the home's overall interior design, considering how it will function, how it relates to the surrounding architecture and how it can introduce the comforts of contemporary living without compromising the character that makes the home so special.
Why is custom joinery worth considering in a character home?
Custom joinery allows cabinetry and storage to be designed specifically for the proportions, architecture and practical requirements of your home.
Many of Adelaide's Victorian, Federation and early twentieth-century homes were built with limited integrated storage, particularly when compared with contemporary homes. Rooms were often furnished with freestanding wardrobes, cabinets and other pieces that could be moved as needed.
While we still love incorporating beautiful freestanding furniture, there are spaces where purpose-designed joinery can provide a far more practical solution.
A kitchen can be planned around the way you cook and entertain, wardrobes can be configured around what you actually need to store, and a laundry can accommodate appliances, cleaning equipment and everyday household essentials without sacrificing valuable floor space.
Importantly, custom joinery also allows us to respond to the architectural characteristics of an older home, including irregular walls, uneven floors and existing decorative details that standard cabinetry may not accommodate as comfortably.
Should new joinery match the original architecture?
Not necessarily, and this is where we believe some of the most interesting design opportunities lie.
When renovating a character home, there's sometimes an assumption that everything new should replicate the period in which the house was built, but respecting original architecture doesn't necessarily mean reproducing it.
We often find that a more restrained, contemporary approach to joinery creates a beautiful relationship between old and new.
In a room with elaborate cornices, decorative ceiling roses and detailed skirting boards, for example, introducing cabinetry with simpler profiles may allow those original features to remain the focus.
In another home, we might take inspiration from the proportions of the existing doors, the profile of the surrounding timberwork or the scale of the room, introducing subtle details that create a connection between the original architecture and the new joinery.
Neither approach is inherently better. What matters is understanding the home and making deliberate decisions about how the new elements should relate to what is already there.
The result should feel appropriate to the architecture, rather than dictated by a particular style or trend.
Where can custom joinery make the greatest difference?
While kitchens are often the first space people think of, custom joinery can be equally valuable throughout the home.
In living rooms, we might design cabinetry around an existing fireplace, incorporating shelving, concealed storage or a carefully considered place for the television without overwhelming the original architectural features.
In bedrooms, purpose-designed wardrobes can make better use of available wall space while accommodating hanging storage, drawers, shoes and accessories.
A home office might benefit from integrated shelving and cabinetry, particularly where the room also needs to function as a guest bedroom or sitting room.
And in kitchens, laundries and pantries, thoughtful internal configurations can make an enormous difference to how comfortably the spaces function.
We don't believe every room necessarily needs custom cabinetry, though. Sometimes a beautiful antique cabinet or freestanding piece is a far more appropriate addition, particularly when we want to preserve the flexibility or original character of a space.
It's about understanding where custom joinery will genuinely improve the home and where another solution may be more suitable.
What should be considered when designing joinery for an older home?
Before we begin developing the finer details, we spend time understanding the existing architecture and how the proposed joinery will work within it.
The height of the ceilings, position of windows and doors, existing skirting and cornices, circulation through the room and relationship with adjoining spaces all influence the design.
We also consider the practical realities of working within an older building.
Walls may not be perfectly straight, floors may slope and corners may not be square. These irregularities need to be understood through careful site measurement, appropriate installation allowances and detailing that enables cabinetry to be fitted neatly against existing surfaces.
Then there's everything happening inside the cabinetry.
The depth and height of shelves, drawer configurations, appliance requirements, hardware, power points, integrated lighting and access to services all need to be considered alongside the external appearance.
A beautifully detailed wardrobe is of little use if it doesn't accommodate the clothing you're planning to store, just as an elegant kitchen needs to function comfortably long after the renovation is complete.
When should custom joinery be designed during a renovation?
Ideally, custom joinery should be considered during the early design stages, alongside the floor plan and overall interior design.
Its dimensions and configuration can influence how a room functions, where electrical services are positioned and how adjoining architectural elements are resolved.
Once the design has been developed, detailed joinery documentation provides the information needed for pricing, coordination, manufacture and installation.
Depending on the project, this may include dimensioned plans and elevations, internal cabinetry configurations, material and finish selections, hardware specifications and relevant lighting or electrical requirements.
We also coordinate these details with the builder, cabinetmaker and other trades, so the design can be reviewed against site conditions and construction requirements before manufacture.
For substantial renovations, this coordination is particularly important because changes to one element can affect several others.
Can you install custom joinery in a heritage-listed home?
In many cases, yes, although the requirements will depend on the property's heritage status and the nature of the proposed work.
A home that is individually heritage-listed may be subject to different considerations from a character home within a Historic Area Overlay or another planning area.
We recommend confirming the property's applicable heritage and planning requirements before finalising designs, particularly where joinery involves altering or fixing into significant original fabric, removing architectural details or changing the configuration of existing rooms.
Where necessary, the design should be reviewed with the appropriate heritage or planning professionals before work proceeds.
Our approach at Young & Co
For us, designing custom joinery is an opportunity to bring together the things we value most about interior design: understanding the architecture, considering how our clients live and developing thoughtful details that contribute to the home as a whole.
We want to preserve the beautiful characteristics that make an older home distinctive, while giving it everything it needs to accommodate the people who will live there for the next chapter of its story.
Sometimes that means beautifully detailed cabinetry that takes its cues from the original architecture. Sometimes it means a more contemporary intervention. And sometimes, it means recognising that a room doesn't need built-in cabinetry at all.
Those decisions are part of the wider design conversation, and they're why we believe joinery should be considered alongside the overall renovation rather than treated as an isolated addition.
Frequently asked questions
Is custom joinery worth the investment in a character home?
Custom joinery can be a worthwhile investment where it improves storage, functionality or the use of an awkward space. It also allows cabinetry to respond to the proportions and architectural details of an older home. However, not every room requires custom cabinetry, and freestanding furniture may be a more appropriate solution in some spaces.
Does custom joinery need to match the period of the house?
No. Contemporary joinery can sit beautifully alongside original architecture. The decision to introduce traditional or contemporary detailing should consider the home's proportions, existing features and the overall interior design direction.
When should I engage an interior designer for custom joinery?
Ideally, during the early planning stages of your renovation. This allows joinery to be considered alongside the floor plan, lighting, electrical requirements, materials and other design decisions before construction begins.
Can custom cabinetry be fitted to uneven walls and floors?
Yes. Custom cabinetry can be designed and installed to accommodate irregularities commonly found in older homes. Accurate site measurements, appropriate tolerances and carefully detailed scribes or fillers are important to achieving a well-resolved installation.
Planning a character home renovation in Adelaide?
Whether you're restoring a beautiful old villa, renovating a bungalow or reimagining the interiors of a Federation home, we'd love to hear what you're planning.
Young & Co Interiors is an Adelaide-based, full-service interior design studio specialising in character homes, acreage properties and considered whole-home renovations throughout South Australia.
Book an introductory discovery call to tell us a little about your home and what you're hoping to achieve.
Beautifully Designed. Made for Memories.