Description of the House, its locale
& occupants
Set in exclusive tree line suburb of Northbridge overlooking
Sailors Bay this suburban Sydney home was built as part of a large development
in the late 80’s. The home was truly dated and in need of some real attention. The house was home to a family of five. Very
busy professional parents, two teenage boys, and a newborn.
The Brief
The existing kitchen was placed in a narrow transition space
between formal and informal living areas.
The clients questioned it’s location and asked the designer if they
could assess the living room layouts and determine the best use of the spaces
to create a more functional and aesthetically pleasing layout / kitchen for
their family.
CLIENT
REQUIREMENTS:
·
Create a functional open plan space,
·
Area for stools,
·
Hidden sink and dishwasher area,
·
Make sense of the floor plans,
·
Simplistic detail,
·
Natural warm palette with a use of
Marble as a feature,
·
Integrated appliances Inc. wine
fridge,
CONSTRAINTS: -
· New space considerations (re-location)
· Lots of appliances required
·
Small footprint with 3 entry points
Design
Statement - How the requirements of the client brief were achieved &
problems solved
Working through the existing spatial plans
for the kitchen, dining and living rooms it was evident the kitchen was not in
the right location for this family. The designer
chose to relocate the kitchen to an existing elevated space once occupied by a
formal sitting room. Being elevated this room captured beautiful bay views and
the entire rear yard and pool. It also
gave a clear sight to the interior spaces adjacent.
It was an obvious choice, one that would
benefit the family immensely.
The new location allowed for a simple
galley style kitchen. As the room had
three entry/exit points, this design allowed for a flowing accessible space
with easy access onto the rear patio to BBQ, as well as onto the juliette balcony
opposite for morning coffee, and also into the rooms adjacent the space.
The client had an unusual request for two
sink areas; one in particular had to be completely concealed behind doors to
hide washing up untidiness. Posing as a real challenge, the placement of one
tall element on the left end of the kitchen served this purpose, coupled with a
pocket bifold door system the operation becomes effortless and the doors
unobtrusive when not in use.
To balance this tall element, an
additional tall element was used to the right side to integrate fridges. These
two elements together created symmetry to the design.
With the two tall elements in place it
made perfect sense to centralise the cooktop and underbench oven amid the space
remaining. The benchtop depth was increased to house Blum 650mm runners to the
drawers underneath. This maximised storage, as it was limited given all the
appliances required. Sleek overhead
cabinets completed the elevation, all with push to open mechanisms making their
opening effortless.
The remaining single bowl sink was centred
on the island unit. This enabled plenty
of preparation space on either side. The island unit also houses the dishwasher
and wine fridge. The island can also
cater to stools on the outer side, perfect for when the children congregate.
Finishes for this kitchen were kept
minimal and natural. Corian® in white
was used for the benchtop due to its durability, ease of wear and light
reflective nature.
Honed Carrara marble slabs were used as a
back panel to the island and splashback to add the natural sophisticated
element. It also complemented the
schemes that ran in each of the bathrooms.
The timber veneer also added warmth to compliment the scheme and
surrounding furnishings. Black
polyurethane overhead doors, backpanel and fittings were the accent. Overall the look was just what the client
requested – simple and natural.
Lighting completed the design. Gorgeous
Ladies & Gentleman pendant lights were selected in brass to add sophistication
to the kitchen, set in playful positions they added a touch of playfulness to
the space. Recessed LED lights are added
to a new bulkhead & recessed pelmet to provide room uplighting and LEDs are
used for task lighting under the overhead cabinets.
The kitchen has tied together the family’s
living spaces. The client is ecstatic
with the results, and now is able to accommodate comfortably the many needs
that their growing family require.
