Clean lines and a simple material palette, along with classic lines and detail make this kitchen a instant classic, one that will age with a lot of grace.
Brief
These clients came to us whilst constructing their family
home, in the waterside Inner West suburb of Cabarita. Overwhelmed by the un-planned
spaces, they approached us to improve the flow and functionality of the
interiors. However, with opposing tastes, a husband wanting streamlined modern
and a wife desiring classic elegance, this project was destined to be a
challenge.
They were unanimous on one thing - the Kitchen was to be the
‘Heart of the Home’. An inviting space, connected with the dining, living &
scullery areas. Quality was important, preferring natural materials, such as
timber and marble, complimented with warm, soft lighting.
The construction in progress formed an undertone of urgency
and we were restricted by the location of new walls and windows. Additionally,
we were requested to refine another cabinetmakers highly traditional Kitchen
design, which was overloaded with cupboards – a great challenge, as storage was
paramount for this client.
Design Statement
The existing joinery design was heavy in timber panelling
details, emphasized by varying widths of cabinets and adorned with chunky
handles. The island unit was also bulky in its shape, with thick heavy
benchtops.
This seemed to close the Kitchen space in immensely.
Especially as the adjoining Living Room was expansive, with double height
ceilings, in comparison to the low ceilings of the Kitchen and Scullery. We
needed to open this area up and balance it’s volume with the connecting spaces.
We started with creating fewer but larger cabinets, using
the full ceiling height. We added deeper drawers with hidden inner drawers and
integrated most of the appliances. For continuity, the drawers and benchtop
continue through to the Dining Area, functioning as a servery. We created
openness in the Scullery by using exposed shelves, with recessed LED lighting
and placing the tall cabinets at the far end.
Then commenced the re-instating of elegant details, such as
modern timber panelling, marble benchtops with bullnose edging and classic
pendant lights. Instead of minimalist recessed handles, we used pull handles, although,
long and thin.
We used bronze glass on the overhead cabinet doors and
integrated LED lighting internally, this added sophistication and created a
sense of lightness. Overall, we detailed a layered lighting scheme, using few
downlights and recessing LEDs into joinery to function as task lighting and
under the island benchtop for ambience.
-->
The open yet connected Kitchen and Dining layout created a
welcoming feel, highlighted by orientating the Island towards the large Living areas
and carrying the warmth of natural materials throughout each space.
