This was a renovation of a compact townhouse in Merivale, Christchurch.

My scope included full interiors – new kitchen, bathrooms (x2), powder room, all colours, fire place design and all custom joinery.

The owner brief was for an interior that felt calm and considered – bright and light rather than dark and moody. 

Texture and colour

A mix of texture and colour was required but the colours needed to be muted and not too strong. 

The homeowner wanted a predominantly pared back scheme but didn’t want it to feel too flat or boring so I knew that layering texture was going to be really important.

She also wanted there to be a strong use of timber but was mindful that we were having timber floors so we couldn’t over do it. 

Centre of attention

Due to the layout of the home, the kitchen is very much the heart of the interior – so it needed to be beautiful as it would be very much on display.

We chose a beautiful natural quartzite for the island, and mitred this to a thick 70mm so that it truly became a feature of the design. 

The timber was custom stained to keep it looking very natural, removing any of the traditional yellow from the American Oak tones – this style door was achieved with a combination of veneer and solid timber.

A combination of timber and lacquered Wan White cabinetry was chosen to help keep the overall aesthetic feeling bright and light and not too pared back.

We chose a custom 35mm shaker style profile for the doors and drawer fronts to add texture to what some would consider a fairly neutral colour palette.

Handmade-look tiles, again in muted tones, were chosen to complement the feature island as well as add another layer of texture and interest.

Arch solution

The arch was a feature that I was keen to include from very early on in the design process – a perfect way to make what could feel like quite a boring entry into the scullery feel just that little bit special. 

Replicating the tiles on the wall in the scullery was a lovely way to add cohesion between the two spaces.

The track lighting in combination with the dual spots (centred on the symmetrical cabinetry on each end) was a nice way to add a bit of detail without it all becoming too much of a focal point. 

The cabinetry detail along with the natural stone bench was very much the leading feature in this kitchen.

From a functional perspective, the homeowners are empty nesters – with children predominantly living away from home. 

So, being just the two of them for 90% of the time they were keen to keep the kitchen looking clean and tidy and the scullery functioning as the ‘working’ part of the kitchen. 

For this reason, we chose to pop the ovens into the scullery with plenty of bench space for prep and storage. 

Out of sight, out of mind

Plus, having a sink along with a multi hot water tap in the scullery meant that meals could be prepped or baking undertaken there without having to create much mess in the main kitchen. 

Dirty dishes could be stacked in this area too during dinner parties, again keeping things very clean and tidy. 

The fridge and dishwasher, housed in the main part of the kitchen, were integrated for a clean aesthetic, almost as though you wouldn’t know they were there.

Even the scullery was kept ‘beautiful’ with veneer open shelving and functional storage solutions like the Blum Space Tower pantry behind doors. 

The LED strip below the overhead shelving is on a sensor so that if you enter the area at night you have enough light to do basic tasks without having to switch on all of the main lights.

And with the owners being avid wine drinkers we worked a wine fridge into the scullery, too, with wine glasses etc on display above.