The homeowner was renovating an old Lockwood beach house and wanted a kitchen reminiscent of a Hampton style, which is light, bright, and whitewashed with a sophisticated yet beachy vibe.

The old kitchen was cramped, undesigned, and lacked creativity and warmth.

As the kitchen was very much a part of their main living area, we wanted a new kitchen that would act as both the cooking space and primarily for entertaining. Being a beach house, they frequented the home for the holidays and festive periods, always accommodating large groups, family, and socializing endlessly.

My idea was to design an island the length of the room and work this in with the dining table to create a continuous springboard that led outdoors to the large deck and beach access.

The kitchen work triangle was established at the far end of the kitchen away from the dining area, with the large entertainer’s fridge, double ovens, gas cooktop, and main sink all in a line. This allowed the large entertaining island and plating/drinks area to be free for socializing and entertaining.

I also designed a hidden pocket door appliance nook for morning coffee and small appliances opposite the breakfast bar so guests can make coffees and drinks without interfering within the kitchen space.

For maximum socializing and entertaining, I added a pass-through to the large lounge and a bi-folding window to the back deck, with an external matching benchtop connecting to the barbecue area.

To achieve the desired Hampton style, I specified a hand-grade bespoke timber floor from Holland that adds an organic, undulating natural warmth to the beachy feel, with some of the planks being an amazing 500mm width by 3m length.

I whitewashed all of the existing old natural Lockwood timber from the ceilings and walls to brighten the space and chose a solid timber framed door for the cabinetry to provide a square, structured variant from the strong linear lines of the existing Lockwood and new flooring.

The cabinetry was specified in an Alpine white to create the Hampton style, with accents in Anthracite to contrast the colors. We selected the handles, tapware, and appliances in the same finish. To connect it all together, we handpicked the Neolith Calacatta Luxe benchtops, which tie all of the elements together with the white, brown, and anthracite tones, creating perfect harmony.

A 70mm frame was chosen as the best size for the structured cabinet doors, as the existing Lockwood panelling was 140mm, so we halved this, which was visually the best choice. We continued the 70mm on the kickboard and benchtop thickness. The detailed posts on the island were also designed at 70mm to maintain uniformity.

The owner was quite specific that they wanted a free-standing fridge freezer, as they believed that the beach house gets very warm, and a free-standing appliance would better allow the fridge to cool itself. The gas cooktop was designed to fit according to NZ Gas Regulations, with the correct distances from the sides and back, placed in the perfect location for maximum extraction.