From the designer:

The brief, some challenges, and their resolutions

The homeowners wanted their kitchen to have an open, modern appeal, with appliances on show to the adjacent living areas.

The space needed to be functional for a family that entertains in large numbers.

Another request was that the owners preferred to use the skills of friends for the steel and stonework in the design.

The architect and the homeowners had created a kitchen and living area with large amounts of natural light and a cinderblock wall dividing the entrance from the living.

However, a large wall dividing the scullery at the rear of the kitchen left one entranceway into the scullery which meant the kitchen design could not meet the appliance needs.

Enhancing the home and using the industrial and natural materials we constructed a cinder block wall to divide the scullery and kitchen that would also highlight the rawness of the home’s architecture.

Two access ways were put into the design to achieve visible view of the Liebherr wine fridge and the connection to the scullery.

The symmetry of the back wall anchors the kitchen and brings a formality to the rawness of the materials in the home.

The scullery was a great place to prep food, store dirty dishes, hide small appliances.

One issue was ensuring that within the layout, all appliances have appropriate zones and that there are landing spaces to ensure everything functions well.

To resolve this, we reconfigured the laundry space in the adjacent room to house the rear of the Liebherr side-by-side fridges with the fronts nestled in a small pantry area to one side – thus, keeping the rear of the kitchen flowing and accessible.

We couldn’t use the full depth of the wall due to limited space in the laundry so we sat the fridge out 150mm, allowing for a black negative detail.

One of the main challenges was the custom stainless steel rangehood. We created a bulkhead in the scullery to conceal the ducting and also used the bulkhead to bring more led light into the scullery.

The custom rangehood was designed to not only make a statement and enhance the high stud of the space but also contrast with the cinderblock wall.

The steel work strategically placed around the rangehood also offers additional task lighting to account for minimal task lighting from the high roof and ply ceilings.

Powerpoints were set into the stainless steel upstand and a steel splashback was custom made to protect the cinderblock wall.

The steel open shelves in the front of the island bring warmth to the raw materials while also echoing the plywood ceilings which makes the space more inviting.

Meeting another of the owners’ requests was the inclusion of well positioned zones for prepping, cooking, breakfast, drinks, baking, clean-up, and school lunches – all prerequisites for this busy family.

The centrally set island, seamlessly designed in a marble-like finish, is duplicated in the scullery and brings in the reflection relating back to the custom designed rangehood.

Standing at the island, the owners can enjoy outlooks to the landscape views and the private pool while at the same time connecting with people in the kitchen and living areas.