Kitchen
Bathrooms
Spatial Design
a family reno
This project involved the renovation of a 1940’s, six-bedroom weather board home that had seen various alterations over the years in its previous life as five-star accommodation and wedding venue.
Our client brief was to design a kitchen with a “wow” factor without the price tag, for their busy and growing young family to enjoy for the next 3 – 5 years when they are considering demolishing the old property and building new.
Convincing my clients to remove a wall to a hallway increasing the size of kitchen, which involved structural work to be done, proved to be instrumental in the final kitchen design.
Without doing this we would not have been able to have a design with an island. The metal frame around the island which incorporated legs was designed to support the stone and also provide an informal dining room table area – due to the size of the island we required joins in the stone and by sitting the stone into a frame this minimised the visual impact of the join.
We used various BLUM lift systems to maximise the usable space – incorporating colour interiors to cabinetry that was being used more frequently and had the potential to be left open. Our clients often entertain in this large home and have commented on how workable and enjoyable the space is even when being used by multiple families.
CONTEMPORARY DESIGN
This beach house project was a collaboration that took the original architect’s plans and together we modified the internal spaces to achieve the clients ultimate kitchen and living space. Origially the house had a toilet area planned close to the kitchen which after consultation we had redesigned as a walk in pantry. We moved the original planned space for the kitchen area to adjoin the new pantry which created a larger lounge and living space.
The only must have items our clients requested was a 1200mm wide belling range. This proved challenging to design a kitchen around such a predominant kitchen appliance while keeping the design modern to work with the contemporary design of the home. We used natural plywood and combined with black and white laminated plywood, exposed plywood edging, routered lines in panels and doors under the breakfast bar to expose the plywood detail. We used a minimal handle and had powder coated matt black to match the range.
The change in ceiling heights and angles from a flat ceiling at 2450mm over a majority of the kitchen, to a raked ceiling also gave me scope to add a feature suspended light to one side of the island and LED strip lighting under and over the top of the overcupboards on the wall elevation.
As the island doubled as a dining area to maximise length, Corian was used to get 3280mm in length including a water fall end without visible joins. To achieve the cantilevered bench top a substantial steel frame was designed and concealed within the corian top for support.
​
lockwood by the beach
Our clients wanted a contemporary design with indoor-outdoor flow that maximised the sea views and incorporated an entertainer’s kitchen. The Lockwood home is compact and the kitchen, dining area and home office needed to work cohesively within the space.
The original scope was to leave the walls and ceiling in natural timber.Then it was decided to paint all the wood white, the cabinetry was changed to gloss black to provide contrast and reflectivity for an increased feeling of spaciousness.
French doors replaced a single fixed window in the living area to open up this space to the deck. This made room for a large kitchen island with a 980mm overhang which forms the dining area. Due to the weight of the benchtop, supports secure the cabinetry to the floor and
steel bearers are set beneath the benchtop in the seating area.
LED lighting for feature shelving and under the breakfast bar, and uplights along the tall units and toekicks create an effective backdrop for night-time entertaining.
lake tarawera
This kitchen was designed for a holiday home on the shores of Lake Tarawera. Our clients had owned the property for some time and decided to move the old house off the site and build new. Our clients originally came to us with a galley style kitchen layout with one entry point and the concrete slab had already been poured with the services positioned around this layout. We redesigned this kitchen to include a central island turning the island around to face the view, without having to relocate the services. This created a family friendly environment with great flow for this couple and their adult children.
​
My clients wanted a warm bach like feel, which is reflected in the use of plywood for the island back and end panels which in turn match the ceiling and built in furniture. We also used open shelving to create a more informal feeling to the kitchen.
The wine fridge was positioned to face out to the entertaining area (deck) which meant food and drink can be served whilst the kitchen is in use.
a classic beauty
This classic kitchen was designed for returning clients who we had previously designed and manufactured two contemporary kitchens for.
A complete change in style the kitchen opens onto the outdoor entertaining area. We had the opportunity to design the kitchen prior to building specifying windows either side of the oven.
We utilised the same skirting on the kitchen as in the rest of the home and detailed a country style cornice around the top of the cabinetry. We matched the kitchen doors using Designatek to the wall panelling within the home, with a satin finish.
We custom made the rangehood enclosure with corbels. We specified a black honed granite bench top, black Eco-granite sink, Hettich LED lights and clear glass display shelving and antique handles and knobs.
​
​