Enjoy your holiday. I can’t believe I have 3 weeks off work.
Can u post a link the the kitchen review

This was judged Kitchen Of The Year

And this is shows the washing machine , as well as the rest of the scullery / butlers pantry . Clever , but not my taste .

This one I think is way cleverer , as it fits in quite an unusual shape ( well , I assume that the kitchen was designed to fit the area , not versa vice haha ) . Still not my favourite though .

The Butlers part is a bit plain IMO , but I like what and how they've done it .

Agree. If the white one was judged for mass appeal and timeless I can see how averaging out scores might get it a reasaonably high score and I must say my new kitchen , if I can get hubby to sort out flooring, will prob look exactly like that as hubby is conservative and I can’t get him to a blue island.

This came 3rd , personally I like it the most

I even reckon that although its relatively simple in design , the 'larder' window and then the shelves in the same style ( and you'll see it all ties back to the stairway in the first pic ) means it would get 3 or 4 times the score from me . The timber in this is N Z Native Kauri , and recycled , which I would have thought the PCbrigade would have added extra bonus points too . Possibly it lost points because it isn't all white -- an absolute bonus IMO , but maybe the judges see differently ?

Not that I dislike the white kitchen, I really like the raked ceiling for instance. I would like to know what the judging criteria were, however, as there must have been difficulties to overcome or innovations that are not apparent from the images. The laundry / pantry combo aside, and I have seen that before, it’s a lovely kitchen but the cutting edge / design contribution just aren’t readily apparent. While not as, shall we say adventurous 😜, as to embrace bright colours in my interior design palette, I do prefer some colour and a lot of texture, so I also would have chosen number three.

As to the laundry in the pantry (or is it a scullery because of the laundry inclusion 🤷🏻‍♀️), I’ve a tiny laundry (3550 x 1750) but it allows me to store all my dirty clothes, cleaning products, mop/bucket etc away from the food. Not an issue for many, but important to me, so I’ll live with my lack of a proper butler’s pantry and make do with my smaller, simpler food storage version in exchange

Hope everyone has the opportunity to take a break, to enjoy the, finally, lovely weather and has the great 2023 where all your wishes are fulfilled

I just re-read the article , and the judges 'raved' about the fit and finish , and how it all fitted the brief , and how it was strong but not industrial ( so I'm guessing that 'industrial' loses points these days ? ) but I can't really see that its a 'winner' . One thing I didn't pick up in the photos the first time , is that there is a black door , with those 2 white louvred doors that slide together over the other door . It seems that that scored points , as you can 'close it out of your mind' , but I reckon it would be a pain in the rear .

There is one other picture , again does nothing much for me , but I guess it does show the fit and finish --

Again , that fluted glass is nice , so I guess its just everything well done , and I assume they got points for having the washing machine ? On that note , imagine having a few drinks and loading the dishes in the dishwasher , turning it on , then realising you've actually loaded them into the washing machine . . . . . . . . . . . . bang , bang , crash !

And heres the one that came 4th -- this may help you @Kate to sway your man towards a blue island ?

And for anyone that doesn't click -- the pantry is behind the sliding barn door !

Have a great New Years everyone !

With the white one how do u access the pantry? Is the door to right of stove pantry access or fridge?
Do u need to go into pantry/laundry to microwave something, splitting the cooking zone?

In that white kitchen , there are 2 white louvred doors that close over a black door . The butlers is through there . I'm guessing that scored extra brownie points -- one white painted door , or even the 2 louvres done with hinges that swing either way and self-centre ( like the 1800's saloons ! ) would have all made more sense to me , but it is what it is .

It is judged by the kitchen manufacturers association , so maybe it gets extra points because you can bill the client for effectively 2 sets of doors ?

I'm not 100% sure about the microwave oven , but I assumed you'd have one under the island , and one in the butlers ? 2 microwaves would be probably the cheapest part of a build or reno , and it is handy to have a second one -- makes sense to me .

I thought the black door and louvres was the front door and didn’t work in space at all - not part of Reno brief

I did a bit more research , googled the designer , and heres a couple more pics . The door that I assumed was the fridge is actually the entry to the pantry , so you might be right about the other black one Kate , but then I wonder where's the fridge ? And again , it doesn't look like a microwave in the island . So basically the 'kitchen' is 90% for show .

In 10 years time , we'll just need a flap with a touchscreen above it , you'll program in ( or connect via WiFi ) what you want , rare , medium or welldone , with veges or tofu , and it'll plop out onto your edible plate haha .

This is a classic choice of Form over Function

My guess is the fridge is integrated on left of stove area. This pic shows it a bit better, noting the split doors for bottom freezer?

Prefacing this with a ‘my opinion for me’ caveat as it sounds unkind and more than a bit judgmental ….

This kitchen may suit those who live there, and if so, that’s wonderful. But if you’re right, Kate, and given its not a small house, I imagine it’s either a family residence or an entertainer’s home. I therefore couldn’t imagine anywhere less suitable for a refrigerator than in that corner. A one-way walkway right where I’m prepping, cooking or dishing up, no thanks. Or alternatively having do all the food related work in the butler’s pantry and having a show kitchen, no..no..and NO!

I suppose 'we' shouldn't be too harsh , especially as we don't know all the background or details . Still , its fun to be critical and/or express what 'we' would do differently .

As some of you know , I'm heavily involved in building top race cars and road and show cars . We might have a customer come in , and have a car we don't personally like , and they might want modifications we don't 100% agree with , and painted in 3 colours with a weird stripe . But they might have a well paying job or just sold a business or got an inheritance , and they explain the car means a lot to them .

So we'll not only do the work , we'll spend hours getting every panel mirror straight , every door 'gapped' perfectly , we'll send the door handles to get stripped and powdercoated in pink if thats what the customer wants . And we might do something really trick and clever , and adapt Ferrari suspension components underneath , and spend 30 or 40 hours polishing them to a mirror finish . The car will drive better than any car of the same model ever has , it will be leading edge . Most people won't appreciate the work that has been done , and in fact some things will only ever be seen by us and show judges .

But it might be painted in pink , purple and orange , with lime green stripes , and most people will go 'ewww , yuck' , and yet it might win awards for the overall concept and innovation and quality , and most people will wonder whats wrong with the judges , the owner , and/or us . Luckily , we have done award winning vehicles in candy apple red , or a stunning green/brown that looks black in most lights etc , so at least some people will look deeper .

As this award is by the Kitchen Manufacturers Association , I wonder if its similar -- they are looking at these kitchens from a manufacturers perspective , rather than a user or even showhome visitors point of view ? Anyway , its given us something to talk about , and possibly some ideas too . . . . . .

Harking back to your flap in the wall idea Pottsy it's already here. We can order frozen meals to be delivered so that all you have to do is take one or two from the freezer and place into the MW and it's all done, just a simple wipe inside the MW, nothing to clean or wash up.. Great idea Pottsy and agree with what the client wants the client gets as long as they sign off and put it in writing so there's no come back.

I think they're all fairly ordinary but not surprising as a manufacturers type of poll. I'd prefer a quality magazine poll. Or indeed sometimes best of Houzz is awesome

This home is rather cool. Photos are a bit too arty to get all the details from

Check out this project on Houzz - http://houzz.com/projects/5811837

As is this kitchen

Check out this photo from Houzz - https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/old-flame-in-fitzroy-contemporary-kitchen-melbourne-phvw-vp~156968838

A very interesting discussion and isn't it fabulous that we are all so different.

In terms of judging a particular aspect of design, we have to look at all that is included in terms of who is judging, who has entered, what is the scope of the judging criteria, who sponsers the competition, etc,etc.

Personally I think it is fabulous that we have the oportunity to design again and again and not two designs are the same. That differentiates us from 'project homes'.

In terms of butlers pantry versus scullery, I think it is in part a 'fashion' if I dare to suggest it. People have moved out of the kitchen room so they can be included in family life or socialise with visitors but don't want all the mess to be on display. However a butlers pantry is a bit presumptious as I don't know many people that have a butler but do like to keep the mess and cleaning functions out of sight, which is more in keeping with the definition of a scullery.

I have designed a laundry in a scullery, a laundry right next to a kitchen/scullery and completely separated from the kitchen functions. I think it depends entirely on the brief from the client and what suits their needs. The way we live and the budget we have to spend in part determines the arrangement of functions and activities in the home and what access there is to outside spaces for hanging washing out etc. In some cases these days with homes being designed for multi generational families, it might be ideal to have more locations for plumbing fittings!!!

40 years ago I knew a mature professional couple living in L.A. that didn't even have a kitchen. Their coffee machine woke them up in the morning with an alarm and they ate lunch at work and met each other for dinner on the way home. Weekends were an adventure of places to visit and eat. Not exactly the NZ lifestyle but it suited them perfectly.

White versus colour. PERSONAL CHOICE. Karl Largerfeld was seldom seen in anything but black and white, yet he designed some of amazing colourful creations! Then there is Gianni Versace!!! How could you judge or compare the two? and what would be the criteria? Almost impossible.

There is also so much more to consider when designing a kitchen than just colour - not that I'm suggesting that is what you are saying. As long as it works for the client and they love it, that makes me happy.

C.