Room Of The Week
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Room of the Week: A Kitchen of Natural Materials & Bush Hues
Limestone, European oak and iron combine in a spectacular celebration of natural materials in Australian bush colours
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Brief
- The kitchen needed to be made as much as possible from natural materials that could be easily recycled in years to come. Most importantly, it needed a connection with the natural bush landscape.
- Some of the cabinetry-specification requirements were to use solid timber where possible, so we selected a solid timber frame in stained European oak for the door and drawer panels, with a matching veneered centre panel. We grain-matched all tall panels and fascias where possible.
- An important point with the pantry was that the client wanted a wine rack to be visible from the living space. She chose a black iron shelving structure that enhances the pantry’s entrance.
Starting point
The kitchen had to have a view of the informal living space. Given that it’s a holiday house, there would be guests here regularly, and the owner wanted to be sure that complete social interaction could continue while preparing meals.
We got a lot of inspiration from Danish and Swedish designs to find a door style we felt would work.
Find a kitchen designer near you on Houzz, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
The kitchen had to have a view of the informal living space. Given that it’s a holiday house, there would be guests here regularly, and the owner wanted to be sure that complete social interaction could continue while preparing meals.
We got a lot of inspiration from Danish and Swedish designs to find a door style we felt would work.
Find a kitchen designer near you on Houzz, browse images of their work and read reviews from previous clients
Key design aspects
Materials palette:
Materials palette:
- Natural timbers, marble, and iron for all cabinetry facings and benchtops.
- Benchtop finish in Pietra Natuca limestone from Signorino Tile Gallery.
- The tiles used on the rear wall of the kitchen were supplied by the owner.
- Iron is used for the upright posts/frame on both the wine rack in the pantry and the open shelving unit suspended at the end of the kitchen island bench. They are custom frames produced by a specialist metalworker.
- European-oak veneer and solid European oak for the drawers and cupboards.
The butler’s pantry.
Key pieces of furniture/fittings:
Thinking behind the arrangement of furniture/fixtures:
Key pieces of furniture/fittings:
- Integrated Sub-Zero fridge in the kitchen.
- Integrated Liebherr fridge in the butler’s pantry.
- Qasair range hood.
- Blum Servo-Drive hardware.
Thinking behind the arrangement of furniture/fixtures:
- The older children cook as well as their parents, so the kitchen had to allow for two, three or four people in there at one time.
- The butler’s pantry also has a sink, dishwasher and fridge so it becomes a second work space.
Challenges you worked around
Why do you think this room works?
It works, because everything that could be thought of in advance was considered for its functionality, appearance, practicality and versatility.
What we have ended up with is a beautiful, very elegant and functional kitchen and butler’s pantry that blend superbly into this very rustic Scandinavian-style house and its environment.
Your turn
Which ideas would you steal from this space? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Catch up on more great transformations here with this refreshing Room of the Week: Casual, Coastal Chic for a Bathroom on a Budget
- There were many challenges due to the unique design of the solid timber doors; they required a lot of care in ensuring their thickness didn’t interfere with their opening and closing.
- Creating the integrated doors for the SubZero and Liebherr fridges was difficult given the depth of the solid timber handles, relative to the way these fridges are hinged. We had to be a bit creative to achieve this and still be in sync with the design intent.
- Additionally, we worked with our stonemason to create the internal radius for the back of the island bench and the support column at the end of the island.
Why do you think this room works?
It works, because everything that could be thought of in advance was considered for its functionality, appearance, practicality and versatility.
What we have ended up with is a beautiful, very elegant and functional kitchen and butler’s pantry that blend superbly into this very rustic Scandinavian-style house and its environment.
Your turn
Which ideas would you steal from this space? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Catch up on more great transformations here with this refreshing Room of the Week: Casual, Coastal Chic for a Bathroom on a Budget
Answers by Rex G Hirst, managing director, Let’s Talk Kitchens & Interiors.
Who lives here: This is a holiday house for a family with four children
Location: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Room purpose: The house was a new build; this area has a kitchen with a butler’s pantry behind it
Approximate budget: The kitchen, pantry cabinetry and stone were between AU$80,000 and $100,000 (appliances and trades’ costs were additional)