WINNER
Design Brief and Construction:
The client approached us to design and manufacture her dream kitchen as part of a greater home renovation. This was her second kitchen project and she brought some clear design ideas to us, particularly with regard to the colour scheme. She wished to incorporate elements of timber, black and white so our designers focussed on a design concept which made use of this while also fitting the long narrow space. Care was taken to ensure the contrasting colours were well positioned and the kitchen felt balanced and united.
In the final design the island benchtop features two tone use of materials with Trendstone and American White Oak surfaces. The timber accent was part aesthetic choice to include timber in the island, part technical problem solving to extend the length of the island past the restrictions of stone slab size. A timber frame extends under the stone top linking the two materials and providing continuity across the 4.2m island. The gold vein in Trendstone Cala Rio Oro picks up the warm timber colouring and has also been used as a splashback for maximum impact.
All timber elements are made from American White Oak ripped into 50mm strips laminated together. Care was taken when laying out the strips to ensure the grain flows from the benchtop seamlessly into the waterfall end. This was achieved using a mitre joint.
All materials were deliberately selected to ensure they complimented one and other with varying finishes – the Matt Black Acrylic was chosen for its anti-fingerprint properties, soft matt appearance and almost invisible laser edging. The white sections are painted with a 30% satin two pot lacquer which has a slight sheen. All cabinets are push to open – ensuring an uncluttered finish and allowing the contrasting colours and materials to pop.
One challenge this created was the 300mm wide pull-out pantry needed to be converted to push to open. The budget was focussed on high quality materials and finishes, so our team came up with a simple but effective solution that did not require additional expense. The pantry was constructed as an extra deep single door unit with a standard push to open mechanism, the pull-out shelving unit was then inserted inside and a handle attached to it. The result is an easy two step opening, push to open the door and then pull the shelving forward.
The complex project reflects our high level of workmanship; with many timber details and varied materials requiring excellent accuracy.
Materials
Benchtops:
- Trendstone Cala Rio Oro
- American White Oak with 3mm rounded edge with clear lacquer finish
Cabinetry:
- Resene Alabaster 30% satin finish two pot lacquer
- Prime Matt Black Acrylic with laser edging
- American White Oak solid timber
Hardware:
- Hinges: Hettich Sensys TH fix Hinges
- Rubbish Bins: Hideaway Concelo Twin bins soft close with 2 x 20L bins
- Drawer Runners :Hettich AVAN TECH YOU White full extension soft close
- Pull out Pantry: Vault Sagel 6 shelf soft close 300mm wide system
- Sink: Burns and Ferral BFD 695 R15
Appliances:
- Samsung Fridge/Freezer SRF5300BD
- Westinghouse 90cm Induction Cooktop WHI945BC
- Westinghouse 90cm Built- In Oven WVEP916SC
- Smeg Integrated Dishwasher DWAFI6314-2
- Robinhood 90cm Powerpack RPG3CL90BK
- HydroTap G5 BCSHA Celsius All-In-One Arc Brushed Nickel – Zenith Water