b'If a design has good balance and proportion, thats theThe selection of the rich, heavy cabinetry colour was a essence of it, she says. Good designers instinctivelyfoundation decision in the overall process of bringing the design in that form, and then you can add the detailskitchen together. In order to stop the room from being andnishes. People often dont realise that it takes a lottoo dark, a number of lighter shades and materials were of time to get balance within the forms. Once youve gotadded to the design palette. that, then you can add colour, texture and surfaces. This space could take the darknish because we kept The solid, clean-lined balance of this kitchens structuretheooring and benchtops light, explains Sian. shows through in the forms of the central island and aThe benches, topped with Laminex Sheer Mesh, are light strong, furniture-like dresser unit between two windowsnot just by virtue of their colour, but also their minimalist on one side wall. On the wall opposite, a virtually blank20mmsquare-edgepro le.Theroomstwowindows canvas of dark Melteca was designed to provide displayand the overall openness of the space also help to offset spaceforTrudysart.Thebackwallhousescookingthe dark cabinetrys potential to weigh down the look of and storage, including the gas hob, double oven andthe room.refrigerator. The island is very much the centre point of the kitchen, and its generous proportions and dark baseA large glass splashback on the back wall stands out give it plenty of weight to anchor the rooms design. among the cupboards. The same basic contrast is repeated in the dresser unit, which features the same Melteca up to TrudysaysthatsheandPeterhadprettyclearideasbench height, topped with a nod to the white benchtops, about the layout of the room, especially as they hadand with tall glass doors above.recentlybeenthroughthekitchendesignprocessas partofconvertinganof ceblockintoaresidenceAlso in the interests of keeping things light, backpainted in Wellington.glass in lls with aluminium accents front much of the cabinetry above bench height. Trudy says she would have In terms of layout, we knew what had worked andliked to use this material more extensively, but the cost what hadnt, she says.wassomewhatprohibitive.Custom-madealuminium Astheprojectprogressed,Trudysays,theonlymainhandles in a simple, rod-shaped design also lighten the ideas that changed were the addition of the dresser-likelook and suit the retro feeling of the design. cabineta great suggestion from Sianand the deletionKeepingthe lightwasamorecomplicatedooring of a table surface at the end of the island.endeavour. Trudy says that they decided on white lino, We realised there wasnt really room for that. but found it a very tough choice to implement. 76 |'