kitchen and family room

Belmont

Colours were selected to give a muted Scandinavian feel to the space with clean lines and fresh detailing in finishes fit for purpose.

The original kitchen in this house was fitted over 25 years ago and was badly in need of replacement having weathered day-to-day family use, lots of visitors and entertaining, and as east and north-facing space virtually full day sun. The project was to replace the entire kitchen (including dish drawers and a refrigerator well past its use-by date), and to refresh all adjoining spaces including a conservatory seating area, casual dining area and family room. At the same time the tawa tongue and groove flooring, which extends into the formal lounge, door and gallery areas of the house, was re-sanded, limewashed and resealed.

Logistically this involved being without cooking facilities for a while during the winter… and moving the fabulously efficient but very heavy Falcon range out of the way then back into place.

The look and functionality of the kitchen and adjoining spaces have been significantly improved by new joinery, the honed granite benchtops, and use of contrasting timber elements in the full height pantry, butler’s pantry and corner cupboard doors. New lighting fixtures, including strip LEDs below the upper kitchen cupboards, add visual interest to the back wall area and its associated glass tiles, clear glass shelving and featured display. The kitchen joinery is finished in Resene Stack.

A small but difficult triangular space between the kitchen and conservatory levels was reconfigured to provide a cat entry complete with sliding door, concealed by outer shelving for magazines.

Colours were selected to give a muted Scandinavian feel to the space with clean lines and fresh detailing in finishes fit for purpose.

Art work and a continuation of the grey, black and white theme in other fixtures and fittings extend this detail throughout the other spaces adjacent to the kitchen, and also correlate well with the dark blue/grey, textured Cavalier Bremworth carpet in the family room.

Similarly the matt-finished Carriaviggio pendants in the conservatory reference the owner’s Danish roots, as does the felt sculpture, purchased in Stege, Mon.

The background neutral, Resene Bison Hide, is a paint selection providing a very good density of colour irrespective of the variations in seasonal light intensities, complemented by Resene Half Blanc on the ceiling.

Architectural specifier: Marilyn Brown, NM Associates Ltd
Building contractor: Maymorn Joiners
Interior designer: Katie Peck
Painting contractor: Mark Middleton
Other key contributor: Artwork by Mia Hamilton
Other key contributor: Stephens Restoration
Other key contributor: Trethewey Stone
Photographer: Marilyn Brown
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2015