The owners had a very clear vision of the way they wanted the new kitchen to look. They love entertaining,
especially outside. They wanted a space that was simple with a timeless classic look that would allow the
features of the building itself and the beautiful natural surrounding environment to be the main focus.

“Our thought for the kitchen is something very simple and symmetrical, making the most of the available
space. We want the kitchen to have very clean lines and while we want it to be beautiful in itself, we do not
want a kitchen that will be a feature of the house. We want the kitchen to be central to the entertaining areas
(formal and informal) and also to lead people to the outside living area and to draw peoples eyes to the back
deck"

The U shape of the kitchen allows the owners to prepare food and drinks in the kitchen without being detached from the conversation of their guests either on the verandah or in the formal dining area.

The design had to have a sense of symmetry with a clean white fresh palette and make maximum use of the space for storage and food preparation. The benchtops are 700 and 900mm deep providing lots of room for preparing food with uninterrupted and effortless flow between work stations lit by two three shade pendant lights hung centrally above the peninsula benches. The pendants flood the kitchen with a natural light while also creating a visual feature in the room.

The oven and cooktop are centered on the back wall. A concealed rangehood helps to maintain the streamlined look of the equal width handless overhead cabinet doors. The overhead cabinets are set down from the ceiling to allow the strapped ceiling and cornices to be a feature. The curved open shelves on each end of the overhead cabinets softens the edges and subtly leads the eye past the kitchen through to the formal dining area and the verandah. All the under bench cabinets are also symmetrical. As many drawers as possible were fitted into the space under the bench to store all the owners, cooking utensils, cutlery, pots, pans and plates etc positioned so that they are all easily accessed from the food preparation area and also for ease of unloading of dishes from the dishwasher.

The blind corner base cabinets are both accessible from within the kitchen space and also by a touch to open door on the back that has the appearance of a fixed panel, transforming what could be a difficult corner into a fully functional and assessable storage area. Extra storage is also provided on the dining room side of the kitchen with touch to open doors.

Like all other fixtures in this kitchen the sink and tap are modestly stylish but super functional. The low tap is unobtrusive yet features a pull out shower head that changes from a stream to a fine spray at the flick of a button. A bank of tall cabinetry is recessed into the wall opposite the U shape bench which incorporates the fridge space, two double door pantries. A dedicated tea & coffee station and microwave space keeps appliances off the main kitchen bench allowing for an unobstructed flow.

Both pantries are fitted out internally with inner pull out soft closing heavy duty drawers to allow easy storage of, and access to, heavier bulky items low down in the cabinet. U shape shelving allows the owners to easily find what they are looking for. Storage for lesser used items is catered for behind touch to open doors above the pantries and coffee station.

The detailing on the cabinet doors with a textured woodgrain finish and VG centre panelling complements the Queenslander features of the space, while handless overhead doors and stainless steel appliances bring a contemporary element to the rooms traditional style. The use of natural timber flooring provides is a warm compliment to the fresh off white colour of the cabinets and benchtop and ties the kitchen, formal dining area and the outdoors together.

The result is a space that is strikingly simple and perfectly matches the owners lifestyle.

Designer: Anne Ellard