A beautiful new kitchen that inspires wonderful meals, social occasions and family feasts
The owners of this kitchen were looking for a minimal, high-quality and practical style for a social family that likes to cook Mediterranean food. Being a social and food-loving family, they sometimes cook at all hours (pancakes in the middle of the night, anyone?). They also like to share a drink with friends and retreat to their home, a private sanctuary, after a busy day at work.
To make everyone feel welcome, a sizeable cooking island, where the family can cook together and catch up on the day’s events, was decided on and has proven to be a great asset to the room. But with a growing brood, it was settled that all meals would be taken at the dining table, so only a breakfast and coffee bar for quick bites was requested for the kitchen.
The new kitchen space needed to link and flow between the large new living space, and the inspiration for the design was the pursuit of practical elegance of symmetry and harmony. We spoke with Simon Cook, the kitchen designer from Marquardt Granite Kitchen Factory: “Our clients had the desire to create a sophisticated centrepiece of the living areas for socialising and cooking with friends and family, without resorting to a stereotypical U-shaped breakfast bar layout. The inspiration is a balanced series of islands, the main preparation island, a low seat island, glass-shutter cafe island and the storage and sink fridge wall.
“I like the way we were able to create a wine bottle pigeon-hole column that ‘wraps around’ into the entry foyer from behind the kitchen’s pullout pantry. The dark and light wood finishes work together on the expansive and the beautifully laid out ‘mixed selection’ of recycled timber floor boarding. The only thing I would have done differently is to use larger German integrated fridges. One of the challenges as a designer that we had to overcome was that the centre rangehood exhaust required metal ducting in a shallow ceiling space.
“This beautiful finished kitchen has exceeded the client’s aspiration for a harmonious and peaceful new family space to enjoy the theatre of ‘everyday rituals’ of cooking. For a kitchen to belong in a home it must match its surrounds and reflect the owners’ lifestyle. For this space, it was essential that it would be designed to cater for a large family that loved to cook, entertain and enjoy their living space to the fullest.”
PROJECT PARTICULARS
The kitchen was designed by:
Simon Alexander Cook
The kitchen was built by: Brendan Rice of MARQUARDT GRANITE KITCHEN FACTORY PTY LTD
Address: 607 Gardeners Road, Mascot NSW 2020
Phone: (02) 8355 3800
Email: info.sydney@marquardt-emleben.de
Website: www.marquardt.com.au
Zeitgeist Photography
Photography: Zeitgeist photography
FLOORING: 9-inch recycled mix board.
WALLS: Rendered blockwork.
KITCHEN:
Benchtop & sidepanels: Marquardt Meera white granite satinised 80mm, with patented reinforced substructure.
Cabinetry: Nolte low-emission textured Laminate in Wenge laminate & Antique White. Stainless anodised strip handles.
Rangehood: AEG DI8821m, 1200mm island.
Cooktops: Flushmount twin (his & hers) Blanco Induction BCCI63N & AEG Wok burner.
Ovens: Twin AEG Pyrolytic B37414m & Steam Multifunction B98204m.
Sink fixtures: Blanco Claron400/400u undermount with engraved granite drain boards. Granite prep sink. Bosch ME7000au under-bench food processor system.
Lighting: Internal light shelves in glassware lift-up overhead cabinets.
