Dream kitchens

In today’s open-plan homes, life inevitably revolves around the kitchen. Sculleries, multi-purpose islands and a connection to the outdoors are often on the wish list and many feature a mix of materials. Kim Dungey reports.

PHOTOS: STEPHEN GOODENOUGH

Clean lines

The brief for this Wanaka kitchen was for an uncluttered design that fitted with the scale of the surrounding space and the modern architectural style of the family home. There also needed to be a working scullery, an island with seating and a sense of ‘‘rawness’’ to the design that is apparent in the surrounding landscape.

Located at the end of a large, open-plan living and dining area, the kitchen has a galley format and extends into a hidden pantry beyond.

In the main kitchen, a honed marble stone bench and splash-back run the length of the back wall, which houses the cooking zone and ample drawer storage. The opposite side, with zones dedicated to washing and preparation, features a large profile, raw cast concrete bench. Practical storage and integrated appliances are hidden behind dark veneer cabinets and to reinforce the clean, minimal look, electric runners were used.

A dark slatted timber louvre on the back wall conceals a heating system. This eliminated the need for steel grilles, and provided texture and structure in the large space.

The pantry (pictured above) is equipped with a second sink, fridge, microwave, dishwasher and plenty of storage.

Kitchen designed by Detail by Davinia Sutton (Christchurch). Joinery manufactured by Masterwood Joinery.

Mechanical magic

A pivoting breakfast bar is an ingenious feature of this kitchen in a large new home at Lake Hayes.

The large raised breakfast bar can pivot out from the island, forming a generous dining table for up to eight people.

Steel beams and columns surround the cabinetry and this is echoed in the steel range hood cover, as well as the drawer pulls and the custom-made handles for the pantry and the integrated fridge, which were finished in brushed anthracite.

A skylight above the bench throws natural light into the work space and for this reason, it was felt the kitchen could handle having a darker, more moody colour palette. Cabinetry is finished in prime carob veneer.

An outdoor kitchen, adjacent to the main one, has cabinetry made from durable 8mm porcelain sheeting and was designed to withstand the extremes of temperature experienced in Central Otago.

Main kitchen: Designed and manufactured by Mastercraft Kitchens Christchurch (Mackay Kitchens and Stairs). Designer: Fleur Jourdain.

Outdoor kitchen: Manufactured by Mastercraft Kitchens Christchurch. Designer: Celia Visser (Auckland).

Statement bench-top

A long granite bench with half waterfall front and ends is the star of this kitchen in Wanaka.

The look was achieved by careful matching of the pattern of black and white marbled granite on corners.

The rest of the kitchen provides a subtle backdrop to the bench, with flush, push-to-open American oak veneer cabinets in natural and black stained finishes and an extended panel light above the bench-top barely noticeable among the room’s horizontal lines.

A bar leaner is subtly tucked under the window at the end of the room. When dining outdoors, opening the window connects the two spaces.

Kitchen designed and manufactured by Mastercraft Kitchens Otago (Mosgiel Kitchens). Designers: Rebecca McGoun & Robyn McFarlane.

Industrial edge

The natural warmth of macrocarpa combines with raw, industrial elements in this Queenstown kitchen.

The central counter has a 100mm-thick bench-top made from macrocarpa sleepers. This timber was also used for the drawer and cabinetry fronts, which were ‘‘distressed’’ with chains to provide an aged look.

Adding to the industrial feel, the Caesarstone bench-tops have a honed finish that is similar to raw concrete and the two cabinetry towers — one holding the double ovens; the other, the fridge — are clad in blackened steel, with mesh-fronted cabinet doors above.

The outer side of the oven tower is painted with blackboard paint and a steel barn door leads to the scullery.

Kitchen designed and manufactured by Mastercraft Kitchens Southland (Nigel Molloy Joinery). Designer: Anne Finlayson.