A Food-Loving Family’s Spacious New Entertaining Area
With their sunny new dining room and kitchen, New Zealand gelato makers now have plenty of room for leisurely meals with guests
Since December 2008, ice cream and gelato makers Giapo and Annarosa Petrucci Grazioli have been charming New Zealanders with their boutique ice cream store, Giapo, in Auckland’s entertainment district. It’s a busy life for the couple, but they find sanctuary in the home they share with their two young children, Francesca and Pasquale, in the beachside suburb of Mission Bay. Renovating the house they bought three years ago was one of the best decisions they’ve ever made, they say, because now the sunny home provides the family with a place to unwind and entertain, something all four members of the family enjoy doing.
This afternoon, the family sits down to a deluxe treat of ice cream in chocolate cups made by Giapo. The artwork on the reversible hand-drawn placemats is by the children.
The entertaining area is spacious and sunny, with an easy flow out to the garden through French doors. Giapo is proud of his “constantly mowed” fake grass in the generous yard, which backs onto a public park.
Around the corner to the left, the kitchen connects to the dining room via a long counter that becomes a sideboard. Annarosa likes having a closed-off kitchen because the mess is hidden away during entertaining. The woodgrain-effect tile (Italian, of course) runs throughout the ground floor.
Around the corner to the left, the kitchen connects to the dining room via a long counter that becomes a sideboard. Annarosa likes having a closed-off kitchen because the mess is hidden away during entertaining. The woodgrain-effect tile (Italian, of course) runs throughout the ground floor.
Annarosa says the majority of the interior decorating was inspired by photos on Houzz, including the gallery of family photos on the dining room wall. The portrait of Annarosa is by a family friend, New Zealand artist David MacGregor.
Everyone is a cook in this family. The two children often help out, using a chair and footstool to reach the counter. The marble tops provide a durable surface the family isn’t afraid to get a little messy. Outside the window is an herb garden.
Fresh herbs and vegetables sit on the kitchen counter. In this household, tomatoes are used regularly in homemade sauce for the family’s favorite meal of pasta, bread and salad.
Francesca loves getting creative in the kitchen. A stool from Storage Box makes cooking more manageable for the little ones.
Terra-cotta dishes passed down from Giapo’s grandparents are used for gnocchi, another family favorite, which Annarosa says Francesca is an expert at making.
The two most-used utensils in the kitchen are the stainless-steel tongs, given to the couple before they married more than 15 years ago, and a favorite knife. “A kitchen can be run with one good knife,” says Annarosa, who is so fond of hers that nobody else is allowed to touch it.
A variety of oils sit in a corner. To catch spills, each bottle has its own saucer, given to the family by Giapo’s mother in Italy.
No space is left empty in the kitchen, and even the area under the nearby staircase provides extra pantry storage. Cans, long-life items and bottles, along with deep fryers and mixers, are hidden away. The family makes one big grocery-shopping trip each week and small trips to the local shops as necessary for fresh produce.
The fridge is a reflection of the family’s love of cooking, with colorful produce filling the shelves. In exchange for vouchers to their ice cream store, the couple invite neighbors and others to drop fresh produce off at the shop — they often use it to make small-batch varieties of ice cream.
The couple’s preferred way to make coffee is on the stovetop in a Bialetti espresso maker, a style icon in Italy since the 1950s. This is the same type of pot Annarosa’s mother used. The Graziolis have had theirs for more than 15 years and say the taste of their coffee has been refined and seasoned over time.
The only original kitchen structures left in place after the renovation are the cabinets behind frosted glass doors. Although they’re put to good use storing dishes and glassware, and reflect the garden view from the kitchen window, they’re slated for change. Giapo and Annarosa feel the style no longer suits the updated look of the rest of the house.
Francesca points out her favorite painting among the many scenes by artist Vito D’esposito of harbors and villages around Naples, Italy, where the Graziolis have family.
The neutral color palette of the country-style decor contrasts with eclectic photos and art, with pops of red, green and blue in furnishings, pottery and artwork. The newest artwork, by an anonymous artist from the Netherlands, is Giapo’s favorite. He loves it for the contemporary edge it gives the house and for the bold statement it makes.
Creative works by the Grazioli children are also on display, from colorful painted pottery and drawings to papier-mâché objects dotted on shelves and walls. The candleholders and napkin rings seen here were made using household objects such as patterned napkins and paper towel rolls.
The parents take their world-class ice cream just as seriously, with Giapo recently publishing a paper in the journal Appetite on how the music you listen to while eating gelato has an impact on how it tastes. He believes food (including ice cream) is a multisensory experience of sight, smell, texture and sound.
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The parents take their world-class ice cream just as seriously, with Giapo recently publishing a paper in the journal Appetite on how the music you listen to while eating gelato has an impact on how it tastes. He believes food (including ice cream) is a multisensory experience of sight, smell, texture and sound.
More
Simple Decor Ideas to Get the Party Going
World of Design: Global Foodies and Their Kitchens
Who lives here: Giapo and Annarosa Petrucci Grazioli and their children, Francesca, 6, and Pasquale, 4
Location: Mission Bay area of Auckland, New Zealand
Size: 969 square feet (90 square meters)
The focal point of the ground-floor kitchen, dining and living area is the long table, something the couple had always dreamed of having. It’s where the majority of entertaining is done. “We like to entertain a lot, almost once a week,” Annarosa says.
Dining isn’t taken lightly in this house, with the couple planning eight- to nine-course meals for their guests. They always advise them to not have breakfast or make plans for dinner, because long Italian lunches at the Grazioli home last all afternoon and into the evening.