Best of the Week: Eat-In Kitchens
This week, feast your eyes on our pick of the most delicious eat-in kitchens on Houzz
Georgia Madden
1 August 2017
They’re somewhere to entertain, enjoy a weeknight meal, catch up on emails, or for the kids to do their homework while you cook nearby. There’s much to love about eat-in kitchens, and we’ve scoured Houzz for our all-time favourite designs for your viewing pleasure. So grab a seat and get ready to tuck in.
1. Location: Mosman, NSW
Why we love it: Warm, natural materials, a cool, weathered colour palette and built-in banquette seating, piled high with cushions to encourage guests to linger long after the meal has finished… what’s not to love?
Why we love it: Warm, natural materials, a cool, weathered colour palette and built-in banquette seating, piled high with cushions to encourage guests to linger long after the meal has finished… what’s not to love?
2. Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Why we love it: Pairing a simple benchtop with a mirrored base is a clever idea as it bounces around the available light and maximises the sense of space in the room. We’re also loving the open timber flyover unit suspended from the ceiling – an ingenious choice when you’re short on storage but don’t want to swallow up precious floor or wall space.
Why we love it: Pairing a simple benchtop with a mirrored base is a clever idea as it bounces around the available light and maximises the sense of space in the room. We’re also loving the open timber flyover unit suspended from the ceiling – an ingenious choice when you’re short on storage but don’t want to swallow up precious floor or wall space.
3. Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Why we love it: We’re smitten with the monochromatic palette used here, and how the bank of black built-ins acts as the perfect backdrop for the striking pale island and trio of white pendants.
Why we love it: We’re smitten with the monochromatic palette used here, and how the bank of black built-ins acts as the perfect backdrop for the striking pale island and trio of white pendants.
4. Location: Palm Beach, NSW
Why we love it: A large open-plan eat-in kitchen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is made cosy with the use of pale timber, sumptuous textures and oodles of natural light.
Why we love it: A large open-plan eat-in kitchen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is made cosy with the use of pale timber, sumptuous textures and oodles of natural light.
5. Location: Perth, WA
Why we love it: Punches of sunny yellow bring this industrial-style eat-in kitchen to life, and we love how they’re then carried outside.
Why we love it: Punches of sunny yellow bring this industrial-style eat-in kitchen to life, and we love how they’re then carried outside.
6. Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Why we love it: A classic navy and white colour scheme, a wooden farmhouse-style table and French cafe seating are the perfect blend of relaxed and sophisticated.
Why we love it: A classic navy and white colour scheme, a wooden farmhouse-style table and French cafe seating are the perfect blend of relaxed and sophisticated.
7. Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Why we love it: An island unit that offers space for prep and cooking on one side and banquette seating on the other is the perfect solution for this cavernous, contemporary space.
Why we love it: An island unit that offers space for prep and cooking on one side and banquette seating on the other is the perfect solution for this cavernous, contemporary space.
8. Location: Milan, Italy
Why we love it: Using a medley of soft greys on everything from the floor and the walls to the benchtop creates a soothing, rustic vibe in this Italian seaside home, while the addition of black and white accessories gives it a modern edge.
Why we love it: Using a medley of soft greys on everything from the floor and the walls to the benchtop creates a soothing, rustic vibe in this Italian seaside home, while the addition of black and white accessories gives it a modern edge.
9. Location: Kew, Victoria
Why we love it: With generous, low-slung seating, warm timber joinery and dashes of greenery wherever you turn, there’s something undeniably inviting about this open-plan room.
Why we love it: With generous, low-slung seating, warm timber joinery and dashes of greenery wherever you turn, there’s something undeniably inviting about this open-plan room.
10. Location: Ballarat, Victoria
Why we love it: Simple, pared-back furniture and accessories keep the focus on the stunning, angled ceiling in this eat-in kitchen. It forms part of an extension in a historical home in Ballarat.
Why we love it: Simple, pared-back furniture and accessories keep the focus on the stunning, angled ceiling in this eat-in kitchen. It forms part of an extension in a historical home in Ballarat.
11. Location: Canterbury, Victoria
Why we love it: With insufficient room for a dining area inside the kitchen of this Edwardian family home, the owners have cleverly placed a breakfast bar in the new, lower-level extension, and then made a feature of the split-level arrangement by cladding the stairs in a finish that contrasts with the timber floorboards.
Why we love it: With insufficient room for a dining area inside the kitchen of this Edwardian family home, the owners have cleverly placed a breakfast bar in the new, lower-level extension, and then made a feature of the split-level arrangement by cladding the stairs in a finish that contrasts with the timber floorboards.
12. Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Why we love it: With bright white joinery, stainless steel appliances, and furniture with fine lines that lets light from the floor-to-ceiling windows flow throughout, this little eat-in kitchen cleverly manages to feel far larger than it actually is.
Why we love it: With bright white joinery, stainless steel appliances, and furniture with fine lines that lets light from the floor-to-ceiling windows flow throughout, this little eat-in kitchen cleverly manages to feel far larger than it actually is.
13. Location: North Bondi, NSW
Why we love it: With a groovy materials palette that consists of concrete and mid-tone timber, and features such as built-in seating that overlooks a plunge pool, the eat-in kitchen in this Sydney beachside family home is almost too cool for school.
Why we love it: With a groovy materials palette that consists of concrete and mid-tone timber, and features such as built-in seating that overlooks a plunge pool, the eat-in kitchen in this Sydney beachside family home is almost too cool for school.
14. Location: Sydney, NSW
Why we love it: A luxurious Calacatta marble island unit extends to a casual blonde timber dining bench, which has been paired with dark-stained Tasmanian-oak cabinetry to create a simple yet striking kitchen.
Why we love it: A luxurious Calacatta marble island unit extends to a casual blonde timber dining bench, which has been paired with dark-stained Tasmanian-oak cabinetry to create a simple yet striking kitchen.
15. Location: Murrumbeena, Victoria
Why we love it: A generous timber dining table and a fresh palette of white and grey, punctuated by accents of black, imbue the kitchen of this renovated 1920s family home with character and sophistication.
Why we love it: A generous timber dining table and a fresh palette of white and grey, punctuated by accents of black, imbue the kitchen of this renovated 1920s family home with character and sophistication.
16. Location: Richmond, Victoria
Why we love it: Tongue and groove panelling on the island unit and bank of cupboards behind adds subtle texture to this monochromatic eat-in kitchen in a renovated weatherboard worker’s cottage.
Why we love it: Tongue and groove panelling on the island unit and bank of cupboards behind adds subtle texture to this monochromatic eat-in kitchen in a renovated weatherboard worker’s cottage.
17. Location: North Coogee, WA
Why we love it: At first glance the open-plan kitchen/living area in this two-storey family home appears to be little more than a riot of colour and fun. But closer inspection reveals that the individual areas have been cleverly carved up with the use of soft flooring, contrasting wall colours and furniture.
Why we love it: At first glance the open-plan kitchen/living area in this two-storey family home appears to be little more than a riot of colour and fun. But closer inspection reveals that the individual areas have been cleverly carved up with the use of soft flooring, contrasting wall colours and furniture.
18. Location: Thornbury, Victoria
Why we love it: Sticking to a simple palette of warm grey, mustard and off-white lends low-key elegance to the compact kitchen in this suburban home – and we love how all it takes to set the tone is a tiny tiled section of wall.
Why we love it: Sticking to a simple palette of warm grey, mustard and off-white lends low-key elegance to the compact kitchen in this suburban home – and we love how all it takes to set the tone is a tiny tiled section of wall.
19. Location: Manly, NSW
Why we love it: A plywood shelving unit suspended from the ceiling and situated right beside the dining table is the perfect spot to store plates and cutlery – it allows the owners to create an eye-catching display, and keeps everything within easy reach when they’re dining.
Why we love it: A plywood shelving unit suspended from the ceiling and situated right beside the dining table is the perfect spot to store plates and cutlery – it allows the owners to create an eye-catching display, and keeps everything within easy reach when they’re dining.
Tell us
What do you love about your eat-in kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below. And while you’re at it, let us know which other spaces you’d like to see in our ‘best of’ series.
More
Best of the week: Wondrous wallpapers
What do you love about your eat-in kitchen? Tell us in the Comments below. And while you’re at it, let us know which other spaces you’d like to see in our ‘best of’ series.
More
Best of the week: Wondrous wallpapers
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Heather, if I understand what you are after, you might be able to make part of your island dual purpose using something link the Linak base lift
https://www.linak.com/products/linear-actuators/baselift/
This allows you to raise or lower the cupboards and bench top to a different work height, ie 740ish for desk and 900mm ish for kitchen (the ish part is dependent on the user - i'm 6'4" so for me its higher)
I'd like to know where the stools were purchased in photos 1 and 2 - very nice!
I like 1, 5 and 13 plus the ceiling in 7