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Room Of The Week
Room of the Week: A Minimalist Kitchen Made Good
This very contemporary Queensland kitchen embraces clean minimalism with luxe bespoke touches
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Brief
The project involved renovations to an existing 1950s cottage that included a new kitchen, laundry and powder room. The original kitchen was a dark space at the centre of the house, isolated from adjacent rooms due to minimal openings, and lacking in amenity in terms of storage and bench space.
New openings were cut into existing walls and the kitchen reconfigured from an L shape to a galley to improve access to light, thus creating views to the garden and connections with adjacent rooms. A minimal and contemporary design approach, which was still sympathetic to the character of the existing cottage, was pursued.
Overhead storage was avoided in order to maintain a sense of openness in an otherwise small space, with flush cabinet detailing also used for this reason.
The project involved renovations to an existing 1950s cottage that included a new kitchen, laundry and powder room. The original kitchen was a dark space at the centre of the house, isolated from adjacent rooms due to minimal openings, and lacking in amenity in terms of storage and bench space.
New openings were cut into existing walls and the kitchen reconfigured from an L shape to a galley to improve access to light, thus creating views to the garden and connections with adjacent rooms. A minimal and contemporary design approach, which was still sympathetic to the character of the existing cottage, was pursued.
Overhead storage was avoided in order to maintain a sense of openness in an otherwise small space, with flush cabinet detailing also used for this reason.
Starting point
The central focus of the new design was to allow the kitchen to function as the spatial and social focus of the home. The kitchen visually and literally connects the front door to the rear deck and garden and this quality guided most design decisions.
The central focus of the new design was to allow the kitchen to function as the spatial and social focus of the home. The kitchen visually and literally connects the front door to the rear deck and garden and this quality guided most design decisions.
Key design aspects
Colour palette: Black floors, white walls and ceilings, natural joinery finishes.
Colour palette: Black floors, white walls and ceilings, natural joinery finishes.
Materials palette: Existing timber floors were stained with Feast Watson’s ‘Black Japan’. The cabinetry is in a Tasmanian oak veneer and the benchtops are concrete. White glazed ceramic tiles were used on the splashback, and custom-designed brass details were included throughout, such as on cupboard handles and the kitchen hanging rail.
Key pieces of furniture: A Serge Mouille pendant light with a custom brass hanging rail designed by zuzana&nicholas (behind kitchen bench).
Challenges you worked around
Working within the existing footprint of the small house put a strict limit on the available space for the kitchen, and storage had to be carefully arranged.
Working within the existing footprint of the small house put a strict limit on the available space for the kitchen, and storage had to be carefully arranged.
Why do you think this room works?
The strict material palette and simple detailing allow a compact space to feel generous and quiet, while the central location within the house allows for social connections between rooms – a cook can chat to someone in the lounge, on the deck, or kids doing homework in the bedrooms.
Tell us
What do you love about this room? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like the story, and join in the conversation.
More
Make sure you check out last week’s Room of the Week: A Cool Sunken Living Area With a Boho Vibe
The strict material palette and simple detailing allow a compact space to feel generous and quiet, while the central location within the house allows for social connections between rooms – a cook can chat to someone in the lounge, on the deck, or kids doing homework in the bedrooms.
Tell us
What do you love about this room? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like the story, and join in the conversation.
More
Make sure you check out last week’s Room of the Week: A Cool Sunken Living Area With a Boho Vibe
Answers by Nick Skepper and Zuzana Kovar, the directors of zuzana&nicholas architects
Who lives here: A young family with two children
Location: Tarragindi, Queensland
Room size: 6.7 x 3 metres (total size of the kitchen and pantry/built-in laundry space)