Stickybeak of the Week: Light-Filled Luxury Kitchen by the Beach
Bright white and full of light, this quality kitchen in a Newport home reflects the modern aesthetic of Sydney's Northern Beaches
The owners of this Northern Beaches home were looking to make over their 20-year-old kitchen, turning it into a luxurious space that would function as the entertaining hub of their home. The rest of the house had previously been renovated to suit the owners’ lifestyle, so the brief to the designers was to adapt the space with quality appliances and contemporary design features, while being sympathetic to the original design elements of the home.
“This customer was very discerning – we produced five fully rendered image revisions – but it was a dream job to work on,” says the owners’ chosen designer, Danish-born Vagn Madsen, owner of Dan Kitchens Australia. From the initial design consultation in March 2015, the project took five months to be completed.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with their cat and dog
Location: Newport, Sydney
Size: 35 square metres (including a butler’s kitchen)
Designer: Dan Kitchens Australia
“This customer was very discerning – we produced five fully rendered image revisions – but it was a dream job to work on,” says the owners’ chosen designer, Danish-born Vagn Madsen, owner of Dan Kitchens Australia. From the initial design consultation in March 2015, the project took five months to be completed.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with their cat and dog
Location: Newport, Sydney
Size: 35 square metres (including a butler’s kitchen)
Designer: Dan Kitchens Australia
Due to the beach location of the home and its regular use for entertaining, the selection of materials for the kitchen was critical. Fixtures and finishes had to withstand salt air, ultraviolet light and high traffic.
The owners loved the look of natural marble, but were fully aware of the stone’s limitations. “It was our job to find a replacement material that would work in this environment,” says Madsen. “We sourced an engineered stone with the look of natural Calacatta marble that was capable of withstanding stains and wear and tear.”
Island bench in ‘Calacatta Gold’: Talostone; Cayman bar stools: FY2K
The owners loved the look of natural marble, but were fully aware of the stone’s limitations. “It was our job to find a replacement material that would work in this environment,” says Madsen. “We sourced an engineered stone with the look of natural Calacatta marble that was capable of withstanding stains and wear and tear.”
Island bench in ‘Calacatta Gold’: Talostone; Cayman bar stools: FY2K
Overhangs at either end of the bench bring a Japanese torii-gate aesthetic to the design. They are primarily a sculptural feature, but the overhangs also allow for a couple of stools to be placed on either side of each extension, and it can then be used as a breakfast bar.
Top craftsmanship is evident in the timber joinery, down to the lining up of the benchtop marbling. A strip of lights underneath the drawers adds another touch of luxury.
All drawers and doors are motorised; with a gentle nudge against the face of a drawer it softly glides open. “It’s a luxury most people can live without, but as an experience it is very practical,” says Madsen.
All drawers and doors are motorised; with a gentle nudge against the face of a drawer it softly glides open. “It’s a luxury most people can live without, but as an experience it is very practical,” says Madsen.
A well-sorted drawer avoids doubling up of products and the wasting of storage space. The clever drawer compartments in this kitchen keep spices and other kitchen essentials in order and at hand for cooking.
The oven, steam oven, and warming drawer from Wolf are built in next to an integrated Sub-Zero refrigerator.
Plenty of automated storage drawers make cooking and entertaining a delight. The Fisher & Paykel dish drawers blend in seamlessly with the streamlined design. Clean lines without handles create a contemporary look.
An enclosed butler’s kitchen or scullery, has found its place where the former kitchen was located. It features stainless steel benchtops and a coloured glass splashback, a tall Sub-Zero freezer, a Blanco sink with a Billi water filter, and a second dishwasher. All small benchtop appliances are housed here, to keep the main kitchen and entertaining areas clutter-free.
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What do you think of this deluxe kitchen? What is your favourite feature? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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What do you think of this deluxe kitchen? What is your favourite feature? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
MORE
The Scullery Reinvented for Modern Living
Kitchen Inspiration: 20 Aussie Kitchens with a Contemporary Edge
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A stunning four-metre-long kitchen island takes pride of place. It features timber drawers made from American oak, which is also the material used in the wall cabinet doors above the bench, thereby connecting the two elements.
Kitchen cabinets: Dulux ‘Whisper White’ in gloss polyurethane finish; veneer in ‘American Oak’: Laminex