kitchen
The cabinets: MDF cabinetry features Shaker-style panels and is painted in ‘Cloud White’ by Benjamin Moore. The splashback: The splashback is made up of 100 x 300-millimetre porcelain tiles from Ceragres in four different finishes: matt, glossy, flamed and textured. “When you look at it closely, it really adds to the textural interest of this space because I wanted it to have a bit of an eclectic feel to it,” Castro says. The islands: One island contains cabinetry and the main sink. The second island is more like a benchtop-height table, with space for six bar seats. “It’s quite large, and yet there’s only four legs, so there are lots of hidden metal structural components underneath to hold it up,” Castro says. Both islands are 900 millimetres tall. The bases are painted ‘Tricorn Black’ by Sherwin-Williams. The lighting: The outer casings of the two oversized fixtures are black leather with a baseball stitch, and inside is a hammered-gold-like finish. The range hood: The range hood is a custom-built unit in solid walnut, and the black portion is made of MDF.
Stick to neutrals Of course, it’s not obligatory to choose a bold colour. And if greys or pastels aren’t your cup of tea, you can always fall back on a neutral such as a cream, stone or a muted mushroom hue as seen here. This mushroom hue is warmed up by a wooden floor and island surface, and the kitchen is full of character courtesy of quirky accessories like the oversized clock and lamp-style lighting on the benchtops.
Opt for timeless grey A classic choice for your kitchen cabinets is a paler shade of grey. A colour like this is also a great option if you don’t want to overwhelm a space, but crave something more inviting than brilliant white. If you’re worried it might feel bland, layer up different greys as they’ve done here. The designers chose a very pale hue for the outer cabinets and a slightly darker one for the island, which gives an added depth to the room.
Try a modern shade of grey The beauty of this dark lead grey is that it goes with everything. It works well here with the red fridge and smaller red accents, but would look equally good teamed with soft pastel shades. This chameleon colour also lends itself to all types of styles – from retro to contemporary and country. The sloped roof of this kitchen could have made the room feel boxed in, but the decision to only use grey on the base units, and not on the wall cabinets, makes it look more spacious.
A bright blue door adds a touch of colour. Sliding doors open straight onto the garden, making this a great space in summer. The main benchtop is oak, while a splashback of angled subway tiles adds a Scandi-chic geometric touch. The kitchen might look brand new – but, in fact, to save money, many of the units were recycled from the kitchen that was in the lean-to, which was, in Hamilton’s words, “adapted, remodelled and added to”. Door painted in ‘Bowery Blue’: Abigail Aherne; concrete-look porcelain floor tiles: Grestec Tiles
The dining area of the kitchen is full of personality thanks to quirky artwork and spray-painted yellow Ercol chairs (bought at a house clearance). This area also has a higher ceiling than the kitchen space, helping to delineate the two zones. Mismatched pendants are more interesting than the typical matching duo or trio. “We suggested having lots of pendants to add interest,” Hamilton says. “Then we just searched and searched with the client to get the right combo.” The white Habitat chairs were brought from the owners’ previous house. Getting a dining table that matches the dimensions of your space can be tricky, so this pleasingly simple wood and metal table was built bespoke by Tandem Studio.
The kitchen originally sat in a chilly lean-to extension at the rear. Now it’s a sociable open-plan space, thanks to a new rear extension, complete with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and skylight. Dark walls teamed with pale cabinets and flooring create a dramatic look. Open shelving stops the space feeling crowded, and “adds a more contemporary feel than wall units,” Hamilton says. The black-blue paint also means a simple display of white crockery becomes a standout feature. Meanwhile, the huge island is packed with storage. Half-moon handles help sustain a traditional thread.
1. Channel urban glam Meal prep almost becomes theatre in this immaculately accessorised cook space with triple-panel sliding doors. The three same-sized panels create a great sense of symmetry and order, which is mirrored in the long dining table and peninsular unit. Polished-concrete floors, marble benchtops, brass accents, deconstructed pendant lights, prehistoric palms and a gorgeous garden beyond represent clear kitchen bliss.
The greys here are an interesting combination. The lighter cabinets lean toward green while the darker uprights venture into the blue-violet territory. Designing the cantilevered dining bench to drop from the dark cabinet is brilliant. The absence of sheen on all the architectural finishes is sublime. The fine oak wood plank flooring oiled in grey is an ideal blend of warm and cool, while the touch of teal on the extruded metal exterior door frames are a welcome surprise. By all means, embrace grey in your kitchen. But if you’re concerned about a too-cold, un-stimulating experience, be sure to consider several different options for bringing in warmth and balance.
We designed this custom pocket kitchen within a three-square-metre footprint. We had to think of it in terms of a yacht or a Gulfstream galley for its overall design and efficiency. In order to meet the client’s requirements, we included a mini fridge and a 61-centimetre gas oven by Bertazzoni. Our client requested a ‘quiet’ kitchen, especially since it would be seen through the custom French doors. We used a soft warm grey with pink undertones and a translucent stain applied to custom milled quarter-sawn white oak. The star of this kitchen is the ‘Silver Stravos’ granite slab we used for both the benches and the splashback. The cuts were meticulously mapped out to incorporate the most active and deepest purple portions of the slab. We used a milky white 120 x 120 centimetre ceramic tile for the floor. We painted the walls in the palest shade of lavender (Fine Paints of Europe’s ‘Delicious’). The ceiling is ‘Wet Porcelain’, also by Fine Paints of Europe.
Here, the milk-coloured Caesarstone benches establish contrast greys in the cabinetry, which lean toward the blue-violet side – lighter for the island and darker for the wall cabinets. The far wall cabinetry, in the dark grey laminate, has both a high gloss and wood grain finish, and I find the contradiction of the two extremely interesting. A large expanse of warm wood on the floor provides the perfect balance of tones. Traditional Kitchen by William Quarles Photography William Quarles Photography Save Email These cabinets offer slightly cooler, blue-violet undertones. The wonderfully veined and varied granite benches promote similar tones while the vintage refinished red oak floors bring the warmth, for the balance of warm and cool we crave. Meanwhile, a colourful vintage rug adds personality.
This kitchen strikes the right mix of warm and cool tones and architectural finishes. Notice that the cabinetry is still warm even though a matt grey stain has been applied to the straight-grained oak. The greys in this kitchen lean strongly toward the warm shades. The organic texture of the oak is permeating through the stain. The sandstone tile floor further adds texture to create a sense of warmth.
Adding a new splashback can have the greatest impact on the overall warmth of an existing kitchen. These warm blue-green glazed tiles bring life and balance to the grey-toned cabinets, which work here because of the warm light pink undertones. But the ‘Fantasy Brown’ quartzite benchtop and oak floorboards play a role as well in adding warmth. It’s worth noting that there is no sheen to these floorboards. When adding a soft grey stain, the designer used a Rubio monocoat to create the wonderfully dull finish.
Here the designer also used warm grey-pink cabinets, but with a slightly deeper pink undertone than in the previous kitchen. She then warmed things up even more with warm-toned hardwood floors, decorative accessories and a fabulous vintage bench.
This home has tonnes of homey character, while being super-easy to live with. A classic Aga enhances the rustic feel. “It creates warmth and is aesthetically pleasing, plus the owners enjoy cooking. It was essential to the heart of the home,” White says.
Brushed oak flooring in ‘Coho’: Kentwood; walls painted in ‘Ice Fog’: Benjamin Moore
6. Matt black Our love for matt-black finishes has extended from tapware through to lighting and furniture and now to kitchen cabinet hardware, allowing renovators to achieve a consistent look when selecting finishes across the home.
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