By facing the structural challenge first, the kitchen design fell into place beautifully. Pepper Design created tall shelving in natural solid walnut to in-case the steel post which was painted black. The shelves are open to the living area at the front and closed by a piece of smoked glass to the rear (kitchen) side. They disguise the sink while the glass maintains the open feel and offers a functional splashback to the sink area.
With the post hidden we proceeded to create the stunning twin benchtops for all that prep work. Each bench is five metres long and houses as many drawers as any chef could want. The drawer fronts are finished in smooth, mat black lacquer to make them ‘’pop” in the white kitchen. The drawers have an array of Poggenpohl accessories inside including knife blocks, cutlery trays, even cling wrap dispensers. The island benches were specified in a ceramic marble but as the plan came together the client opted for the real thing! Calacatta Marble turned the twin benches into pieces of art!
To create these long, low benhtops we disguised all the tall, bulky cabinetry at the end of the kitchen. These integrated cabinets house the oven, steam oven, warming drawer, microwave, fridge, freezer and every-day pantry behind beautiful smooth white lacquer door fronts. Walk past these tall cabinets to enter the huge Butler’s pantry. We specified stainless steel benchtops to help protect the natural marble giving an engine room for more robust styles of cooking. The stainless steel butts up to a solid 80mm thick bench in natural, solid walnut to match the shelves. This was another ‘must have’ on our client’s wish-list acting like a super-sized chopping block built into the kitchen.
The choice of natural materials and neutral colours has allowed this huge kitchen to flex it’s muscles without overwhelming this beautiful family home.
