5. DRAMATIC CONTRAST

Interior designer Brianna Sandstrom certainly knows how to bring the drama. This kitchen design was sparked by her client’s request for a strong colour palette. “It’s exciting when a client’s vision is bold; there is an instant creative licence,” she muses.

The cabinetry (painted in Dulux ‘Spiralina’) perfectly complemented the otherwise neutral palette, Brianna explains. “It was important to make sure the green cabinetry wasn’t overpowering. I balanced it out by pairing it with a monochromatic scheme. The white island with the refined black steel frame and natural stone benchtop is a lovely fresh contrast in front of the green joinery. I felt it was important to use a natural stone slab with fluid movement to soften the space.”

“We didn’t want the kitchen appliances to be a feature; installing dark joinery around them allowed them to disappear,” Brianna adds. “The dark joinery is also tied back into the black steel island frame, as well as linking to other structural elements of the home, such as windows and hardware.”

This modern farmhouse kitchen in a heritage-listed home features Shaker-style cabinetry and stunning glass pantry doors. At 1900mm long and 800mm deep, the petite pantry is “proof you can have a beautiful and functional pantry in a small space,” says interior designer Courtney Atkinson of Bone + Blanc.

“The pantry doors were custom-designed specifically for this kitchen,” says Courtney. “They are an incredible height, at 2400mm high, and are made with black powder-coated steel and fluted glass.”

Pondering a pantry design? Marissa Hamling of Bone + Blanc suggests you begin by thinking about the items you would like to store. “We love to put drawers in a pantry. It’s a great way to utilise the space and for you to be able to see what pantry items you have,” she says.

“Open shelving provides easy viewing of items and helps you to stay organised. Another great thing is having an actual benchtop in the pantry; use this space to hide appliances or extra items you don’t want on your kitchen bench.”

In this home, interior designer Mariah Burton from Folk Studio drew inspiration from Spanish villas and farmhouses, opting to tile the front and sides of the kitchen island in a handmade terracotta tile.

“The house – in particular, the kitchen – had a sense of hardness and strength to it, so we wanted to soften this by introducing a warm tile in the kitchen. It was an opportunity to highlight an imperfect and handmade tile that really aligns with the main ethos and design direction of this home: raw, handmade and built to last,” explains Mariah.

“We like to take any opportunity to add more interest and texture to a kitchen. As islands are central to kitchens, this is a nice way to set the tone. Of course, having tiles and grout means a tiled island requires a little bit more maintenance than a smooth surface, but it’s worth it.”

“We drew inspiration from Spanish villas and farmhouses; the raw materiality, the minimalistic nature of them, the saturation of texture and the fluidity of indoor/outdoor living.”

Shop the look

“Using texture within the space is the secret sauce to a room feeling interesting, especially with a neutral colour palette,” advises interior designer Alison Lewis.

Alison describes her design for this kitchen as “a textural wonderland”. Using her tile choice as a departure point, she then introduced a variety of materials to create the overall look. “I knew the tiles were going to be the feature of the kitchen,” says Alison. “Given that they are super textured and matte, I decided to couple them with a high-gloss porcelain stone to create balance between the two materials.”

Timber-look laminate cabinetry in a ‘Woodmatt’ finish was selected to give the kitchen some warmth against the coolness of the polished concrete flooring, and a Shaker profile for the drawers and doors gave the cabinetry definition. “Add to that some stunning wall lights to create a soft glow against the tiles and play with contrast, and my textural vision truly came to life,” says Alison.

Interior designer Alison Lewis had the arch entry into this butler’s pantry powder-coated in Dulux ‘Mangrove’ to add interest and depth to the space. “As the kitchen is so tonal, it was important to me that the arch was used to enhance the overall look,” Alison explains. “Choosing a deep green was a lovely way to add colour without being too polarising.”

Alison says that although the butler’s pantry is compact it still packs a punch in terms of storage. “Long and narrow, the pantry benefits from storage on both sides, with shallow open shelving running the length of one wall, and deep cupboards with a sink, dishwasher and overhead cabinetry along the other wall. I wanted the space to double as a bar, so I added some open shelves for drinks, cooking books, plants and decorator pieces, freeing up the bench space below so it could be used as an additional prep area.”

There are so many design ideas in this space, yet none of them compete thanks to the neutral palette. From the tiled feature wall and rangehood to the curved island and arched entry into the butlers pantry, this kitchen is our idea of heaven.

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ABI Interiors ‘Eden’

For Paul and Kelly Bellofiore of timber furniture makers and joiners Timber Assembly, the natural choice for their own kitchen was a timber veneer.

“The back wall and overheads in the kitchen are constructed from American white ash veneer,” says Paul. “We chose this timber as it’s the most white tone-based timber that we found available in veneer, and it paired nicely with the white feature island.”

Paul adds that the advantage of using a timber veneer (which is 0.5mm thick solid ash pressed to an MDF substrate) is its superior look and feel. “You can generally tell if its laminate due to the repetition of pattern and its plastic feel. When you run your hands over the veneer you can feel the texture of the grain and the actual timber, which adds warmth to the space.”

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