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Welcoming the family
Welcoming the family from Kitchen Trends volume 2510
Quite apart from having an outdated appearance, many older-style kitchens tend to shut the cook behind closed doors, isolated from the rest of the family in a space that is often a little gloomy and not at all functional.
The owners of this kitchen decided it was time to address these issues, so they called on designer Cathy Stathopoulos of B & G Cabinet.
Their existing kitchen was dark, with only one window and a glass sliding door to the garden, and was shut off from living spaces.
"Our aim was to create a kitchen with a contemporary feel, and with extra space for seating and eating. It had to be functional, and spacious enough to become a gathering place for family and friends," says the designer.
For a more modern look, cabinets are made from solid walnut in a flush batten style and finished in a toffee stain. Brazilian quartzite, a natural stone with a linear pattern that has the soft appearance of marble and the durability of granite, was used for the backsplashes, the island and perimeter countertops.
The new L-shaped kitchen has a large, central island where meals can be prepared and most of the cooking done. When the owners want to watch the television in the family room at the end of the kitchen, they can retract the hood over the cooktop on the island so it doesn't interfere with their viewing.
To provide additional cooking capacity, a second oven is built into the back wall of the kitchen, together with a plumbed coffee center and a small countertop area between.
One of the owners' requests was to have an eating area on the island. To fit this into the width of the kitchen, without compromising the generous island's proportions, a small section was raised to form a breakfast bar.
At the end of the kitchen, where it intersects with the family living area, cabinetry drops down to form bench seating for a dining table.
To bring in more natural light, the original window and door were replaced with windows along the full width of the wall overlooking the garden, and a skylight was added over the dining area. From the sink and dishwasher, forming the clean-up zone below the windows, there are now garden views.
To create a functional kitchen for this family, designer Cathy Stathopoulos of B & G Cabinet has divided the space into several zones. Here, on the back wall, is the secondary cooking area with a built-in Miele coffee center and an oven. Cabinetry provides storage for coffee cups and a countertop between the two makes this a practical and useful work area in the kitchen.
Toffee-stained solid walnut cabinetry, topped with Brazilian quartzite countertops with a linear pattern, gives the kitchen a contemporary appearance. A breakfast bar is raised slightly and inset into the island to avoid obstructing access to the second oven and coffee center. The hood can be retracted when it is not in use, adding to the clean look of the space.
To maintain the clean lines of the kitchen, the walnut cabinetry drops down to form bench seats at the far end of the kitchen. These can be used for sitting around the family dining table. Large new windows bring light and the view into the space.
Credit List
Finish
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Low-sheen toffee stain
Countertops and backsplashes
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Brazilian quartzite from GerrityStone
Coffee center
:
Miele
Story by Mary Webb
Photography by Eric Roth, courtesy of GerrityStone
Kitchen designed by Cathy Stathopoulos, CKD, B & G Cabinet. Features Fisher and Paykel Dishdrawers.
Kitchen designed by Cathy Stathopoulos, CKD, B & G Cabinet. Features Fisher and Paykel Dishdrawers.
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