A room of one's own

Not something you see every day, a request for a kitchen in its own dedicated room, with functionality tucked behind black joinery and a stand out Calacatta benchtop. The resulting kitchen also has a look all of its own

Benchtops/splashbacks don't come much more luxurious than this

Understated black cabinetry conceals a wealth of functionality.

While having its own designated room, the kitchen's

The dining area has the same muted cabinetry

The understated entry to the stand-alone kitchen.

The dark cabinetry connects with the dark veining

Looking past the kitchen entry (at right) to

Designed by Eva-Marie Prineas, Studio Prineas

The context

This apartment occupies a wing of a 1960s apartment in Darling Point, Sydney, resulting in a perimeter that has unobstructed views to Sydney Harbour.

The original planning had a disconnected entry from the key social spaces.

Conceptually, the plan was reworked to provide clarity and simplicity to the elemental reading of the interior.

The interior strategy works to unite the disconnected entry and key social spaces.

A new element inserted into the interiors reworks a skirting datum that, in places, pulls out as rich timber & steel joinery pieces and other times is read as floor threshold, wall panelling or external deck.

There is a reverence for the potential of the materials which have been used in a limited and deliberate way.

Rich timbers and opulent cherry tones combine with natural and expressive bold veining stone work, taking their cues from the spirit of the original architecture whilst providing a contemporary reading of the apartment.

The kitchen design

Central to the owners’ brief was the requirement for the kitchen to be able to be entirely shut off from the rest of the apartment.

As such, the planning and circulation of the kitchen has been reconfigured to afford the opportunity for harbour glimpses whilst maximising efficient patterns of movement throughout the space.

Materiality is centred around a monolithic reading of its Calacatta Viola benchtop and splashback – bold and graphic against the burgundy-coloured cabinetry as an expression of the owners’ enthusiasm for colour.

Blackened-timber joinery runs beneath an east-facing window to meet the benchtop’s apron edge, drawing in the district views beyond.

The functional elements of the kitchen are concealed within a wall of black veneer joinery. Bespoke blackened steel joinery pulls elevate the everyday experience of this space.

The floor materials throughout the apartment were restricted to a single concept.

A tumbled Carrera marble mosaic was used in the kitchen to match the proportion and the colour of the adjacent oversized tufted wool carpet.