Blank canvas

Help

Artfully renovated, the kitchen of this city apartment is light, bright and open to 180° views

Minimalist, but not sterile, the kitchen allows the architecture, countertop, floor, flooring, hardwood, house, interior design, kitchen, real estate, wood flooring, brown, white — Minimalist, but not sterile, the kitchen allows the wide-ranging views to take centre srage.

Between kitchen and dining room, the colour scheme dining room, flooring, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, table, gray, brown

Raised cabinetry intergrated into the back of the countertop, house, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray

The relatively compact kitchen features a number of cabinetry, countertop, home appliance, interior design, kitchen, gray, white

Depending on your personal preferences, there can be a number of ways to approach kitchen design. While some people prefer a bright, colourful zone that is an obvious centre for family life, others might prefer their kitchen to subtly recede into the background.

If you have an abundance of views and a home filled with fine art, as the owners of this central-city apartment do, then it is likely you will fall into the latter camp. Located in a boutique 1960s building, the 15th floor apartment was redesigned by Nick Murray and Caroline Loke, from Nicholas Murray Architects. The kitchen, which accents pristine white with the warmth of timber, was designed as a subtle backdrop to the art.

"Before the renovations the apartment's overall atmosphere was quite masculine," says Murray. "However, with the introduction of Tasmanian blackwood floors, the ambience of the room was softened."

While the renovated apartment features a new layout and new components, such as joinery, floors and ceilings, aspects of the existing kitchen did appeal to the homeowners. They saw it as a platform that would accentuate the vivid colours of their comprehensive collection of art and carpets.

"The kitchen is one area of the house where some of the existing cabinetry was retained," says the homeowner. "It's manufactured from Emporite a relatively ageless and durable material so we just decided to add to it. However, the kitchen island was designed for a very tall man, so it was necessary to redesign it to suit our lifestyle."

Another new feature is the leather-upholstered cabinet attached to the island. As well as providing countertop storage for small appliances, and additional storage space on the living room side of the island, the cabinet provides a shield, behind which any clutter can be temporarily hidden.