Bold colour palette

If the home is a kind of haven in which to relax after a hard day's work, then the beach house is surely the place where you can play up and splash some colour on the walls.

That, at least, was the attitude of the owners of this beach house, who have a teenage son and share with him a fondness for surfing. When they requested a bold approach to decorating their Victorian-era kitchen, interior designer Thomas Plominski was happy to oblige.

"The owners were after shock value, they wanted to play with fire," Plominski says.

The large Victorian home had a number of original architectural features such as a butler's pantry between the kitchen and dining area. These had to be maintained and enhanced by judicious use of colour and texture if hot pink and pistachio lime walls with bold black-and-white floors can be described as judicious.

"Although both the walls and the floor stand out, they are framed by the extensive white cabinetry in the kitchen, the butler's pantry, and the small information centre to the side of the kitchen," Plominski says.

To contrast with the white cabinetry, an island at the heart of the room has a black painted finish, distressed for a textural look. The Carrara marble benchtop appears to float above its black base.

"The owner loves to cook and entertain friends at the beach house. She wanted a space that would accommodate her guests without compromising her cooking," Plominski says.

Of course no one can ever completely escape their commitments, so Plominski installed a small information station off the kitchen. Here the owner can plug in the laptop and keep an eye on business. Above the desk, wine is stored in diamond-shaped cabinets.

While modern life is catered for, the many and varied traditional aspects of this kitchen have been improved, rather than neglected. For example, the fireplace on the back wall was raised, repanelled and converted to gas so that it can now heat up the room at the touch of a switch.

"Raising the fireplace ensures that more heat is thrown into the room. When it's on there is such a nice, almost old-time feeling of warmth and comfort," Plominski says.

The butler's pantry is a stylish intermediary between the kitchen and the dining room. This area has been updated with a small wine fridge and glass cabinets that display the best china.

Story by: Trendsideas