Colourful kitchen with character elements

Etched metal, a 120 year old slab of hardwood and vibrant colours all come together to bring this character kitchen to life. The design even evokes the owner's profession in an interesting way!

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The overhead cupboards on the back wall are

The owner didn't want a 'beige kitchen and

The hanging storage/display mesh-sided shelving above the kitchen

To give the kitchen dimension, the backwall was

The kitchen includes a corner herb garden complete

The kitchen is centrally set between two outdoor

The creation of a walk-in pantry with the

To give the informal meeting area a strong

Designed by Stefan Sonntag, Design Sonntag

From the designer:

The initial brief was quite short and brief:

‘Give me a kitchen that doesn’t look like a normal kitchen, and I don’t do beige’.

The kitchen had to have lots of character, fitting to the personality of the owners.

On further discussions with the owner, we established, that while the kitchen is mainly used by two people, it had to have the ability to function for family gatherings as well as entertaining several guests.

The creation of a walk-in pantry with the main fridge was the result of this requirement, while the kitchen just has a small bar fridge for the daily needs of two.

To give the informal meeting area a strong emphasis, a 120-year old Canadian Oregon was used for the bar top – a recycled timber from a building that the family had a strong connection to.

This space functions as the hub and – together with the herb garden on the other side of the kitchen – it forms the anchor point between the two outdoor seating areas.

As a homage to the owner’s profession, the hanging cupboards above the kitchen island resemble the crayfish pots he uses. The overhead cupboards on the backwall are painted in different greens and made in different heights and depths – a remembrance of the view seen from the boat when returning to the rugged coastline of Milford Sound.

To give the kitchen dimension, the backwall was framed in a u-channel mild steel.

The cedar fins work as a connection between ceiling and kitchen and allow the light to cast shadows onto the benchtop and splashback, creating different patterns throughout the day.

To achieve a unique look, the mild steel splashback was treated with acid and exposed over weeks to the elements.