Contemporary kitchen echoes architecture of this new home

Positioned between two living-dining zones and close to a large exterior entertainment area, this kitchen needed to be well grounded and present a bold aesthetic to match the home.

This was a driving part of the homeowners' brief to kitchen designer Davinia Sutton when she created the large family kitchen with an equally large concealed scullery running behind.

"Essentially, the owners wanted the kitchen to capture the bold forms and layers evident in the contemporary architecture for example, the architect played with varying stud heights through the interior," says Sutton. "In response we created a layered, folded, two-tone kitchen. This is seen in the stepped island benchtops and in the material layering on the rear-wall."

Together with the high run of dark-stained American Oak cabinets, the long island defines the kitchen zone. The raised white engineered stone benchtop for the seating area waterfalls to the timber-look tile floor, while the lower black granite keeps prepping and clutter out of sight."

On the perimeter wall, the panelling directly above the hob is stepped in from the main wall of cabinets above and to the left, and this central area steps in again to the glass splashback.

"Situated between several living and dining spaces within the open-plan environment, the kitchen always had to always look its best," says Sutton. "This was achieved partly by the use of the large scullery for open storage and messy cooking, and partly by integrating plenty of function into the on-show cabinetry out front."

For example, the owners owned a steam oven and coffee machine in different brands to the sleek Gaggenau ovens on show. So the designer integrated these behind the pocket door to the left of the wall ovens, avoiding a contrast of styles. This large cabinet is balanced by a pantry of similar size on the other side of the kitchen, with a wine fridge directly to the right of that.

However, it's the scullery behind, complete with skylight, that is the workhorse behind this kitchen. The scullery features two large cabinets with sliding doors, separated by shallow, quick-access shelving. There are more shelves on the opposite wall, and the stainless steel benchtop includes an integrated deep fryer.

Directly to the right as you enter the scullery lies the kitchen's secret. A black door in a black wall leads to a custom walk-in fridge, much like a commercial cool store, and used as a pantry.

Story by: Charles Moxham

Photography by: Stephen Goodenough