Contemporary upmarket kitchen suits renovated villa setting

Dark meets lights and smooth meets textured in this light filled family kitchen that celebrates contrasts a walk in scullery is to one side

Balance is key to the serenity of this countertop, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, black, white — Balance is key to the serenity of this kitchen. Dark contrasts with white, and the smooth honed marble of the countertops is also in textural contrast with the planked American Oak wire-brushed veneer on island and side cabinets. Another balancing act was creating the feature rangehood at a size that worked with the window proportions without losing its own impact.

The stepped island cabinetry and countertop together accommodate architecture, chair, floor, furniture, house, interior design, product design, table, white

On this new kitchen by designer Morgan Cronin architecture, countertop, house, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, gray

Detailing was important to assimilating this new kitchen architecture, countertop, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, gray, teal

The look is refined and simple on this countertop, floor, interior design, kitchen, gray

This walk-in scullery continues the look of the countertop, interior design, kitchen, gray, black

An effective kitchen design will reflect balance in form, tone and texture as well as fitting into the bigger design picture.

This large family kitchen with walk-in scullery by designer Morgan Cronin has been designed in conjunction with a substantial renovation of a double storey villa.

"In terms of looks, the owners wanted a contemporary aesthetic that combined timber, satin lacquer, marble and Corian," says Cronin. "The kitchen also had to both stand out as a feature and at the same time work well with its wider surroundings."

As the kitchen is a social hub for the family, the owners also requested seating at the island for four or preferably five.

The combination of the dark-stained, textured wire-brushed planked oak with honed white marble results in a classic-meets-contemporary look. These high-end finishes, contrasting texture and tone, ideally suit the renovation of the older home.

"To assimilate the new kitchen into its surroundings, we proportioned the wall cabinetry to be neatly framed by the nib walls and bulkheads," says the designer. "To further integrate the spaces, the traditional scotia continues from the living and dining room into the kitchen."

Similarly, the feature black 2.4m-wide custom extractor is designed to suit the proportions of the large kitchen window.

"However, it was a fine balancing act here as the rangehood needed to make a strong statement to ensure it wouldn't be lost in the mass of windows," says Cronin. "At the same time it had to be fine enough to not impede morning sun flowing into the kitchen or inhibit the view out to the kids playing in the backyard and pool."

And the kitchen is as hard-working as it is attractive and in keeping.

The large fridges and dishwasher are integrated into the cabinetry, with two more dishwashers located in the scullery.

The generous space available allows for the simple luxury of the chef being able to stroll out of sight into the well-equipped workspace around the corner.

Cabinetry interiors feature advanced hardware and compartmentalised storage while some have interior lighting.

Credit list

Cabinetry

Kitchen Planked American Oak Wire Brushed Veneer from Prime Panels, Black Wash stain by Wallace Furniture; scullery MREO MDF by Prime Panels with a two-pot satin polyurethane finish to match Resene Sea Fog by Wallace Furniture Finishers