Cultural imperative

Parent-children connections in terms of cooking, flow and conviviality were to the fore in this all-points-considered kitchen designed for a Greek/Australian family

The designer/family kitchen had to be a 'showstopper'

The butler’s pantry is designed for prepping and

The 'cocktail bar' features a full height brass

The compartmentalised display shelving can be screened from

The distinctive pendant over the dining area is

The gift wrapping station is seen at the

The lighter walnut interiors contrast the Coal Seam

The alluring benchtop is in Cote D'Azur stone

The island bench needed to be capable of

The mini workstation/office complete with ball seat was

The new laundry can be accessed from the

Designed by Penny del Castillo, Studio del Castillo

From the designer:

Design rationale/owner brief

Our modern Australian / Greek heritage homeowners – whose very culture celebrates strong family bonds and the important values of entertaining around food and food preparation – were the catalyst for many of the design decisions and direction taken to deliver this design.

There was a conscientious call to action for family physical & emotional connectivity from the parents for their three teenage children – in that they would all be in and out of the kitchen space at various times of the day and night, to suit the ever-changing schedules of young adolescents and family dynamics.

The space needed to be:

Intimate yet spacious
Streamlined but not minimal
A “showstopper” to meet clients sophisticated standards and savvy design insight
Above all else, the kitchen needed to be the heart of this home

General design

Large family kitchen and separate butler’s pantry for prep and everyday cooking
Access to laundry for ease of household chores & doggy escape door for the pooch to come and go freely
Ambient feeling of family coming together (specifically the custom designed organic shaped 10-seater dining table – intended not to have a head of the table so all family members or guests are seen as equal)

Multi-purpose areas for various tasks

Mini workstation – fit ball seat to keep core in check while taking care of running the house & educational accounts
Gift wrapping station - a critical process & necessary obligation to the tradition of generosity
Cocktail bar – slide open the full height brass mesh screen to reveal the timber interior filled with the evening’s potential creations

All of the above are centred around the only dining table in the house to ensure the family generations are constantly communicating & coming together

Other features

Island bench to be capable of being used as grazing station for parties
State of the art cooking appliances
A touch of glamour without being ostentatious
Retractable pocket doors which have lighter walnut interiors, sliding doors and deep wide drawers were utilised to conceal the working mess, appliances and everyday activities that could quickly hide away