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This kitchen's distinctive island addresses aesthetic and practical considerations

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, laminate flooring, property, real estate, room, wood, wood flooring, gray, orange — View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, white cabinets and marble detailing.

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, interior design, kitchen, laminate flooring, living room, property, real estate, room, wood, wood flooring, orange

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, apartment, ceiling, dining room, home, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, table, gray

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, cabinetry, countertop, interior design, kitchen, gray

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, countertop, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, cabinetry, countertop, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, real estate, wood flooring, orange, white

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, property, real estate, room, gray, orange

View of contemporary kitchen with light wooden flooring, ceiling, countertop, estate, flooring, interior design, kitchen, property, real estate, white

Contemporary kitchen - Contemporary kitchen - cabinetry | cabinetry, countertop, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, wood flooring, orange, gray

Interior view of this modern kitchen - Interior cabinetry, countertop, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, laminate flooring, property, real estate, room, wood flooring, orange, gray, brown

One of the tricks of effective interior design is to turn a potential negative into a standout positive. Where a kitchen area is pushed for space, for example, shaping an element to optimise efficiency can create a surprising, dramatic feature.

This kitchen forms part of a home built in the 1940s and revamped in the 1980s. That renovation had its own shortcomings and this contemporary refit, by designer Royston Wilson, has addressed these.

"Initially the kitchen was in a wide U shape and doubled as a through space from the rear entrance to the family room. The layout resulted in constant interruptions when people were cooking and required a lot of traversing to reach the various work areas."

Interior view of this modern kitchen cabinetry, countertop, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, laminate flooring, property, real estate, room, wood flooring, orange, gray, brown — Interior view of this modern kitchen

In this renovation, the entrance was moved away from the kitchen, avoiding the need for people to traipse through it. The relocation meant the workspace could be reconsidered along more practical lines.

"At first we considered a curved peninsula island but the need to access appliances in particular the two large refrigerators required a more open layout," says Wilson. "After accessibility was considered, the remaining space led us to a wedge-shaped configuration and the feature was born."

Overall, the kitchen now has a larger appearance, improved connection to the adjacent room and, at the same time, has more tightly grouped work triangles.

Contemporary kitchen cabinetry, countertop, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, wood flooring, orange, gray — Contemporary kitchen

In addition to an improved layout, the clients wanted the new space to reflect their love of stone hence the prominent use of onyx. The cabinets are in neutral tones to allow the Volcano onyx to take centre stage.

"We also introduced zones of use, with the kitchen proper finishing at the tower of ovens, and the entertaining area set beyond, closer to the living area," says Wilson. "Another request was for the new kitchen to be easy to maintain handleless drawers and the strong stone counters and splashback were the solution."