Hamptons charm

Designed by Damian Hannah, German Kitchens

From the kitchen designer:

The homeowner was renovating an old Lockwood beach house and wanted a kitchen reminiscent of a Hampton style which is light, bright and whitewashed with a sophisticated yet beachy vibe. 

The old kitchen was cramped, undesigned and lacked creativity and warmth.

As the kitchen was very much a part of their main living area, we wanted a new kitchen that would act as both the cooking space and mainly for the entertaining as being a beach house they frequent the home for the holidays and festive periods so they were always accommodating large groups, family and socialising endlessly. 

My idea was to design an island the length of the room and work this in with the dining table to create a continuous spring board that led you outdoors onto the large deck and beach access.

The kitchen work triangle was established at the far end of the kitchen away from the dining area with the large entertainer’s fridge, double ovens, gas cooktop and main sink all in a line which allowed the large entertaining island and plating/drinks area to be free for socialising and entertaining. 

I also designed a hidden pocket door appliance nook for morning coffee and small appliances opposite the breakfasts bar so guests can make coffees and drinks without interfering within the kitchen space.

For maximum socialising and entertaining I also added a pass through to the large lounge and a bi-folding window the back deck and built an external matching benchtop to connect to the barbecue area.

To achieve the desired Hampton style, I specified a hand-grade bespoke timber floor from Holland that adds an organic undulating natural warm timber to the beachy feel, with some of the planks being an amazing 500mm width x 3m length.

I whitewashed all of the existing old natural Lockwood timber from the ceilings and walls to brighten the space and chose a solid timber framed door for the cabinetry to allow a square and structured variant from the strong lineal lines the existing Lockwood and new flooring created. 

The cabinetry was specified in an Alpine white to create the Hampton style and the accents to the kitchen were in an Anthracite to contrast the colours, so we selected the handles, tapware and appliances in the same finish. 

To connect it all together we handpicked the Neolith Calacatta Luxe benchtops which ties all of the elements together with the white, brown and anthracite tones creating the perfect harmony.

A 70mm frame was chosen as the best size for the structured cabinet doors as the existing Lockwood panelling was 140mm so we halved this which was the best visually. 

We continued the 70mm on the kickboard and benchtop thickness – the detailed posts on the island were also designed at 70mm to stay in uniform with everything.

The owner was quite specific that they wanted a free-standing fridge freezer as they believed that the beach house gets very warm and the ability for the fridge to cool itself would be better should the appliance be free-standing. 

The gas cooktop was also designed to fit according to the NZ Gas Regulations with the correct distances away from the sides and backs and in the perfect location for maximum extraction.

Designed by: Damian Hannah, German Kitchens

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Paul McCredie