In with the new

Designed by Kate Gardham, Suede + Stone

From the designer:

This penthouse apartment in Remuera has stunning views across the Waiatarua Reserve, towards Mt Hobson and the twinkling city lights beyond. 

It hasn’t been touched since it was originally built in the early 2000s – so, it was out with the old and with the new. 

The kitchen is located on the back wall of the open-plan dining and living zone and was their starting point for the renovation.  

The kitchen was situated to take in the views, but it was not without challenges. 

There were so many angles to work with. 

I think this is probably the trickiest space I have had to work in and on top of that there were firewalls, voids running up through the multiple levels of this apartment block for the plumbing and electrical, ducting etc. 

This was on 2 sides and meant we were not able to straighten these walls and had to work with the existing footprint for the plumbing and electrical key spots.  

The only exception was extending the kitchen to include a bar area into the dining room.

Now a statement in the room, the kitchen has been designed to accommodate both daily functionality and the requirements of frequent entertaining.

The kitchen incorporates a hidden breakfast/ appliance pantry and plenty of dry food storage with the Blum space tower. 

It also contains a dishwasher, beverage centre, and both open & closed storage. 

The owners love the appliance pantry where the door can be closed off to hide any mess after their morning breakfast or cups of teas during the day.

Gaggenau appliances were a key requirement to this design brief along with being able to fit in a large number of appliances in a small kitchen that would work with the length of the angled walls we were governed by.

In response, we took from the dining room, allowed us to get three Gaggenau (wine fridge, fridge and freezer) stacked side by side.

The owners love to cook and enjoyed cooking food styles form around the world – hence, the hob consisted of Gaggenau Tepankai plate, Single Gas + and electrical grill combo so they could create their cuisine dishes authentically. 

We wrapped the surrounding walls of the cooking area in Antique white granite, which makes wiping down easy and keeping this space open and angular meant that there was a generous space to land a pot and having condiments laid out on the bench either side of the hob while cooking.

The bar area we included in the new kitchen design was an essential part of the brief, as the owners entertain large groups often. 

A request for something special was delivered by adding ambient strip lighting to the open timber shelving and aluminium framed reeded glass doors for storing the alcohol stylishly and safely below.

Having the bar situated on the end of the kitchen meant that guests could pop in to make themselves a quick drink while preparation and cooking in the kitchen continues uninterrupted. 

Creating these little zones means multiple people can be in the kitchen at any given time.

The owners have a large outdoor covered deck, so they love to sit out there for eating, drinks and entertainment as well as to soak up those views. 

Thy requested that no valuable space be taken for seating on the island and this allowed us to create this beautiful sculptural curved stone island.

To soften all the angled walls, we introduced the curved end on the island you see when walking into the kitchen.  

This was tricky to manufacture as a first-time attempt and we achieved this by cutting the stone into small strips, which were joined and followed the curve of the substrate and then polished to create a seamless curve in the stone.

Quality reigns throughout and adds a sense of luxury, with the timber, granite and decorative mouldings used in this kitchen. 

Creating a contemporary feel with traditional touches was important for the retired couple.

The timber colour choices for the flooring and cabinetry were made around the Antique white granite benchtop stone the homeowners fell in love with on one of our trips. 

I also took into consideration, that there was no natural light or windows in this kitchen, however, I just knew it had to be soft and light. 

To create texture and depth we used travertine finger tiles and a custom curved reeded exterior for the power pack.

A beautiful balance of colour, light and texture enhances the space – creating a bespoke entertainer’s kitchen.

Designed by: Suede + Stone

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: Lucinda Moris and Wayne Viljoen, Fabit Photography