Individualistic kitchen design provides seamless workflow even when entertaining

Flooded with natural light, this glamour-meets-semi-industrial kitchen opens up to its outdoor setting – however, there are subtle demarcations of operation

In this kitchen, the prep bench with its ceiling, countertop, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray — In this kitchen, the prep bench with its stainless steel top, slatted storage shelf and wicker baskets provides a perfect complement to the large, rustic flagstone floors.

A mitred granite benchtop with waterfall ends is ceiling, countertop, interior design, kitchen, gray

A low timber shelf on this kitchen’s cooking countertop, interior design, kitchen, gray

Hardwood ceilings extend past this home’s exterior walls countertop, interior design, kitchen, gray

To avoid possible issues of mismatched sizes when architecture, ceiling, countertop, daylighting, estate, house, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray, brown

Luxurious welcome – this individualistic kitchen by Bristol dining room, furniture, interior design, table, gray

The popular stratagem ‘divide and rule’ has been applied to this glamorous kitchen project.

Designer Sandra Gjesdahl says a foremost driver for the owners was to have a space with a seamless workflow, and that included creating a subtle boundary to keep guests engaged but outside the work zone.

“We designed the furniture-look prep island and cooking island alongside to work together as an understated barrier but with plenty of room at front and back – so dinner guests can casually help prep or chat with the chef without ever actually stepping into the kitchen.

”At the same time, Gjesdahl kept the messiest aspects of kitchen life well out of sight of guests.

“The scullery sink and clean-up area are on the opposite side of the kitchen, right under the large bifold windows – making the most of the natural light in this area.

“To accentuate the lightness of the space, we avoided introducing upper cabinetry,” Gjesdahl says.

“Instead, we included a central hanging shelf for dishes, turning a practical feature into an aesthetic one.

”The kitchen forms part of a remote, off-grid home and this influenced the look of the project, too, albeit in rather an unexpected way.

“Given its location, there was limited access to local artisans or local materials and this lack of ready resources meant outsourcing some things,” says the designer.

“So with fabricated elements sourced both in-house and abroad we sought to avoid issues that might arise from dimensions not aligning on site. This led us to create several zones as freestanding elements.”

As a result, the scullery sink and flanking cabinets, the prep island and cook island are all stand-alone, unaffected by adjacent structures. To achieve the glamour-meets-industrial chic look, Gjesdahl created several feature elements.

“The rangehood is supported with polished stainless jewel-like prongs, adding a touch of elegance,” she says.

“Similarly, custom supports were designed for the suspended shelf and benchtop bar on the front island.

”Other features are the rich hardwood ceiling, the flagstone floors, the mitred waterfall granite bench on the cooking island – complementing the weight of the range – and the eye-catching chandeliers over the adjacent dining table.

An outdoor kitchen of a similar calibre is just a few steps away across the terrace.