Innovations and emotions

Designed by Dean Humphrey, Humphrey Homes

From the designer:

Design statement

The 555m² home is a master in contrasts and the kitchen was purposely designed to be synonymous with the home's marriage of history with innovation to provide a strong emotional connection.

The kitchen is located at the rear of the home, which features contemporary architecture that is in stark contrast to the front of the home, which echoes the original 1950s design.

What the homeowner wanted

• An entertainment hub with the kitchen connecting visually, materiality and physically to the outdoors for a year-round alfresco lifestyle
• A sense of privacy mixed with hints of anticipation to other areas of the home, particularly the dining area
• An innovative and welcoming wine cellar that is open and accessible, not in keeping with traditional design which is generally delivered with a closed feel and deliberately hidden
• Integrated scullery, laundry and craft workspace that is semi-private in relation to the main part of the home but still accessible to the day-to-day function of the kitchen and adjacent living areas
• Areas to showcase personal effects, including family collectables and statement art pieces
• A textural and inviting space that evoked feelings of warmth as opposed to a stark and minimalist design

How we delivered – highlights and innovations

• A large galley style kitchen that directly connects the alfresco via double stacker doors
• Scullery in brushed nickel finish
• Repurposing the family's heirloom dining table into a tiered breakfast bar and staining it black to match the steel elements in the home and took off the legs (as they would be too cumbersome in the kitchen) and then cantilevered the table from the stone benchtop with steel supports
• Creating a bespoke and thermally controlled 3.2m wine wall using recycled bricks, reeded and clear glass and steel with custom made handles, pivot mechanism and tasting shelf
• Dedicated 'entertainment' and 'appliance' zones with the entertaining area purposely located near the dining space
• Active cocktail/bar hub features a zip water cooler with sparkling water and hanging hooks for wine and champagne glasses (the rails are sprayed black to match the steel elements in the remaining of the home)
• Appliance cluster for day-to-day use and access, separate from the entertainment zone

• Creating a visual feature with the fridge, standalone bar and custom made 3.6m steel sculpture divider – creating a semi-block to the dining area but still allowing a sense of intrigue and visual permeability
• Modern dresser/sideboard installed flat and made from steel with glass panels to protect and showcase personal effects
• Colour palette deliberately introduced warmth and soul to the home with contrasting 2 Pac cabinetry – White/ Dark Ink Green / Black 5% finish (matt finish)
• Utility room with desk, direct outdoor access plus window highlights that connect visually to the study – the utility room provides the perfect and private segue to the scullery and laundry area, also with direct outdoor access
• Recycled bricks to some of the internal walls of the kitchen entry including the feature wine wall (part of 6,000 bricks re-used in total)
• 3.6m ceilings
• Roasted peet timber floor for a warm look to the but that didn’t have too much red base, as it would clash with the recycled brickwork

Designed by: Humphrey Homes

Story by: Trendsideas