Making a statement

One successful way to capture the attention is to try something that's a bit different. In the kitchen, this may involve mixing colours, styles or materials.

For Damian Hannah, kitchen designer at German Kitchens, this was achieved by coming up with an ultra-modern kitchen design with black glass cabinetry and benchtops, and teaming it with appliances from the Smeg collection.

"Smeg's retro-style refrigerator-freezer in bright red jumps right off the page, particularly when it's set against a black background," says Hannah.

With storage capacity for 330 litres of fresh and frozen food, adjustable glass shelves and automatic defrost, this refrigerator/freezer has all the mod cons, but with 50s styling. It is also available in a range of other colours.

The kitchen has been designed with two islands, so Hannah chose a Smeg 100cm-wide stainless steel gas cooktop and balanced it with a Smeg stainless steel sink, located on the opposite island.

"It's unusual to find a sink and cooktop from the same appliance company, and in this case it means they have matching details, which looks good and simplifies the design," he says.

The cooktop, with four heavy-duty trivets, features red accents on its rear illuminated controls. This detail helps to tie it in with the refrigerator.

Teamed with the cooktop, to remove odours and steam, is Smeg's stainless steel Vertigo double designer island rangehood. This new hood features electronic soft-touch controls, six halogen lights, four speeds, and two motors to provide an efficient extraction system.

To create a kitchen that doesn't feel dominated by its appliances, yet has everything that's needed, Hannah selected Smeg's 90cm-wide integrated horizontal dishwasher with a black glass front face that matches the cabinetry. This model is installed below bench height, making access for loading and unloading easy.

Complementing this is a 60cm-wide oven from Smeg's Linea series. Its black glass front also integrates seamlessly with the kitchen's black glass finishes. Features include electronic controls, ergonomic controls and handle, and a wide range of cooking and defrost functions.

"The black-on-black finish looks amazing and really ensures the retro red fridge stands out. I do think it is better to have only one or two appliances making a strong statement otherwise the design can be overwhelmed," says the designer.

For more information on these and other Smeg appliances, visit the Applico website: www.applico.co.nz.

Story by: Damian Hannah