Rolling with it

This balanced kitchen captures the natural feel of its Waiheke Island location while its island is on discreet castors for easy relocation

The main goal was to create a contemporary

The tall cupboards to the left align with

Where's the island gone? - Rolling with it

To carry the natural elements from the exterior

The penetrating oil resulted in a deep dark

The warm golden oak flooring contrasts against the

Horizontal plays against vertical. - Rolling with it

Understated Archant handles contrast the dark cabinetry and

Close up of cabinetry construction. - Rolling with

Designed by Sarah Jennings, Carlielle Kitchens

From the designer:

The main goal was to create a contemporary clean-lined kitchen, but to also introduce aspects of the homeowner's love for nature and their outdoor Waiheke Island surroundings through texture and materiality.

Originally, the kitchen layout was intended to be an ‘L’ shape, with an island.

However, in the process of designing the kitchen it was clear that the wall between the kitchen and dining was protruding too far out into the kitchen, and was partially cutting the kitchen off from the living & dining areas.

In response, we reduced this wall as much as we could, and re-designed the kitchen to be along one wall with an island bench.

The compromise of losing some storage was not a concern in that the owner, being the only occupant of the home, did not require a large amount of cabinetry.

We discussed the options of having a symmetrical or asymmetrical layout to the back wall and decided on offsetting the tall cupboards to the left to align with the ceiling pitch.

The extractor box to the right of the kitchen then adds some vertical weight to balance with the tall cabinetry.

The homeowner requested that the kitchen island be moveable, offering both spatial freedom and additional practicality.

While the island adds vital storage and benchtop space, it also allows the homeowner the flexibility of using the island in the kitchen or moving it into the living/dining areas to open up the floor space for entertaining.

The wheels to the base of the island are concealed so that while the Island acts as a trolley, it doesn’t look like one when in situ.

The owner requested a shelf & power point in the pantry to have small appliances, to eliminate the need for these to sit on the bench.

A Hafele docking drawer was added to the space tower to meet this requirement.

To carry the natural elements from the exterior surroundings into the home, we used natural timber finishes.

The warm golden oak flooring contrasts the brushed black stained veneer which has been detailed with a vertical v groove to replicate the vertical cedar found outside the house.

Having used Vidaspace flooring and WOCA oil finishes on the exterior, the homeowner fell in love with the idea of using the same suppliers with regards to the kitchen cabinetry.

The penetrating oil resulted in a deep dark black finish, while having a very low sheen and even colouring.