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Open-plan living tends to bring the family together even when they're engaging in different activities. This trend often influences contemporary design.

The owners of this home wanted a kitchen where members of their family could gather for meals. They also wanted to be able to supervise the children's homework while preparing the evening meal.

Designer Morgan Cronin's brief was to create a kitchen featuring stainless steel benchtops and dark wood cabinetry. He was also asked to include the owners' existing refrigerator and microwave.

The focal point of the kitchen is the uplit floating island. Cronin says having the island floating off the floor visually reduces its bulkiness and softens the impact it has on the surrounding space.

Because Cronin was brought in at an early stage of construction, he was able to have the plumbing and electrical connections positioned so they could be concealed in the 80mm-wide legs of the island.

Within a 50mm space are waste and water pipes, halogen lights, and gas and electrical connections.

Installation of the island proved to be challenge, says Cronin. "The island was in one piece because I didn't want any joins in it. It took six men to lift it off the truck. We laid it upside down, next to its final position, so we could install the steel reinforcing beams and cabinetry. We then rolled the island over into its final resting place."

Chocolate-stained Victorian white ash cabinetry was used, complementing the owners' black refrigerator. To lighten the heavy effect, frosted glass was used to accentuate the lift-up cabinetry doors above the hob area.

"The floor is also Victorian white ash, ensuring there is consistency in texture, but also lightening the effect of the dark timber," says Cronin.

The kitchen was originally designed as a galley kitchen. But to meet the owners' need for extra storage space, the island and hob area were reduced in size to make way for crockery cabinets.

By using frosted glass on the cabinets, balance between the refrigerator and pantry areas, and symmetry between the hob and island areas was retained. The cabinets also form a wall, hiding the sliding door from the kitchen to the entranceway.

The height of the tall cabinetry was designed to suit the lift-up doors above the hob area. The bulkhead above it provides a ceiling for the sliding door track to slot into.

Story by: Trendsideas