Facebook Tweet Help Stories New Home Striped marble island and benchtops in contemporary kitchen by Mal Corboy Share Tweet Help Large contemporary kitchen with striped zebrino marble, pearl-blasted oak cabinets, black appliances and black sink and tapware Before image of a U-shaped kitchen that occupied a small corner of a family living space, and was not conducive to socialising. A new kitchen designed by Mal Corboy replaced this. Always in the kitchen at parties that's where you'll find everyone these days, with good reason. The modern kitchen is the hub for both entertaining and family life.The existing kitchen in this home, however, was rather bashful. Built in a U shape, it was tucked away in the corner of a large living space, with the cook somewhat isolated. In fact, with the cooktop on the rear wall, the hosts had to turn their backs to guests when cooking.Designer Mal Corboy was commissioned to create a more social kitchen a contemporary design with plenty of the wow factor."The original kitchen did not really do the house justice," the designer says. "Not only did the space require a larger kitchen it also needed a lot more drama." Striped zebrino marble features on the long island and benchtops in this new kitchen designed by Mal Corboy. The marble, which was coated to provide a nonporous surface, is teamed with pearl-blasted oak veneer. Corboy says the design of the new kitchen was inspired by a beautiful and unusual zebrino marble he had found, which became the piéce de resistance."I had put the stone on hold, waiting for an opportunity to use it. It has a great texture and the stripes give it a strong linear look. For this project, I teamed it with a pearl-blasted oak veneer. This treatment removes the soft grain of the timber, allowing the harder, more prominent grain to feature. It's a very textural surface that is in keeping with current design trends the highly lacquered glossy look is giving way to more textured finishes."Corboy wrapped the cabinetry down one long wall and around a corner to create a partially hidden scullery area. A marble-clad island with a large work surface incorporates a breakfast table at one end. The oak of the table appears to slice through the marble on the island unifying the two elements."We positioned the cooktop on the island so the owners can socialise while preparing meals. With the sink on the perimeter benchtop, there is ample room for more than one person to work in the kitchen at the same time." A bank of four black Smeg ovens is positioned at the end of this new kitchen. Designer Mal Corboy says he avoided using stainless steel in the kitchen even the sink and taps are black, and the handle on the beverage centre. A custom-designed rangehood with a Smeg powerpack is wrapped in backpainted glass in a copper metallic shade this also appears on the splashbacks."The position of the hood makes a feature of a change in ceiling height," says Corboy. "And the copper metallic finish helps to reflect light in the room. This is especially useful in the corner of the kitchen, which is on the darker, south side of the house. The metallic paint on the splashback, and LED lighting under each shelf, ensure this area is bright and cheerful. We also ran the backpainted glass along the toekicks and added LED lighting to these as well."Unlike many modern kitchens, there is no stainless steel on show. The sink and the taps are black, as is an industrial-style pendant. The designer also specified black appliances there are four black Smeg ovens at the end of the kitchen. And the recessed pulls for the drawers are in black. Other appliances are fully integrated to maintain visual continuity. Credit list Kitchen designer Mal Corboy FRSA, CKD, PDINZ, Cabinetry Pearl-blased oak veneer Benchtops Marble from SCE Stone and Design Sink Franke Ovens Smeg multifunction, steam oven and microwave oven Ventilation Smeg Dishwasher Smeg, fully integrated Flooring Natural oak from Hydrawood Floor Systems Kitchen manufacturer Superior Kitchens Hardware Hettich; ArciTech Anthracite; Blum Aventos Servo Drive Splashback and glass Image Glass Taps Franke; KWC Cooktop Askö Refrigerator Miele, fully integrated Water dispensers Billi Lighting Pendant from ECC Lighting Story by: Colleen Hawkes 30 Apr, 2015 New Home Hettich Design with premium Hettich hardware Blum REVEGO Pocket systems for new space concepts Trendsideas Home kitchen bathroom commercial design Latest Post Stone, wood and metal 17 Nov, 2024 Memories of the Alhambra 17 Nov, 2024 Who won? – 2024 TIDA Homes awards results announced 17 Nov, 2024 We know the Specialists Related Book More Books > Home Trends Vol. 31/6 Trends Home brings you the best homes, kitchens and bathrooms, both local and international. Each issue is packed with g... Read More Similar Stories