Take the subtle approach to your kitchen design
Don’t use aggressively patterned materials – let the beauty of nature come through in the food being prepared, advises architect Nils Finne
When it comes to selecting materials for a kitchen design, architect Nils Finne has a strong preference to keep it subtle.
“There’s whole life to a kitchen that comes from the activity that happens in there,” he says. “The beauty of nature comes through in the food being prepared – if you have dominating or aggressively patterned materials, you can end up with visual chaos.”
The family kitchen shown here is a good example of Finne’s approach, with an island that’s clad in subtly patterned engineered quartz set against a backdrop of light rift oak cabinetry.
![Centrally located to form the social hub of architecture, timber ceiling, dining room, urniture, interior design, laminate flooring, wood flooring, Nils Finne, Finne Architects](https://res.cloudinary.com/trends-publishing/image/upload/dpr_1.0,g_center,w_1280/f_auto,q_auto:best/NZ3501NilsFinne%E2%80%93305656189-03.jpg)
But subtle doesn’t have to be boring.
Finne injects a sense of drama to the 3.6m-long island by cantilevering it at both ends and floating a 2.5cm-thick glass breakfast counter on the front.
“The counter is set at a typical table height of 76cm instead of the usual breakfast bar height. Many people feel more comfortable sitting in a dining chair rather than a bar stool”
![The kitchen is located centrally on the back architecture, home, house, outdoors, pool, Nils Finne, Finne Architecture](https://res.cloudinary.com/trends-publishing/image/upload/dpr_1.0,g_center,w_1280/f_auto,q_auto:best/NZ3501NilsFinne%E2%80%93305656189-02.jpg)
Lighting injects even more drama at night, with flush floor fittings uplighting the glass counter, while above the island is a custom designed, blackened steel light fixture which complements the island’s form.
At 8.5m wide and with a suite of professional appliances, the kitchen is designed for owners who are serious cooks. Plus there’s a very large, adjacent walk-in pantry.
The kitchen is located centrally on the back wall of the long linear home. In front is a dining area which can open to the pool through two 3m x 2.4m sliding glass doors, so it virtually becomes an outdoor space.
Credit list
Architect
Interior paint
Countertop
Sink
Ventilation
Refrigeration
Breakfast bar chairs
Story by: Paul Taylor
Photography by: Tom Bonner
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