Upon reflection

Designed by Damian Hannah, German Kitchens

From the designer:

The owners were renovating their beach front property and wanted to design something quite different. They love to entertain and wished for a large kitchen that could accommodate more than one chef at a time, plus they wanted two large 90cm fridges, two dishwashers and two large 90cm ovens for entertaining.

Initially they requested a walk-in scullery but, after investigating the options, I decided that a larger open-plan kitchen would give them a far more functional space that would create more functionality and more workable bench space.

A recess area at the rear of the kitchen has a dumb waiter to bring up the plentiful supplies from downstairs, and the benchtops were continued into this area to create a coffee/microwave nook.

Cabinetry heights and the kitchen window were made specially to continue the line through the kitchen.

The required preparation, wash-up, serving areas and the tall cabinetry and large appliances were set on the south wall away from the all-day sun. The large seating area acts as a servery and computer nook where the owners can Google recipes while sitting in the afternoon sun.

In choosing the finishes, I specified as many gloss aspects as I could so the kitchen would reflect the beautiful sea views and the stunning sunsets.

To further enhance this, I chose a highly reflective, black German glass door and matching wrap-around side panels for the kitchen. This has a built-in recessed handle that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

An exquisite gloss black Titanium Quartzite for the benchtops adds warmth, while high gloss, textural Italian porcelain floor tiles emulate the sand and soil that is outside their doorstep.

Glass splashbacks were the final touch to further enhance the reflective levels and allow the gloss details to really shine within the space.

Story by: Damian Hannah

Photography by: Paul McCredie