What lies beyond two kitchens in one

Social kitchens are the norm today, so it makes a refreshing change to see a project that takes a different approach to contemporary design.

This kitchen, designed by Clive Champion, is in fact two kitchens a glamorous front-of-house area and a hard-working scullery tucked away out of sight of the living area.

"The owners didn't want to expose the large living space to the cooking process and the associated clutter, steam and odours, so all the food preparation takes place in the second kitchen," says Champion. "This is concealed behind a large sliding black glass door, which is framed on either side by matching glass panels."

In contrast, the front kitchen with its Calacatta marble island is dedicated to entertaining. There are bar stools and bar facilities, which include a wine refrigerator and additional refrigerator drawer for drinks within easy reach of the island. The designer also added a small sink to the rear wall of this kitchen.

An island-style peninsula reinforces the black and white theme introduced by the glass. Here a black wood veneer shelving unit wraps around the white cabinetry.

"When viewed from the living room, the unit is a little like a Mondrian painting, with monochromatic rather than multicoloured panels," the designer says.

The same material and colour palette continues in the second kitchen, where the black glass extends around the sides of the cabinets beside the door. The fronts have a high-gloss lacquered finish.

"Two full-height vertical pantries positioned on either side of a Sub-Zero refrigerator, ensure there is no shortage of storage in this kitchen," says Champion. "We also added an additional vertical pantry next to the bank of Wolf ovens, and tall spice drawers on the far side of the appliances."

Flush white lacquered cabinets on the perimeter wall reinforce the clean-lined, contemporary architecture. The drawers have French aluminium box-grip handles, and like all the cabinets they feature Blum hardware and storage systems. Blum Aventos lift-up doors were specified for all the overhead cabinets, providing easy access to stored items.

Champion says just as the owner wanted top-of-the-line hardware, the appliances too reflect the latest technology advances. These include an induction cooktop and a Qasair ventilation unit that is rebated into the bottom of the overhead unit so it is largely concealed from view.

French oak parquetry floors offset the visual crispness of the black and white, keeping the interior warm and inviting.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes

Photography by: Andrew Ashton