Australia Kitchen and Bathroom Trends AU Kitchen and Bathroom Trends Vol. 30/8 | Page 69

Character study Country, with an urban edge – this kitchen in a new house on a rural property offers the best of both worlds Natural, raw materials are typically featured in country homes, but this new kitchen takes a somewhat different approach. Rather than designing a kitchen with a lot of natural warm timber, Guy Shallard of Formatt Bespoke Joinery chose to frame key elements in raw concrete and structural steel. Shallard says the owners came from a large, traditional country house, and although they wanted a modern home, they didn’t want to sacrifice all sense of tradition. “The design was always going to be a balance,” he says. “We needed to provide every modern convenience and crisp materials and finishes, but it was also important to keep some traditional references.” The designer says that the architecture helps – the gabled roofs are reminiscent of a traditional country house. The high raked ceilings also allow a very spacious, airy interior. “When it came to the use of materials, I took my cue from the house, which features a lot of steel. I incorporated this into the kitchen. Here, it forms a decorative front to drawers on the long island. The steel was finished with iron paste – the treatment was rubbed on Facing page: Solid concrete frames the 5.4m-long island in this kitchen in a new country house, designed by Guy Shallard. The light industrial look is reinforced by blackened structural steel drawers within the island. Drawers below the benchtop are in white lacquer. Above: The kitchen has a sense of symmetry. However, one end of the island is elevated with a granite surface that serves as a bar top. search | save | share at my.trendsideas.com 67