Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 1 New Zealand | Page 88

Touching
aesthetic
This kitchen offers colour,
texture, and a dedicated
work zone for every task

Previous pages and right: Divide
and rule – this kitchen renovation by
Natalie Du Bois has several dedicated
zones, including a television station
tucked in beside the island. The
mainly two-tone design celebrates
contrast with reflective white
cabinets set alongside stained grey
door panels and dark wood battens
that encase the island and conceal
the ventilation above the cooking
zone. Flos pendant lights over the
island add a delicate touch.

Multiple dedicated work zones and multiple
surface finishes could be tricky to juggle in a
kitchen project. However, it’s just these kinds of
challenges that bring out the best in a designer.
For this project, by designer Natalie Du Bois,
the client wanted a multifunctional kitchen that
would release them from the constraints of their
tired, u-shaped kitchen designed in the eighties.
“By reconfiguring the space occupied by the
existing kitchen and laundry, we were able to
create a number of dedicated work zones – an
area for preparing hot and cold drinks, a private
pantry, and a discreet television area, together
with bar seating and an informal dining area –
while still preserving the laundry,” says Du Bois.
For the overall look and feel, the client
requested a white-themed kitchen contrasted
with dark timber. However, they were open to
using texture and colour to create interest.
“We introduced both in a variety of ways,
including contrasting white lacquered cabinets
with both the horizontal-battened charcoal
stained door panels and the mitred battens that
wrap around the central island.”
In addition, a variety of benchtop materials
was used for the different work zones. Dark
granite on the back bench was chosen to highlight the serene marine green glass tiles on the
splashback above and to allow the hob to blend
in. The pantry is kept clean and minimalist by
the combination of a crisp white engineered
stone benchtop matched with charcoal timber
cabinets and pale green lacquered back panels
and coloured glass.
“We placed emphasis on the island taking
centre stage by using Princess White quartzite
in a textured, leather finish. This stone has soft
green tones that pick up on the sea green of the
splashback directly behind the island,” she says.
The natural wood floor grounds the twotone design, while the shiny stainless steel
toekicks complement the tapware and ovens.

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