Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 4 New Zealand | Page 84

It’s often what you can’t see
at first glance that spells the
difference between a stand-out
kitchen and an average one.
For this new kitchen,
designed by owner-architect
Michael Drescher of DKO
Architecture, it’s a combination of high functionality and
the innovative use of materials
that set the space apart.
Drescher says he had
plenty of time to plan the new

kitchen, as he had rented the
house for many years, and
only recently bought it.
“The original kitchen was
very impractical, and tucked
away behind a wall,” he says.
“It wasn’t a place you wanted
to be in, and it wasn’t at all
suited to entertaining. My
partner and I love to entertain, whether it’s friends over
for a casual lunch or massive,
formal dinners.”

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Opening up the kitchen to
the main living area was the
first priority. And aesthetics
were just as important as high
functionality.
“I conceived the kitchen
as a beautiful piece of joinery
in the room,” Drescher says.
“When all the cabinets are
closed, it appears very black
and monochromatic.”
The architect specified
dark Evaneer Ravenna cabinet

doors, which are teamed with
6mm black porcelain slab
benchtops and splashback.
“We also wrapped the
porcelain beneath the overhead cabinets above the
cooking centre, so the entire
niche is in black. The porcelain
is very hardwearing – it won’t
scratch or stain.”
Drescher added a strip of
LED lighting that shines down
on the work surface from the