Trends New Zealand Volume 33 No 4 | Page 53

If your passion is fine wine then there’s no point hiding those prized vintages out of sight down a dark, winding stair. For this project by experienced kitchen and interior designers Aurora Australis Interior, the clients wanted their 800-bottle wine collection to be on show to the living areas, says lead designer Robert Xia. “The available space was quite limited and the wine display also had to have a sense of connection to the nearby kitchen.” Aurora Australis is known for its fine joinery skills and knowledge of the latest appliance and cabinetry technologies, and both were brought into play here. “We created a furniture-like display with sculptural storage-display shelves, flat shelving, and six storage drawers beneath,” says Xia. “The unit is finished in the rich tones of Bestwood Melamine to match the cabinets in the adjacent kitchen. With so many bottles to be stored, the drawers had to be extremely strong and at the same time provide a smooth opera- tion. To meet these requirements, Xia chose the Blum Movento Drawer system, Above left: This sculptural, furniture-like wine display responds directly to the available space while providing an ideal showcase for the homeowners’ extensive wine collection. The custom-designed piece was created by joinery and interior design specialists Aurora Australis Interior. Blum drawer hardware allows the six storage drawers at bottom to carry a large capacity of wine while still offering a smooth-glide operation. Above: The central, pride-of-place display alcove, the six storage drawers, and the artistically composed diagonal display shelves are all internally lit to highlight their tasteful contents. search | save | share at