Trends New Zealand Volume 35 No 2 | Page 95

engineered quartz set against a backdrop of light rift oak cabinetry. But subtle doesn’t have to be boring. Finne injects a sense of drama to the 3.6m-long island by cantilevering it at both ends and floating a 2.5cm-thick glass breakfast counter on the front. “The counter is set at a typical table height of 76cm instead of the usual break- fast bar height. Many people feel more comfortable sitting in a dining chair rather than a bar stool” Lighting injects even more drama at night, with flush floor fittings uplighting the glass counter, while above the island is a custom designed, blackened steel light fix- ture which complements the island’s form. At 8.5m wide and with a suite of profes- sional appliances, the kitchen is designed for owners who are serious cooks. Plus there’s a very large, adjacent walk-in pantry. The kitchen is located centrally on the back wall of the long linear home. In front is a dining area which can open to the pool through two 3m x 2.4m sliding glass doors, so it virtually becomes an outdoor space. Facing page, top and lower: Centrally located to form the social hub of a long linear home, this family kitchen is scaled and designed to suit owners who are both serious cooks. Above: Architect Nils Finne prefers to select subtle materials for a kitchen design rather than ones that are aggressively patterned. His reason? – this allows the food being prepared to bring life to the kitchen and avoids visual chaos. Here, lightly patterned Cambria Torquay engineered quartz on the island is set against rift oak cabinetry behind. search | save | share at