This kitchen is part of a villa extension by Jones Architects in Auckland’s Mt Eden. The idea was to create a contemporary, open-living kitchen and dining space at the back of the home and create a second tier for the master suite, robe, and ensuite.
For the kitchen itself, “practicality and easy use of drawers were a top priority,” says its chief designer, Kristen Basra of Spatial Studio. “The client, a nutritionist who uses her kitchen as a demonstration space for recipes and cooking tips, requested the handles not to be an eyesore and also to have plenty of room for the grab and pull.”
To this end, the designers created a few samples for her to test and came to a perfect solution of the custom-made oak L-shaped handles: from the front “they blend with the vertical lines of the cabinetry detail,” according to Kristen.
“To soften the weight of the island a mitred-edge detail was added to hide the thickness of the stone and to bring in a cabinet detail with a battened effect. We contrasted two types of veneer — the crown and lineal quarter cut to create a minimalist and a textured effect.”
As the client suffers from an autoimmune disease, the designer had the added onus of ensuring the materials were as natural as possible. Optimal communication with the client was needed for her “to understand the glues and processes of the install to ensure her health wasn’t affected”.
