low project

Interestingly, while the client was very drawn to colour, she could not envisage anything other than a white kitchen. The thought of committing to a brighter colour intimidated her, considering the financial commitment of this renovation. This is a challenge often encountered with clients – a tendency towards white, because they can't see how they can feature colour in a classic, timeless way. The client's late husband spent a lot of time fishing and together, they loved the ocean and outdoors, so our client was very keen to incorporate this into the kitchen design.

As an enthusiastic cook, the client also needed the new kitchen to be highly functional, considering every detail, like handle choice, cookbook storage and layout. Her number one priority was the inclusion of a spacious island for food prep, serving and entertaining. This was to be the 'hub' of her kitchen – a feature that would draw family and friends to the space.

To increase the footprint of the kitchen and improve flow of the entire living space, it was moved towards the back of the home, where the TV/games room once sat. It also gave the client a garden outlook from her kitchen, embracing her love of the outdoors and reflecting the beautiful hues of the garden back into the home.

The centrepiece of our client's kitchen is an oversized island. This serves not only as a functional food prep surface and eating space, but as a decorative statement within the home. As a nod to her love of the ocean, striking deep teal Resene Beatnik was chosen for the island cabinetry. Described as an unconventional peacock blue, this sophisticated colour, combined with splashes of blush pink satisfied the client's love of colour in the kitchen without overpowering the space – far from the white she had initially envisaged, but much better suited to her taste.

The bolder teal was offset with soothing neutrals – the muted Arabescato island stone, the chalky white benchtops, the earthy wooden cabinetry and the light grey stone flooring.

Working from the initial expectation of a white kitchen and ending up with the bold colour choice of Resene Beatnik was a real surprise for the client. Getting to know the client's taste and mindset really helped steer the project in this direction.

Building contractor: Michael Downing Constructions
Client: Heather Low
Doors: Farmers Doors
Handles: Kethy
Interior designer: Catherine Liedtke
Painting contractor: Farmers Doors
Joinery: Cummins Joinery
Lighting: Articolo Lighting
Other key contributor: Kerrie-Ann Jones
Splashback: Di Lorenzo Tiles
Photographer: Maree Homer
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2020