The owner of this kitchen was keen on achieving a balance between aesthetics and function.
What resulted is an unconventional space showcasing the owner’s love of art-led design and individuality. This kitchen creates a stylish, elegant, if not a little whimsical, space for city apartment living.
This spot used to be an inner-city Art Deco warehouse factory producing Buicks and Jaguars. The high-vaulted off-form concrete ceilings presented an excellent opportunity for a conversion into residential spaces in the ‘80s. The previous kitchen was a product of this time and needed a complete overhaul to remove the faux salmon pink benchtops and flimsy chipboard cabinets.
This new kitchen, for all its drama and uniqueness, follows one design principle — it embodies the essence of its owner, a career artist who wanted the room to reflect a refined elegance balanced by a restrained rawness. The owner made a few of the key design features such as the Shou Sugi Ban return, the hand-carved Norfolk pine alligatored burnt cabinet, and the ceiling and wall murals that complement the minimally clean cabinetry supplied by Designline.
In consideration to finishes, the kitchen also had to be easy to clean and Laminex AbsoluteMatte was chosen for its fingerprint resistance. As the apartment is open plan, this minimalism enabled the kitchen to look bigger, complementing the opposing light-filled space.
Design: Barry Balmer (Designline) and Eloise Cato (artist)
Build: Designline Kitchens & Bathrooms
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