bold revival

When Rachel and Tanya bought the house, it was still almost all original, complete with a Shacklock stove installed in 1910. Though the matai, rimu and totara bones of the building were strong, it was in need of some love.

“For a small kitchen it functioned well with a wee breakfast bar,” Rachel says. “The original wood-fired oven was still in place, although the chimney had gone.”

Beyond retaining some of the original features, Rachel and Tanya’s brief to Mona was to create a country-style kitchen with an open-plan layout that catered to their love of both cooking and entertaining.

There was also a clear directive to be bold and for “each room to be a standalone colour, while still reading together as a colourful whole”, Mona says. In the finished kitchen that desire for colour has been expressed with the use of elegant grey-blue Resene Artemis on the cabinetry above the range and around the windows. It makes for a beautiful accent against fresh Resene White Pointer painted on the remaining walls and Resene Half White Pointer on the ceiling. All timber features have been removed, carefully labelled, restored and reinstalled alongside the new colour scheme as part of the renovation.

“We love colour calling out from classic styling,” Rachel says. The choice of Resene Artemis was influenced by how it worked in with the colour palette of the rest of the home, as well as the colour of the splashback tiles. This lovely stone colour on the cupboards is timeless.

Her biggest challenge of the project was embracing colours and getting the balance right between the original features, look and feel of the house and inserting more modern elements. The highlight was “seeing it all come together on site after many months of planning”, Mona says.

Another standout aspect of the kitchen is the personality that’s come from including Rachel and Tanya’s collection of personal items, which was another part of the design brief to Mona. “They wanted to create something to house their eclectic collections from many years of renovating houses and living in many different locations. The end result is a colour ‘hello’ to the world on the outside and to all visitors on entering. Both like eclecticism with modern and traditional furniture; a comfortable home that some would call maximalist.”

Rachel agrees this is an important part of her and Tanya’s combined design aesthetic.

Reflecting your own tastes rather than imagining what some future owner might like is an important part of a successful kitchen renovation like this, Mona says. “Make it for yourself, not for resale. Your home is where you spend a lot of time, and it should be for you and what you enjoy. Do not be afraid of some more bold elements.”

Rachel says working with Mona elevated her and Tanya’s vision for the kitchen and the house as a whole. “She made it even better. The views from the sitting room are now a comfortable part of the openplan living area and the integration of the pantry is amazing.”

Though part-way through the renovation project, Rachel and Tanya worried the kitchen was too big, they now love the scope of the space and the opportunities it affords for entertaining and welcoming all of their six children when they come home.

“We also had an amazing kitchen joiner whose experience and working relationship with the architect has meant excellent attention to detail, like the location of everything, including the extra storage for preserves above the stove. No space is wasted and we pinch ourselves every day.

“We can gather our family easily. We host large dinner parties and we often have multiple family members cooking. It is beautiful.”

Design: Callidus Architects
Words: Kerri Jackson
Images: Aramani Brouwer

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