palette personified

To achieve this palette the side and back wall was painted with the blue of Resene Bismark to show impact, while also being paired with a softer tone of green with Resene Rainee on the island. In most cases blue and green rarely work together but the designer worked through this by taking a risk and united the fresh mint green with the darker teal blue. To make these tones work well in the space, they kept with neutral paint on the walls and a simple patterned tile to cohesively bring the island's warm timber benchtop through to the back wall.

Part of the brief was also to consider key work zones and to allow ample space around their work zones so they could spread out when prepping, cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. When the designer was given the architectural plans they felt there was very limited usable wall space which meant the cooking and tall storage were going to have to be all on one small wall. This was not giving the clients the 'space' they wanted. The designer worked through this by putting the hob under the window allowing the clients to have all the tall storage and oven tower in one place. A deep bulkhead was installed to run the ducting through while also framing the windows and creating key task lighting along the work zones.

The angles in the kitchen allowed for fluid task areas to unfold along the back wall allowing the island to flow off the angled wall and be solely for serving and for family gatherings. The kitchen certainly has plenty of storage space with continuous drawers along the island and hob wall and cosy country elements that are showcased – such as the porcelain white butler's sink that juts out of the dark sink drawers and the chunky timber shelving with the client's eclectic details.

Building contractor: Ultraspec
Painting contractor: McKenzies Painting Contractors
Photographer: Grant Stirling
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2020