Articles

Buon appetito! from Kitchen Trends volume 2802

Gone are the days of highly cluttered kitchens – today most designers are creating sleek streamlined kitchens where there's a place for everything.

This is partly because a modern kitchen is most likely to be an integral part of the family living area and, as such, is on permanent display. But it's also because a clear, uncluttered kitchen is the ideal antidote to the stresses and demands of modern living.

This kitchen, one of two virtually identical kitchens in neighbouring townhouses, exemplifies the trend. Designer Karen Collins of Kitchen Studio teamed Bestwood Melamine charred woodgrain cabinets with white engineered stone benchtops and sleek Smeg stainless steel appliances.

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Transformation complete - sleek design complemented by Smeg appliances from Renovation Trends volume 2714

When you give your kitchen a full makeover, every element comes under the spotlight.

For this renovation project by designer Mal Corboy CKDNZ, CKDAU, the first thing to go was the walls. Three small rooms became one large L-shaped room that is much better suited to modern living requirements.

The expanded space in the kitchen area allowed room for a large island that incorporates a zebrano veneer-topped table. To contrast the natural wood veneer, the rest of the island features a Quarella quartz benchtop and Mal Corboy custom Decoglaze colourbacked glass cabinets in an intense brown shade. Perimeter cabinetry beneath the window features a high-gloss white lacquer.

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Full complement – vibrant home kitchen featuring Smeg appliances by Applico from New Home Trends volume 2713

Kitchen design can be influenced by any number of different factors. For this kitchen, in an Upper Hutt home designed and built by David Reid Homes, it was a collection of red pendant lights that inspired the look and colour scheme.

Kitchen designer Peter Young of Waikanae Kitchen and Joinery, says the client wanted a bright red Resene Scarlett coloured glass splashback to match the pendants. To complement this vibrant accent the cabinets feature Melteca Rock Salt in Naturale. Perimeter benchtops are in Decor #9 stainless steel, with the island top in steel grey granite.

As with every kitchen in homes built by David Reid Homes, the selection of appliances was just as critical as the finishes. Tim Sunderland, managing director of David Reid Homes Wellington Region, says the company prefers to specify Smeg appliances.

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With the warmth of wood from Kitchen Trends volume 2710 The choice of materials will obviously affect the look and style of the kitchen, but it also has a strong impact on whether it feels cramped or spacious. In the kitchen featured on these pages, designer Irene James of James Trent Design had a fairly tight space to work with. "A small area had been allocated for the kitchen, but we wanted it to look as spacious as possible, to suit the rest of this new home," she says. "And because the kitchen didn't get afternoon sun, we also needed to warm the room up." James chose cabinetry with clean lines and concealed handles, and paired it with a neutral colour scheme of white lacquer, stainless steel, grey and American oak veneer for the cabinetry and appliances. "We thought these Smeg appliances were absolutely stunning, so we designed the kitchen around them. The design enhances the clean lines of the kitchen, and the stainless steel works really well with the warm tones of the timber," says the designer. View the full article here
Centre of the action from Commercial Design Trends volume 2708 When the Chelsea Sugar Refinery recently began renovations, a new kitchen was seen as a great way to encourage staff from different departments to mix and mingle in a single hub. Designer David Locke of Martin Hughes Architecture Interiors says the brief was to design a kitchen that would be a focal point where the 150 staff could gather together and make lunch, and meet up for social occasions. The kitchen was also to be used for meetings and presentations. View the full article here
Rural haven from New Home Trends volume 2705 For some reason, it seems to be rather more comfortable and conducive to good conversation to lean against the kitchen bench and chat with friends or family members than it does to sit on a sofa in the adjoining living room. To create this ambience, this kitchen, designed by Grant McIntyre of Design Construction Home is located so it forms a central hub in the formal and casual living areas. An extra-large island creates a convenient space for entertaining, with seating where guests can sit and enjoy a drink, or it can become a servery area for the larger informal living spaces. White lacquered cabinetry is panelled and teamed with a dark granite benchtop. Stainless steel appliances and trim complete the classic but contemporary style of the kitchen. "The owners were adamant that appliances had to be European and they specified Smeg as their brand of choice," says McIntyre. View the full article here
A happy place from Kitchen Trends volume 2702 The opportunities for experimenting with different ways of cooking are so much greater today than a few years ago. With the features on many modern appliances, cooking can be both innovative and enjoyable. In this apartment kitchen, designer Lynn Malone has incorporated many different Smeg appliances to make it easy to cook a variety of dishes from trout to pizza, make coffee and entertain family and friends.Because the kitchen is part of the larger living room, Malone specified premium-quality cabinetry and appliances to complement the overall aesthetic of the wider living space."I wanted everything to be state of the art, so I have chosen products from world-class companies," she says."In order to create a really workable kitchen, I experimented with new appliances, such as Smeg's steam oven and warming drawers, and have integrated them to maximise the space and to create an international contemporary style for the kitchen." View the full article here

Making a statement from New Home Trends volume 2701 One successful way to capture the attention is to try something that's a bit different. In the kitchen, this may involve mixing colours, styles or materials. For Damian Hannah, kitchen designer at German Kitchens, this was achieved by coming up with an ultra-modern kitchen design with black glass cabinetry and benchtops, and teaming it with appliances from the Smeg collection. View the full article here
Layered effect from New Home Trends volume 2613 Taking a fresh approach to lighting design is often a successful way to add interest to a kitchen, especially when the owners enjoy entertaining friends in the evening. Creating a spacious galley-style kitchen and fitting it with functional and aesthetically pleasing cooking appliances was part of the brief from the owners of this contemporary home. Designer Melanie Craig of Melanie Craig Design brought together layers of different, light-toned benchtop products, and used a strip of LED lighting under the stainless steel component to draw attention to the sleek appearance and the flush, black ceramic glass finish on the Smeg induction cooktop. View the full article here
Hint of retro from Renovation Trends volume 2707 Making a kitchen more spacious sometimes has to come from the design detail, rather than from increasing the physical footprint. Kitchen designer Natalie Du Bois was asked to design a new kitchen for the home featured here. The old kitchen was enclosed and too cramped, but there wasn't a lot of extra space to utilise. Instead, Du Bois opened up the kitchen into the dining area, painted the new cabinetry off-white, and kept the design clean and simple. View the full article here
Design with a cubic expression from New Home Trends volume 2605 Simplicity of design and practicality are probably two of the more important features to look out for when choosing new appliances for your kitchen. As well as being dependable and easy to operate, Smeg's new Linea kitchen appliances offer a sleek, understated appearance that comes from the frameless design of glass and satin stainless steel. The appliances are designed to be grouped together in a clean-lined cube. The collection includes multifunction ovens in a variety of sizes, such as the new, larger 68-litre wall oven, plus a microwave oven, warmer drawer and steam oven, as well as cooktops and a matching coffee machine. The Linea series of electric multifunction ovens can be 70cm or 60cm wide. Pyrolytic models are available in all sizes, and other features include smart chef, intuitive cooking, Smeg's new thermoseal and ever-clean enamel finish. View the full article here
Let me entertain you from New Home Trends volume 2801 This kitchen, designed by owner and professional stylist Linda Brander, reflects her love of cooking and entertaining. The kitchen features expansive work surfaces for food preparation and serving, and there is ample room between the island and perimeter cabinets to allow two people to work at the same time. Further functionality is provided by a full complement of Smeg appliances. These include a mint green Fab32 refrigerator, induction hob and three multipurpose wall ovens. View the full article here
It takes a designer's eye from Kitchen Trends volume 2802 Design that never dates – this kitchen by Robin Caudwell, features a Smeg Linea series semi-flush gas cooktop and two black Smeg ovens from the new range designed by renowned Australian Marc Newson. View the full article here
Leading by example - new Smeg appliances from New Home Trends volume 2805 White lacquered cabinets and white engineered stone benchtops contrast with a black glass splashback and black-stained American oak in this new kitchen designed by owners Terry and Natasha Klink and built by Fabulous Kitchens. View the full article here
Hint of Retro from Renovation Trends volume 2707 The Smeg 50s style Retro refrigerator/freezer FAB32XS in silver adds character and individuality to this kitchen. View the full article here