This charming kitchen renovation is set in a rural environment surrounded by natural beauty.
Designer Michelle Gillbanks was fortunate enough to meet the client, a youthful, retired Grandmother and her daughter in-law, early in the design phase. The 1980’s rural homestead renovation included reconfiguring the living spaces, adding a new garage and laundry area, and relocating the kitchen. Michelle’s client desired an elegant kitchen with a rustic, lived-in feel, in keeping with the home’s setting in rural Waitoki, just north of Auckland.
To achieve this vision, Michelle paired organic, tactile materials with a balanced blend of light and dark elements. In the main kitchen the framed door style of the cabinetry, featuring tongue-and-groove details exudes elegance and ties into the rural surrounds.
The chimney range hood is a real statement in brushed bronze metal. Together with antique cup handles and tapware these finishes complement the soft marbled Dekton Entzo benchtops and splashback.
"The scullery is the powerhouse of the new design. My client bakes and has a lifetime collection of cookbooks, with easy access on the open shelves.”
Front of mind was the addition of a scullery to conceal the client’s everyday appliances and house her numerous cookbook collection.
The materials used in the scullery emulate the kitchen but with a twist, using a textured green tile instead of a stone splashback and basket storage for the open shelving as a nod to the rustic brief.
This kitchen needed to accommodate both individual cooking needs and family gatherings, with a balance of state-of-the-art appliances and stylish finishes. Storage solutions include internal pull-outs in base pantries on either side of the hob to ensure everything is easily accessible.
The rural environment also required Michelle to incorporate a functional space for integrated waste management solutions, and a designated pet feeding area.
