Trends New Zealand Volume 33 No 5 | Page 55

Ironically, a kitchen in a holiday home has to work as hard or even harder than the kitchen in the main home. Nowhere is an approachable, multi-user, multi-function design more essential than when friends and family muck in together and where cocktails, coffee, or crayfish might all slide across the same bench in quick succession. This kitchen in a beachside holiday escape is tucked into the eastern end of the home’s main living area. Architect Paul Clarke says this posi- tion makes the most of year-round morning sun, and offers an easy interaction with other living zones and a direct connection to the beach. “The owners loved the look of American white oak which features prominently on the walls, floors, and ceiling of the beachhouse,” says Clarke. “So we chose this finish for the kitchen cabinetry, too – but using an American white oak veneer rather than solid planking. We designed the island pendant in the same wood.” While the American oak veneer cabinets merge in with the surrounding surfaces, the wood is dramatically contrasted by the crisp white of the engineered stone waterfall island benchtop and the splashback in the same stone. Seen together, the two materials give the kitchen Previous pages and above left: This kitchen in a home by Studio2 Architects features a bold waterfall island countertop that seems to point to the scenery. The benchtop cantilever provides casual seating for anything from breakfast to cocktails. Top and above: The kitchen is central to proceedings, positioned close to the living and dining areas as well as the sheltered outdoor barbecue zone, built in concrete. search | save | share at