A new display kitchen always gives us the opportunity to create something that is, in the immortal words of Kath and Kim, “nice, different, unusual”, because it doesn’t have to answer a brief from a real client. So, instead, we look to someone unreal. Like Barbie, for example, whose miniature alternative universe inspired our pink play kitchen. And Don Draper from Mad Men, who became the imaginary creative director for our mid-century kitchen for modernistas. But who (or what) would inspire Nathan Wundersitz for our third and latest inspo installation? For this one, he went back to the library for a literary – and design – classic.

Our imaginary client for this one was the subject of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterful Jazz-Age novel, The Great Gatsby. A dilatant and world-weary millionaire, Jay Gatsby could have anything he wanted. Except, of course, the girl of his dreams. So, could a dream kitchen have changed the plot? Probably not. But it could be a different story if you’re looking for the Next Big Thing in kitchen design.

According to Nathan, that opulently swoon-worthy Art Deco setting for The Great Gatsby is set for a serious comeback. And why wouldn’t it? Launched onto an unsuspecting world with a dazzling display at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris (which is where the mercifully shortened name came from), it was a design style that perfectly captured the zeitgeist at the dawning of the machine age.

Its influences sprang from bold new discoveries in archaeology, exploration, science and technology. Modernity was the new religion. Motor cars and aircraft propelled a new mobility. Skyscrapers reached unimagined heights. And Howard Carter reached unimagined treasures in the heart of the Great Pyramid. This was a jazz-blasted, gin-fuelled golden – or, more correctly, chromium – age as the world Charlestonned away the wee-small hours between two catastrophic wars.

So, Mr Gatsby, what do you think? Dare we go back to the future? “Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!” he said. Well, all right. Nathan had always planned for this kitchen to be a show-stopper full of inspirational and aspirational features, and luxurious details. As soon as you saw it, you had to get that pow of ‘wow’. But building it with Gatsby in mind, it set an even higher bar (including a bar, of course).

True to the Art Deco influence, it had to be curvaceous. And it had to be dark and moody. But within that singular palette, Nathan would add a twist of different textures. Natural marble would add that sleek luxury Gatsby loved to show off to his rich pals. And Nathan had a few custom designs to show off to our clients. Like cabinets filled to the ceiling. (Who doesn’t want more storage?) A sink that’s seamlessly integrated into the benchtop. An oven tower stack and a rangehood that’s truly off-the-wall.

How does that sound, Mr Gatsby? “Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope” he replied. Hmmm… just as well our real clients aren’t usually that enigmatic.

How best to describe the resulting kitchen? Something like swanky sophistication meets outrageous luxury? This is definitely not one for the shrinking violet. Or those on a tight budget. Although, of course, there’s nothing stopping us building some of its great features into a kitchen with more modest finishes. After all, it’s the thinking that’s the most important element of any kitchen.

But in the spirit of The Great Gatsby, let’s not worry about a little thing like money right now. The kitchen space itself is generously open-planned around that long island (or, is that Long Island?) bench, so the cook and the butler have plenty of space to lay out the canapés. (OK, so you have room to prepare dinner without feeling trapped in a corner by the kids and the dog.)

Soft curves in the Deco tradition not only look svelte; if you bump into a corner, it’s not going to leave you black and blue. Speaking of colour, Nathan couldn’t help puttin’ on The Ritz with a rich combination of burgundy and brass. And we’ve spent plenty of brass on all the trimmings, starting with the gleaming benchtop with its seamless sink bowls, along with the surprise and delight of a handy herb garden.

The brass highlights continue into the glass-framed doors, handles, foot rail, lights and even the velvet bar stools adding the symmetrical and geometric art of Art Deco. No detail was too small. No element too insignificant. The grand sweep and subtlety of this kitchen hides a myriad of exquisite touches you could keep finding and marvelling at for a lifetime.

One of those marvels is the marble. Its rich pattern graces the triple-bullnose edge of the island, the splashbacks and bulkheads, lending a timeless grandeur. This sure as heck wasn’t the cheapest way to go but you weren’t here to tell us not to. And, sometimes, you’ve just got to bite the bullet and go for it. As Jay Gatsby once said: “All I kept thinking about, over and over, was ‘You can’t live forever; you can’t live forever.” So true.

To complement the marble and continue the Deco detailing, we created a unique door profile that stands as a simple demonstration of our SpaceCraftsmanship. We can custom-design any element. So, if your basic shaker door leaves you shaking your head, give us the nod.

And to think that we haven’t even touched on the bar unit yet. Those brass-framed doors with rippled glass open to reveal cabinetry worthy of your finest vintages. Glass-sided doors slide open to reveal wine shelves in which each bottle is snugly secured by timber moulds. Overhead, backlit floating-glass shelving is ready for the Riedels. Hallelujah! An altar to wine.

Meanwhile, back on the island and centre-stage for the chef, is the dramatic downdraft exhaust fan and induction cooktop combination that, in one fell swoop, makes cooking on an island benchtop possible without either the need for an awkward overhead appendage or the alternative of living in a steamy funk.

At the end of the day – or, as it turns out, the end of several months of meticulous planning and craft – Nathan has created a truly inspiring kitchen that’s as functional as it is fabulous: practical for ease of everday use but in a form that is as far from the everyday as you could possibly imagine. Timeless luxury. A kitchen that even Gatsby himself might even think great.