Black Velvet Kitchen Design | SpaceCraft Joinery | Projects

BLD283896

Heidi Nathan

Heidi and Nathan gave us carte blanche to build a kitchen par excellence.

Price guide*: $50K - $55K

Specifications

Carcase/Internals: Melamine high moisture resistant interiors and shelving in White 16mm by The Laminex Group   Door/Drawer: 2Pac satin painted doors to overhead section in Classic white by Polytec (BORG)   Other: Black shadow line detail  Feature Island: Base section & overhead open box in Solid Wormy Chestnut   Feature: Powdercoated steel frame to island in Black matte   Feature: Steel frame for benchtop support to island for cantilever Feature: Black Traceless fronts to base L-Shape section with Brass lip pulls to these fronts  Drawer Runners/Sides: BLUM Intivo Blumotion soft close drawers in White by Wilson & Bradley  Drawer Runners/Sides: BLUM corner drawers in White by Wilson & Bradley  Top: Caesarstone Statuario Maximus 20mm Stone benchtops to back wall with 80mm mitred fronts to island by Ideal Stone  Waste Management: 20L bin liners, door mounted with soft close WBPB4560 by Wilson & Bradley   Handles: Radius Handle Brass lip pulls for L-Shape section by AUHAUS  Cutlery Inserts: BLUM Stainless steel cutlery insert by Wilson & Bradley   Hinges: BLUM Soft close by Wilson & Bradley   Lighting: LED strip light underside of overheads in Warm White by Hettich   Oven: SMEG Portofino pyrolytic freestanding cooker CPF9GP 898W x 600d x 934-964H   Rangehood: SL906 L EXCEL 850 Sirius 850W x 283D x 472H   Dishwasher: Siemens IQ500 SN657XOIMA   Microwave: Sharp Carousel R-290H(S) 460W x 275H x 355D   Sink: Artusi single bowl and drainer black undermount application AGS1001B Black 1000×570 (980×480)by Spartan Electrical   Tapware: Astrawalker Urban brass sink mixer A69.08 by Routleys   Splashback: Tiled— DSSMT1005, RUBIX WHITE 48X48X6MM Tile by Beaumont Tiles

*Price guide includes: cabinetry and tops. Exclusions: appliances, tiling, electrical and plumbing.

The Challenge

...would Wundy work a wonder or would he wilt?...

It’s always a genuine delight to receive a referral from one of your previous clients. But when a previous client comes back to SpaceCraft to build their second kitchen, that’s cause to celebrate. And seeing the couple in question are friends and party people, you can bet the celebrations will be long. And hard. But, when everyone’s sober and the job’s in hand, the question remains: how do you top your first effort and live up to their great expectations the second time around? Especially when the brief is simply: build us an award-winning kitchen. Gulp!

Born and bred in Strathalbyn, this fun and sociable couple are as much a fixture of our town as the Duck Race. After both attended Strath High School, Heidi now works at the local TerryWhite Chemmart, while Nathan (or, Duff, as he’s universally known) is now involved in her family’s mechanical repairs business. Mind you, he is better known as a dead-set legend and stalwart of the Strathalbyn Football Club, having played a phenomenal 430 games for the mighty Roosters. Following in his sizeable footsteps, their two boys, Fletcher and Elliot, both play for the club, too.

In 2011, we worked on the family’s previous kitchen, which served them very well. But, when they outgrew the old home (literally, with the boys tipped to be future Roosters ruckmen), they bought a large block – still in Strath, of course – and called in Duff’s brother, Cary, who’s a partner at Troppo Architects, to design their dream home. To complete the ‘six degrees of Strath’, they engaged Heidi’s brother-in-law, Steven Ness, as builder. (We built a kitchen for Steven and his lovely wife, Sally, earlier in 2017.)

So… the challenge: having been keen to work with us again, Heidi and Duff gave our Nathan (or, Wundy, as they call him) complete creative freedom. No formal brief. Just these words: ‘please give us an award-winning kitchen’. Now, that kind of challenge can be both good and bad. Good because it’s nice to know they have utter faith in your creative abilities. Bad because it can really play on your mind. If you let it echo in your brain every time you sit at the design desk, it can really cramp your style. Would Wundy work a wonder or would he wilt?

To be fair, Heidi did have a few basic requirements: she wanted a freestanding oven, a concealed rangehood, a nice big island bench for the family to sit around and she also let it slip that she fancied a floating, cantilevered top.

Our Solution

...a palette of colours and materials to integrate the joinery for the whole of the home’s interior...

This home was never going to be boring with the people who were going to work on it and live in it. Cary designed it with gorgeous rammed-earth feature walls, timber decking that lines almost the entire length of both sides of the home and a sleek skillion roof line. It’s such an inspiration to be presented with this kind of environment to fit out.

Wundy swallowed hard and presented his concepts. And guess what? They loved them all with hardly any changes. What really impressed them was that he’d designed a palette of colours and materials to integrate the joinery for the whole of the home’s interior. Apart from the kitchen design, this included the walk-in pantry, study, robes, vanities, laundry and TV unit. Subtle variation of handles, shadow-line details and benchtop colours made sure each zone had its own signature.

The neutral-coloured high cabinets, intriguing tiles and Caesarstone tops allow the wormy chestnut timber we so love to add its warmth and charm in concert with brass handle accents. Below that, the black traceless cupboards, which are easy to clean and show no fingerprints, relate to Cary’s black window frames. They’re also matched by the black steel frame under the island bench for a touch of that industrial vibe, set off by the pendant lights. And hiding the dishwasher behind panelling maintains the clean restraint that makes it all look so effortless.

By putting their faith in a team of professionals with a proven track record and investing in quality finishes, Heidi and Duff have ended up with a forever home it’s going to be very hard to leave. Not only is it a showpiece, it’s proving to be totally practical and the perfect party house for the perfect party people. Not to mention the perfect clients.

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