ISLAND LIVING

The final room to be renovated in this 2014 villa, owners Victoria and John Thatcher had happily lived with the original neutral palette Poggenpohl kitchen for almost a decade.

“We wanted to make the space more practical by creating a much larger kitchen with bifold doors opening out onto the garden dining area,” says Victoria. The vision was a simple, modern and chic space, but one that had to reflect the more traditional aspects of this busy family home. Says Victoria: “One of the biggest challenges was finding a middle ground between the sleek modern designs that we were drawn to and elements of a traditional kitchen.”

Top of the wish list was a large kitchen island and its waterfall marble design makes a striking visual statement. “Dual ovens for flexibility when entertaining were also a musthave while we were adamant that we didn’t want a seating area in the kitchen, which our designer thought was highly unusual.”

In-kitchen seating was superfluous with access to the dining room and a separate outdoor dining space on either side of the kitchen, which effectively freed up additional functionality.

Contrasting top and bottom cupboard colours add a bespoke point of focal reference with glass-fronted cabinets above a brace of on-trend wine fridges bringing the bar area to life. Appliances are cleverly integrated into the sleek design with Amos Antin, Managing Director, The aCross Designs, finding a way to deliver a dream kitchen, as Victoria explains:

“We fell in love with an enormous high-end brand fridge that was way out of budget, but Amos found a way to incorporate two large fridges from another white goods company using inwardopening doors to create the same effect for a fraction of the price.”

The decision to go with Teka for the remaining appliances was based on a trifecta of criteria: quality, style and value for money. Says Victoria: “Technological innovation was also important and their products are incredibly advanced. For example, the steak oven cooks meat in the same way a barbecue does, and since burgers and steaks are a firm favorite in our family, this was a great option. The other oven comes with an airfryer feature and we’re really enjoying trying out new recipes.”

Teka was also able to supply a hob with an extractor that is fitted within the worktop, eliminating the need for a conventional hood, enhancing the uncluttered open feel of the kitchen. “It even has an air freshener setting, which is super useful.”

Handles and taps from Buster and Punch (@busterandpunch) delivered unique finishing touches with the bifold doors from Oryx Doors and Windows (@oryxdoors) suffusing the room with welcoming additional light.

“We chose to go with Amos and The aCross Designs based on a neighbour’s recommendation. We were able to view several family kitchen projects they’d created and were confident they would do a great job – and they were spot on when it came to quality, professionalism and on-time completion.”

Using glass display doors for various cabinets breaks the design monotony and adds extra character.

Having the right number of sockets on the backsplash is critical in order to connect all your appliances with island power sockets for laptop and phone charging.

If the budget for appliances is tight but fridge storage space is essential, opt for a free-standing refrigerator.

Square a/c grills can easily be swapped out for linear grills to enhance the flow of your kitchen space.

Choose a semi-gloss or matte finish for cabinet doors to avoid the daily challenge of dealing with fingerprint marks.