Bamboo Kitchen Study Nook

Brief:

These clients came to us because they had an affinity for timber and natural products and wanted a kitchen in their house where they would have enough space for the family to enjoy, to be practical and inviting, using sustainable materials.

The quality of the work was important, as was increasing the amount of storage space and they wanted the kitchen to include a small nook for mail and a laptop/ipad.

Result:

The architectural plans for the renovations opened up the kitchen area significantly and provided a relatively large open plan area for the kitchen/dining room. In keeping with these architectural plans, the kitchen was designed in the space with the lowered ceiling, however, floor to ceiling cupboards were placed along one wall in a contrasting colour to differentiate between the two rooms as well as provide a large amount of practical storage in the room, with bulkheads to create clean lines and minimise large areas for dust to collect.

The layout ensures an easy flow between the fridge, the island bench, the sink/dishwasher space and the cooktop/oven. There is enough room available for more than one person to use the kitchen at any one time and ample space between the island bench and the fridge/microwave and appliance cupboard area and ample space between the island bench and cooker area for two people to pass easily and freely, without being too large and impractical a space.

The island bench has been used to provide both a practical work surface as well as separating the kitchen from the dining room area. The shape is part rectangle, part elipse, creating a shape that is both different enough to create interest, yet practical enough to use every day as both a breakfast bar and preparation area/washing up area. Cupboards both sides of the island bench maximise the amount of useable storage space available. Curved doors on living room side of the island bench complement the aesthetic of the island bench, whilst hiding additional storage space for less used items.

The appliance cupboard, located in the top left hand corner of the kitchen, was designed to be at an accessible point, just away from the island bench to ensure that someone could make a cuppa whilst someone else was in the kitchen, without either of them disturbing the other. The cutlery drawer is also directly underneath the appliance cupboard, again, providing ease of access without the need to enter the “main” part of the kitchen.

The cutlery and utensil drawers are outfitted with custom made bamboo dividers, a small detailed inclusion complements the quality of the kitchen.

A small office alcove On the right hand side of the kitchen was used to provide a small “study nook” with space for mail and a benchtop where a laptop or ipad could be plugged in. The splashback hides a magnetic sheet behind it, allowing the splashback to be used as a magnetic board and cork surrounds the study nook area providing additional space for notes if needed. The space is functional, yet unobtrusive in the kitchen area.

The pantry unit has several parts to it. The main doors of the pantry are frosted glass, enabling people to quickly identify the pantry, but not see the contents. The inside of the pantry consists of glass shelves, which allow light through, with one drawer underneath. Two additional drawers are located underneath the frosted doors, one ventilated for potatoes etc., the other drawer, for other items. The depth of the pantry was planned to ensure it was deep enough for practical storage without being too deep and therefore, items would get lost.

Soft-close drawer runners, finger jointed drawers and premium fittings and fixtures and attention to detail ensure the kitchen has been made to an extremely high standard.

Materials: