To create the setting they wanted in their new kitchen, Jennifer and her husband simply focused on the style of their house and continued the look throughout. Five years ago, Jennifer and her husband fell in love with a magnificent old home in Sydney’s exclusive Eastern Suburbs. The couple was adamant that the original building should be maintained but to make the house liveable a complete overhaul was needed– including the wiring and plumbing. A brand-new kitchen was installed but it had to fit the location of the original one and be a good match with the rest of the house. Jennifer took great care to ensure an easy flow of the rooms throughout the home, and that the kitchen, without being tizzy, has charm and character that is representative of the general style.
Hamptons style
Being situated between two sections of the house, the kitchen is really a walk-through galley style. It’s very open and for that reason needed to blend with the overall interior design. Jennifer describes the house as a Hamptons-style ‘gentleman’s residence’ with lovely dark jarrah floorboards, white upholstery, bi-fold French doors and glass cabinets. The look is clean and stylish with the walls throughout painted Dulux Antique White USA to which Jennifer added 20 per cent more white. This colour was carried through to the kitchen where it provides a clean and simple backdrop that’s set off by the slight variation with the dead-white ceiling. The timber cabinetry is painted the same shade as the walls and, even though it takes a fair bit of work to keep clean, it fits in with the rest of the house.
Look of luxury
Although the kitchen is not enormous, it offers a great deal of bench space and storage and was installed with two different and very stunning benchtops, both sourced from Nefiko Marble. The main L-shaped one that fits around the kitchen is Fontainbleau, a stylish grey/blue/green polished stone, while the island bench is topped with a thick slab of white-grained honed marble with a two-tier edging. This paler surface blends in beautifully, drawing the eye through the room. Below it is plenty of storage space with a spot for the microwave and pull-out wicker baskets for vegetables.
Plain and simple
Because the original ceiling had beautiful architraves, Jennifer and her husband decided to carry this style through in the kitchen, and extended the theme to include protruding kickboards at the bottom of the benches with a great deal of detailed woodwork. Keeping to a more simple design means the kitchen blends beautifully with the rest of the house and is functional for family life. “It just flows through nicely,” says Jennifer, “and it works really well.”
Kitchen Essentials
Cabinetry – Old Charm Cabinets
Paint work – Dulux Antique White USA + 20 per cent white
Benchtops – Nefiko Marble
Door handles – Mother of Pearl & Sons
Splashback – Aeria Tiles
Faucets – Herbeau Lille
Fridge – Maytag
Oven – DeLonghi
Microwave – Panasonic
Dishwasher – Fisher & Paykel
Story by Susannah Hardy Styling by Greg Sukendro