Country Kitchens - Glamour in the Kitchen
Photography by Tony Potter
Styling by Amy Howker
Tony and Kylie Lennon bought a family home in Kenthurst, north-west of Sydney, then set about adapting it to suit their lifestyle. This included refurbishing the kitchen – and Kylie knew exactly what she wanted.
Story by Gabrielle Baxter
“We bought the house when it was about two years old,” Kylie relates, “and 12 months later we extended it to almost double the size. We’ve been here six years now and did the kitchen last year – it was the last thing on the list!” It was originally done in a dark timber and quite modern-looking, she reports, but she was definitely after something different. “I don’t know what style I’d call it now,” she smiles, surveying the result. “I was thinking of a bit of a French look, but not ‘country’-French – I really wanted something more glamorous.” Well, that certainly sounds like the right word – it’s the chandelier that clinches it, of course!
They didn’t change the layout because it was fine as it was and Kylie didn’t want to lose any of the storage in the existing drawers and cupboards. Amazingly, the work done was quite minimal and only involved changing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and all the skirting boards; the chimney breast and mantlepiece to include display cupboards on both sides, and installing the decorative tiles and major embellishments.. Kylie was tempted to install a cast-iron stove but thought better of it because she preferred to keep the drawer space. “I think it’s actually got a sort of ‘old-English’ elegance about it,” she muses.
She chose kitchen specialists Scullery & Holz because of their reputation for custom-design, and commissioned the cabinet doors and skirting boards throughout. “Then we painted it and put all the handles on as well! We did embellish it a bit more,” she laughs! “We talked to Stefan at Scullery & Holz about it, but I don’t think he quite realised how glamorous I wanted it. When I asked him to put in a few more ornate things like a scroll here and there etc, he said he was worried it might look a bit ‘gaudy’!” Apparently, however, he loved the final effect.
In the end, the company supplied the big relief on the chimney breast, the corbels on the benches and pillars alongside – and Kylie got the rest off the Internet. Kylie loves cooking and entertaining, so she really enjoys her kitchen and spending time in it, surrounded by all the finery. “People ask me how I do it with all the stuff around,” she reflects, amused, “and I simply say, ‘I just move it aside – and off I go!’”
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