Country Kitchens – Quality without Compromise
Photography by Tony Potter
Styling by Greg Sukendro
Story by Kate Williams
With a 110-year-old home in need of a new kitchen, Cathy and Peter took their time deciding on the right one. "We wanted a style that would complement the house, while meeting our needs as a family, too," she explains.
"I'd bought kitchen magazines for years and done the rounds of all the showrooms - dreaming," she goes on, "and I kept coming back to a photograph of one by Provincial Kitchens. So I measured ours and worked out that I could get all the features I wanted into the space." The wish list included a sink under the window, a walk-in pantry, an appliance cupboard and somewhere for Cathy's computer.
With the family including three grown sons, it was designed around two main areas. The first has the butler's sink under the window and easy access to the 900mm Smeg gas cooktop and electric oven, and the other has another smaller sink on the island bench. This gives the boys their own section of the kitchen, with easy access to the microwave and appliance cupboard to prepare quick meals and snacks.
The large butler's sink was a practical choice. "I think it's fantastic, as I can completely immerse the long metal griddles from the cooktop in it," Cathy exclaims. "The sinks and taps were expensive and we thought about just having a little mixer tap on the island bench but we're glad we didn't." Granite benchtops were also a must. "Granite is incredible to work on," she declares, "and we chose the DuPont edging, which is hand-finished and looks wonderful."
Storage was no problem with floor-to-ceiling wraparound shelves in the huge walk-in pantry, which also has space for a freezer, and there's plenty of functional drawer space out in the kitchen as well.
Cathy chose a neutral colour scheme of Dulux Off White for the walls and cupboards. Porcelain tiles in honey tones give the floor a warm glow and the Chiffon Silk granite benchtops were carefully chosen to complement them. "The granite has a touch of red-brown, which picks up the colour from the floor," Cathy says. "We didn't want to detract from that too much, as the kitchen isn't that big. We also didn't want the benchtops to make it dark." The resulting understated decor has both warmth and interest.
The finished kitchen is a functional area that looks great and works well. "I like the occasional dinner party and need a lot of bench space, which I now have," smiles Cathy, "and, as the gas cooktop has six burners, I can cook up a storm!"
Kitchen Essentials
Sinks - Shaws
Tapware - Perrin and Rowe, English Tap Company
Oven - Smeg
Stove top - Smeg
Benchtop - 30mm Granite in Chiffon Silk
Cupboards - Tasmanian oak in Dulux Aqua Enamel Off White semi-gloss
Walls - Dulux Off White
Benchtop - 30mm Granite in Chiffon Silk
Fridge - Maytag
Microwave - Smeg
Tiles - Aeria Country Floors, Willoughby
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