The Clients are a family of 4, with a busy lifestyle revolving around their six year old son who has autism and a 3 year old daughter. Their 20 year old home is located in a leafy outer Sydney suburb and backs on to bushland.
The existing U shape kitchen, lacked storage and bench shape space around the cooktop and suffered congestion problems at the sink & dishwasher.
The exsiting work triangle was broken by a major thoroughfare to children;s bedroons, family roon & laundry & the house did not flow well. The oberall kitchen space included a long, unused dining area, leading to the family/playroom.
The Clients requested:
– An impressive contemporary style.
– A sociable kitchen, suitable for family use, including cooking with the children & informal entertaining.
– A second oven because the clients regulary bake and entertain.
– Better pantry & general storage.
– Lots of bench space and would love an island but couldn’t see how it will fit.
– Breakfast bar for four people.
– The existing slate floor to remain.
The first step in satisfying the brief was to swap the location of the kitchen & dining areas, which has allowed:
– a larger & more practical kitchen without through traffic in the working triangle.
– a better proportioned more appealing dining area.
– closer supervision of children in the family room from the kitchen.
– improved flow of the house with access to the children’s & guest rooms, without entering the hub of the kitchen.
The new location provides all the additional wall space necessary to allow for 2 wall ovens and lots of extra storage without compromising bench space.
An impressive three metre long island is the focal point of the kitchen and gathering spot for family or guests, seating four , face to face. The large pantry has six pull-out drawers and 4.4lm of shlves & bench. Although it was originally designed with retractable doors to provide unimpeded access to the adjacent family room, budget constraints resulted in use of standard hinges, with a bonus of slightly greater internal capacity.
