These spaces showcase a range of kitchen styles that prove there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the heart of the home.
EARTH TO EARTH (ABOVE)
The variety of textures, from the combination of timber, stone, granite, adobe and rammed earth imparts a textural and sensory richness. All cabinetry is made using rough planks of wood. The doors which slide away into pockets in the walls, seamlessly connect the inside areas and those outside, making the dining area seem almost like a pavilion in nature.
TOWN & COUNTRY
This large ground-floor kitchen and dining area, designed in a modern farmhouse style, is an inviting space perfectly suited to cooking and special gatherings as well as homework, breakfast-on-the-run and other routines of everyday living. Midtone oak – a timeless choice – has been used for much of the carpentry, including the substantially sized kitchen island and dining room table
MY BLUE HEAVEN
Since it’s owned by an art dealer and collector, it feels very appropriate that the kitchen of this austerely lovely urban abode should feature a wall of builtin cupboards painted in a shade as close to Yves Klein blue as this one. The colour offsets the cast concrete structure beautifully, and complements the mid-century furniture as well as the contemporary and tribal African art that the owner has been collecting for over 20 years.
SHINE ON
In this urban bachelor pad, slick, glossy and very glamorous black surfaces are used throughout the open-plan kitchen space – and further shine is added in the form of copper notes in the domed light fittings, as well as the polished wooden floor. Appliances and storage are hidden behind a wall of integrated storage, which is finished in a more matt black, forming a discreet backdrop to the drama.
TIMELESS APPEAL
The owner of this lagoon-side getaway home describes the interior look she was aiming for as “stylish and sensual coastal simplicity”, and her phrase is an apt one. The kitchen, for example, has all the essential modern gadgetry – the coffee station includes a connoisseur-level Expobar espresso machine and mini Mazzer grinder, for example – yet also has a down-to-earth feel.
DARK ROMANCE
This supremely elegant and romantic kitchen has something of the feel of a Victorian greenhouse or conservatory with its high pressed-metal ceilings. It sets wooden joinery and countertops in a light, cement-based composite finish against bold black walls, which are in turn perfectly complemented by the owner’s collection of copper pots and pans.
SCANDI NOIR
Cool, calm and collected, this kitchen artfully marries clean-lined timber with chic highlights of black which serve to anchor the space and infuse it with a sense of urban sophistication.
GRAND DESIGNS
The high ceilings and monochrome palette of this converted cottage give its spaces a touch of old-fashioned magic, making it a haven of understated glamour. In the kitchen, the homeowners combined a pressed-metal ceiling – very much in keeping with the original architectural finishes of the surrounding houses – with delightfully old-fashioned cottage-pane windows and a profusion of potted orchids.
JUST PEACHY
This open-plan mountainside home is filled with natural light year round, so the bold decision to go with a pale coral shade for the kitchen walls, combined with plenty of dark, rich iroko wood, has paid off handsomely. The result is a warm and genuinely inviting space. A skylight window inserted above the open shelves means the play of light on the wall – and the items displayed on the shelves – changes throughout the day.
