Best of kitchens 2004
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Kitchens have undergone a complete personality change. In the space of a generation or two they've come in from the wings to take their place centre stage. Once regarded as functional utility rooms where the ‘work' of cooking took place behind closed doors, kitchens are now incorporated into open plan living and dining spaces. From the cook's point of view, while it's great to be freed from exile, it has also meant that the kitchen is now ‘on display'. Where once a cluttered or boringly- functional kitchen could be contained behind a door, it's now constantly visible and has a major impact on the look and feel of the whole living space. Today the kitchen has to not only perform functionally, but also aesthetically. Like it or not, kitchens have become design statements. That's not to say that all kitchens have to conform to the sleek, modernist line. While some chose to reduce, minimalise and conceal, others are opting to display – with kitchen implements, pots, pans, plates and glassware out on view. These are some of the styles of kitchen that we've seen in our TV Showhomes. Check them out to see if they suit your idea of what a kitchen should be: Sleek and Minimal If clutter is an anathema to you, this is your sort of kitchen. The overriding principal is that when everything is stored away it looks as if the kitchen has never seen so much as a egg boiled in it. It's all about function and style, with clean, uncluttered lines and stark surfaces. A minimal kitchen means that everything, (and we mean ‘everything') has its place. At the most you might want a stainless steel toaster, or an equally slick espresso machine on your stainless steel bench. If you find the ‘everything behind closed doors' look too sterile, consider using opaque glass cabinet doors. While they keep everything in its place, they reveal just enough of the contents to create interesting shapes. These are some of the ideas and materials we've seen in minimalist kitchens:
Check out TV Showhomes best Minimalist Kitchens For a great example of a minimalist kitchen, go to our ‘Best Kitchens' photo library and take a look at the Moyle Home. This kitchen combines stainless steel benches with dark oak Meltica cabinets. Special attention has been paid to the lighting above the bench and also at ceiling level to highlight the negative detailing at the top of the cabinets. Another good example of a minimalist kitchen which is anything but stark and sterile, is the Lally Home. Take a look at the incredible difference colour makes. By using warm-hued beech Melimine cabinets in combination with dramatic red, the kitchen glows with warmth, while keeping things very neat and functional in this open-plan beach house. The award-winning $550k – $1m Registered Mater Builders House of the Year in Tauranga combined Jarrah kitchen cabinets, with a tiled floor and concrete bench which worked in perfectly with the materials used in the living area.
Restaurant There is a definite trend towards professional restaurant-quality appliances and work-spaces. Like the minimalist style kitchen, this style is all about keeping things streamlined and functional - but with even more clear bench space, big refrigerators, double ovens, and expansive gas cook tops, it's more ‘maximalist' than minimalist. Benchtops are either stainless steel or concrete, so that things can come straight out of the oven and onto the bench. Unlike the minimalist passion for concealment, the restaurant-style kitchen favours everything being at hand – utensils, pots and pans and ingredients. Rather than hiding everything, this style puts the ‘workings' on display – but in a very ordered functional way. Check out:
Farmhouse Not just any farmhouse. We're talking ‘Farmhouse in Province', or Chianti, or anywhere else where the kitchen represents the heart of the home. The one word that best encapsulates this style is 'generosity'. Other words in the farmhouse vocab are ‘warmth' ‘colour', ‘casual', and ‘abundance'. This is a style that needs room to work properly. The Farmhouse kitchen tends to feature heavy wooden or granite benchtops, the ambiance is very casual and relaxed. This is a kitchen that doesn't try to conceal anything. Food is often on display; ropes of garlic, over-flowing baskets of fruit, bottles of wine in racks. Kitchen implements hang from overhead rails, heavy wooden dressers display crockery, and glass-fronted cupboards let us see what's inside. To achieve this look, check out:
Check out TV Showhomes best Farmhouse Style kitchens...
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