The wide ranges of colours, materials and off-the-shelf products that are available these days allow for myriad design options without breaking the bank. All it takes to come up with a truly personal space is time and a little imagination – and the help of a good designer.
As part of the major renovation of his Auckland home, Matson Broederlow decided to push the boat out when it came to the kitchen. And to help, he took on the services of Emma and Leon Matthews from Mastercraft Kitchens Kaitaia.
A team effort
“It was great working with Matson,” says Leon. “He pretty much had the layout worked out before we came on board. We just had to tweak it and to show him all the latest products and materials, to ensure he got the very best out of his new space.”
Being a very practical and hands-on kind of guy, Matson was keen to be involved in all aspects of the project. “We wanted clean lines, with a modern look, but it also had to be a very practical and functional space,” he says. “Because I’d done a lot of the work on the house myself I had a pretty good idea of the layout we needed.”
At first, Matson wanted an island, but he couldn’t make it work, so the natural solution was to configure the new kitchen as a u-shape, with benchtops on three sides, including an extra-wide ‘peninsula’ – 1200mm deep – that can be used as a servery-cum-seating area.
Special features of this kitchen
“We ended up going with Blum Servo-Drive (electrically operated hardware) throughout, which worked out great,” says Matson. “Blum also provided a service, whereby you show them your plans and they lay out your kitchen with life-size modular cabinetry, so you can see exactly what your new kitchen will look like.”
The striking colour palette is a combination of Matson and his wife’s favourite colours. “I’ve always loved black,” says Matson. “Always had black cars – I’m a Ford man, so have gone along with the Henry Ford when he said, ‘you can have any colour you want as long as it’s black’. My wife decided on the gold colour for the glass splashback, to go with the other gold accessories we have around the house. It’s a perfect match, really, he says.
“As it turned the timing was perfect, because as we were coming to the end of the project, Smeg released a new range of ovens and fridges that had a gloss black finish, so that worked out well. We got the first shipment that arrived in the country,” says Matson.
To further enhance the look, three ‘layers’ of LED strip lights were specified – the mid-level acting as task lighting above the resilient Silestone Lyra benchtops. The lower set of lights, along with the mirrored toekicks, has the added effect of making the whole kitchen feel like it’s floating above the floor.
“I really enjoy being in it – I’m in there a lot, so I may as well enjoy it,” says Matson. “It’s a very efficient, functional space that’s low maintenance, as a kitchen should be. At the end of the day I don’t think I’d change a hell of a lot.”
Watch a clip of this kitchen
This kitchen featured on TV3’s The Cafe – watch it here.
This kitchen was designed, manufactured and installed locally by Mastercraft Kitchens Kaitaia.
