This Lake Hayes project required a hand-picked team of experts
This kitchen, in a large new home in Lake Hayes was designed, manufactured and installed by Mastercraft Kitchens Christchurch, all under the watchful eye of designer Fleur Jourdain. It’s location, along with some specific design details and requests from the clients, required a hand-picked team to be put in place, which started by engaging local interior designer, Roz Hamilton and builder Ben Collins from Bayshore Builders, to help coordinate the project at a local level.
“All the joinery was manufactured up here in Christchurch, and this whole job was a real team effort,” says Fleur. “There were a lot of people involved. Aaron Smith was the lead detailer and the kitchen was made by Alex Avram, whilst Roz and Ben were on the ground at Lake Hayes coordinating some of the more complex details of the installation. This made the whole process run a lot smoother.”
Meeting the challenge of limited wall space
The space allocated to the kitchen had already been designated by the time the design team came on board. And even though it was a generous floor plan, Fleur says she was restricted by the amount of wall space that could be utilised – especially given the number of appliances that needed to be seamlessly integrated into the cabinetry, together with the client’s storage needs.
Appliances and more
“There were a lot of accessories and appliances that had to be accommodated in those two walls,” she says. “On the shorter wall, behind the two-tall doors, there’s a space-tower mechanism and pull-out pantry that stores all the family’s pantry needs. And on the back wall, there’s a large integrated fridge and freezer, a couple of wall-mounted ovens, another narrow pull-out pantry, and a benchtop containing the induction cooktop. There was also large coffee machine, a boiling, chilled, sparkling water dispenser, and a Hafele ‘le-mans’ corner storage unit that had to be found a home, too.”
The kitchen needed to be ‘anchored into the space’
The home’s architect asked for the kitchen to be ‘anchored into the space’ – hence the introduction of the steel beams and columns that give this kitchen its strong presence, says the designer. “I then brought the steel down into the kitchen as design details – in the custom range hood and also as drawer pulls and the custom-made handles for the pantry and integrated fridge, which were finished in brushed anthracite.”
Colour palette inspired by nature
“The inspiration for the colour palette came from the surrounding landscape and also the exterior colours of the house – predominantly timber, stone, and natural, earthy tones. And because there’s a lot of natural light pouring into this space, I thought the space could handle having a darker, more moody colour palette.”
The cabinetry is finished in Prime Carob veneer, the benchtop is Absolute black granite, and the panels on the island are PSP Luxe Anthracite Supermatt.
Pivoting breakfast bar!
The most ingenious part of this kitchen has yet to be mentioned, however. The large raised breakfast bar can pivot out from the island forming a generous raised dining table for up to eight people. “The mechanism and integrating it into the island was quite complex,” says Fleur. “Chris Moore, the owner of Mastercraft Kitchens Christchurch, looked after this side of the design and installation. There was a fair bit of work involved in getting it right from a mechanical point of view, and also matching the stain on the table-top with the veneer on the rest of the cabinetry.”
Outdoor kitchen
The outdoor kitchen was designed and completed some months after the main kitchen had been completed. Auckland designer Celia Visser drew up the design and Fleur’s Mastercraft Kitchens team in Christchurch manufactured it. Outdoor kitchens are a lot more complex than their interior counterparts, as they have to withstand huge temperature ranges experienced down in Central Otago, as well as rain, sleet and snow. Consequently, the cabinetry is made from durable, 8mm porcelain sheeting, which is impervious to almost anything the southern weather can throw at it.
Wardrobes, bedrooms, vanities, laundry and more…
“This was a big job for us, and it lasted 18 months,” Says Fleur. “As well as the two kitchens, we did all the joinery in the house – all the wardrobes in the bedrooms, the vanities in the bathrooms, plus all the cabinetry in the laundry, media room, mudroom, lounge, office, bunk room, powder room, wine storage and gym.”
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This kitchen was proudly designed, manufactured and installed locally by Mastercraft Kitchens Christchurch.
