Kitchen Tour: A Country-style Design With an Urban Twist
A standard 1980s set-up was transformed into a texturally rich kitchen with black units, zellige tiles and reeded glass
Vanessa Walker
23 January 2021
Houzz Australia & New Zealand Editor-in-Chief
The designer of this kitchen, Ciara Tapia of Blue Tea Kitchens & Bathrooms, answers questions about the creative thinking behind the redesign, which created a practical, family-friendly space in a palette of natural materials.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here? An artist, her husband, who is an avid chef, and their two children
Location Summer Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Year of renovation 2020
Room dimensions 26 sq m
Answers by architect Ciara Tapia of Blue Tea Kitchens & Bathrooms
Photos by Pablo Veiga
Styling by Yael Stern
Who lives here? An artist, her husband, who is an avid chef, and their two children
Location Summer Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Year of renovation 2020
Room dimensions 26 sq m
Answers by architect Ciara Tapia of Blue Tea Kitchens & Bathrooms
Photos by Pablo Veiga
Styling by Yael Stern
The kitchen before works.
Challenges you worked around?
Covid-19. A lot of the original items nominated for the rest of the renovation had to be reselected due to restrictions overseas and lack of stock in Australia.
Challenges you worked around?
Covid-19. A lot of the original items nominated for the rest of the renovation had to be reselected due to restrictions overseas and lack of stock in Australia.
The brief?
- The husband loves to cook so the functionality of this space was crucial.
- The wife wanted country style with an urban twist.
- The palette of all-natural materials was essential for this kitchen; they would tell a story and create character as the space aged with the family.
The starting point?
The layout and stone worktop selection. We used slimline, Shaker-style, timber-veneered doors, stained black, combined with marble worktops, brass accents, reeded glass and midcentury furniture.
The layout and stone worktop selection. We used slimline, Shaker-style, timber-veneered doors, stained black, combined with marble worktops, brass accents, reeded glass and midcentury furniture.
The new floorplan.
Key design aspects?
Colour palette:
Colour palette:
- Dulux Ticking as a stain on the cupboards.
- Dulux Natural White (a warm white available in Australia; try Ultra White).
Materials palette:
- American oak cupboards with a black stain.
- Reeded glass infills.
- Super White dolomite worktop.
- Handmade Moroccan tiles on the splashback.
- Timber-veneered open shelving.
- Black metal handles.
- Brass hanging rods.
- Oak tongue-and-groove flooring.
Key fittings:
- Wolf hob and cooker hood.
- Sub-Zero fridge-freezer.
- Perrin & Rowe tapware.
- Shaws of Darwen sink.
Why do you think this room works?
It is built perfectly for the family and their ever-changing lifestyle as the children get older. The materials will age gracefully with the family and it won’t date, as no trend was followed.
Tell us…
Which idea would you take from this design? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
It is built perfectly for the family and their ever-changing lifestyle as the children get older. The materials will age gracefully with the family and it won’t date, as no trend was followed.
Tell us…
Which idea would you take from this design? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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I love colour... but this palette is striking yet pleasing on the eye. The reeded glass and oak flooring make such a difference. Altogether stunning and beautifully done.
A stunning transformation. Hated the polished orange "wooden" floor in the before picture. It's timeless and although some aspects are quite trendy i.e. the dark stain on the units I think it will really last. The use of brass really lightens it up. According to Feng Shui the knives should point down ideally they should be stored out of sight! Islands look much tidier if you can tuck the stools away when you are not using them. I think large island overhangs look unbalanced.
Everyone is complimenting on the reeded glass and I agree! Certainly the first beautiful thing to notice about thie stunning kitchen. But I also love the black fronts and the beautiful light colour of the wooden elements - the chairs, the open shelves.. Well done!