Singing in the kitchen with Guy Sebastian

A symphony of luxe looks and family-friendly finishes.

THE BRIEF

Singer Guy Sebastian, his wife Jules and their sons Hudson, seven, and Archer, five, recently moved in to their new, ultra-modern home in Sydney’s east. Both keen cooks, Guy and Jules’ vision for their kitchen was for a sleek, open-plan, crowd-pleasing entertainer’s kitchen where they could host hordes of family and friends. On their wish list: abundant storage, a butler’s pantry to hide mess, a monochromatic palette and an urban-industrial vibe.

THE DESIGN APPROACH

To bring their vision to life, Guy and Jules turned to Freedom Kitchens, a longtime supporter of the couple’s philanthropic work (renovating shelters and refuges with The Sebastian Foundation). In keeping with the surrounding palette of black steel, grey concrete and white, the kitchen joinery is in a matt finish, Polytec Venette in Black Supa, from Freedom Kitchens’ Designer Range. The Sebastians’ vast floor space allowed for the creation of a fabulous 5.6m-long island bench. Topped with a 100mm-thick slab of Caesarstone in Rugged Concrete with an overhang on three sides, the island comfortably seats up to 12 people, creating the all-important communal hub the couple was seeking. A Gaggenau gas cooktop with induction teppanyaki plates sits on the island benchtop so Guy and Jules can cook up a storm while chatting to guests. (The island also has ample built-in storage with drawers along its length underneath.) To hide mess when entertaining, there is a generous 3.8x1.5m butler’s pantry located behind the rear wall of joinery, with a concealed entry located between the oven and fridge. Among the talking points is a stunning custom black steel and solid brass pendant light that spans the length of island.