DESIGN IT.

The initial conversation locked down the bigger-picture design elements. “Nutting out all the details took a little longer, around a couple of months,” says Matt. “There were plenty of important elements to consider – where to put appliances, what kind of white to use, the choice of light fittings and flooring, and cabinetry details.”

The plan was for a minimalist design that relied on functional cabinetry to look after the storage requirements. To counteract the U-shaped layout, designer Matt suggested a galley kitchen. There was some ongoing back and forth over the location of appliances though. “All the appliances had to be below the benchtops,” says Lucie. “In particular, I wanted two under-counter fully integrated Liebherr fridges that open outwards. Our freezer is then on the other side of the room in a corner.” The freezer is located opposite an integrated Bosch dishwasher and there’s also a pull-out bin next to the sink.

The team went back and forth with the joiner to resolve final details. “Matt recommended an excellent joiner, Mathew Watson of Winchester Interiors, and guided us through the design. It was fun,” says Lucie.

Designer Matt was happy to email designs through. “I don’t mind not being there to try to control how things are received,” he says. “I use plans to convey layout in the usual way but also work a lot with digital models, and forwarded rendered images to Lucie and Richie.” “My brother suggested that we go with marble,” says Lucie. “It was something that I had really wanted, but I thought it would be prohibitively expensive. I was surprised to learn otherwise. It was fun choosing the slab from the warehouse; I knew that I wanted carrara, and then I felt lucky to find one that I liked straightaway.”