Led by design
In part two of our series on futurefocused kitchens, we shed light on a set-up that foresees the indoors very closely linked with out.
Your future kitchen.
Ahead of the trend
In imagining this multi-purpose kitchen/utility area, Annique Hessen of Bay of Plenty-based Gezellig Interiors designed for a future that caters to our growing desire to connect with the environment.
“My forecast for kitchens increasingly locates this zone in close proximity to the garden and home-grown food,” she says. “Here, the blurred boundary between inside and out is reinforced through a natural material palette that takes its colour cues from the earth. The soft, sculptural form of the kitchen island brings an organic tactility to this space and contrasts with the linear, furnitureesque bench and cabinetry, while the Fisher & Paykel appliances are minimal and integrated.”
Natural companions
Allowing this kitchen to feel like a genuine extension of the landscape, the material palette champions walnut timber, 3D-printed concrete, stainless steel and basalt cobblestones. Their sophisticated yet down-to-earth appeal is backed by leading technology in the form of Fisher & Paykel appliances designed to fit unobtrusively. They include a column fridge/freezer with a Variable Temperature Zone that lets you create the optimal storage climate for food fresh from the garden through to frozen, and high-performance ovens, each with sleek styling and a touchscreen that offers full recipes and helpful tips.
Encased in concrete, the rangehood is remarkably quiet, and has five fan speeds and dimmable lighting, so you can clearly see what you’re cooking. It’s positioned over a new hybrid gas and induction cooktop that provides the best of both in one appliance. An ideal match for the floating cabinetry, the integrated DishDrawer has six wash programmes that also do the hard work for you, so you can stay relaxed and in tune with the rhythms of the day.
Dynamic trio
Hidden behind the Kumiko-style screen beside the ovens on the previous page is a scullery/laundry/mudroom serving all three purposes in one space. The layout’s divided into sections according to function, all of which make everyday activities more beautiful.
Within close reach of the adjoining kitchen, an integrated column wine cabinet by Fisher & Paykel houses 91 bottles in two independent temperature zones, each with four wine modes. While the kitchen allows easy access to the vege garden, here greens are even closer to hand, thanks to a pair of hydroponic pillars growing herbs and salad leaves.
Beside these sits a sink for scrubbing shoes or soaking clothing before it’s placed in the adjacent washing machine that’s neatly stacked with a heat pump condensing dryer and can be tucked away behind bifolds. A key feature of the washer is Fisher & Paykel’s new Steam Care tech, which saves time and water and nixes the need for ironing by refreshing garments in just 20 minutes. Above it, the dryer also offers Steam Care, plus a Speed mode to reduce drying times — and it has a 10-star energy rating that helps you minimise your impact on the natural world this design celebrates.
A skylight over the mudroom ushers natural light into this compact space that feels all the more intimate through the continuation of the warm timber, textured concrete and irregular stones — rustic materials that gently offset the high-spec essentials.