Houses Revisited: Herne Bay kitchen
The new kitchen designed by Evelyn McNamara in this Herne Bay villa.
The kitchen sits in a large open plan living and dining area.
Looking at the kitchen from the dining space.
A light and breezy kitchen fits seamlessly in the renovation of this classic Auckland villa, first published in 2012.
Architect Evelyn McNamara was commissioned to renovate her clients’ Herne Bay villa. The house had two generously sized bedrooms, one single bedroom and a loft space. McNamara transformed it into a light and spacious two storey, four room house with a user friendly space to cook in and to entertain guests.
The kitchen was a significant part of this renovation. The clients wanted to have a light, open space that guests would be able to share while food is prepared. They also wanted the space to provide somewhere for the children to do supervised homework, and for informal eating.
McNamara kept the kitchen in the same spot as before, but opened it up to the large dining and living space. The large bench forms a U-shape, and on the north side extends out to form a table space. Stools tuck neatly under the overhang when they are not in use. On the east wall is a second bench area that houses the coffee machine and an additional sink and creates another informal standing area for guests to occupy.
Large sliding windows on the west and north sides open out to create a nice connection between the kitchen and the garden, pool and deck outside. The smaller window allows the cook to pass food and plates out to the barbeque chef on the deck and both windows mean the clients can keep an eye on the pool.
The material palette is mostly white. The Osprey Cesarstone bench top and and white lacquered MDF cabinetry is offset with a bold, black tiled splashback behind the range. The cool colours were used to complement the warm, original kauri hardwood floors. The cabinets have a sleek finish with cleverly recessed matt chrome drawer pulls.
This kitchen is a chic and inviting spot for family and friends to gather, with a light and open atmosphere. It ties in well with the seamless renovation of this classic Auckland villa.
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Note: These are stories from our archives and, since the time of writing, some details may have changed including names, personnel of specific firms, registration status, etc.
