60s kitchen
Auckland
This kitchen was designed to replace the original 1962 laminate wood grain look kitchen.
The kitchen occupies one corner 3.3 metres x 3 metres square of a 60 square metre open plan dining and living room.
The original ‘peep through’ cabinetry was replaced by a ‘wall of tall’, with sliding oak doors used above the bench with painted cabinetry below the bench. This wall of tall created a television snug behind it creating a second living area within the open plan area.
The 13mm compact laminate bench and upstand with its black edge, the toe space in black and the shadow lines of the cabinetry enhance the Resene Luxor Gold cabinetry. Opening the oak doors the shelving is oak laminate against the background colour of Resene Smalt Blue.
The cabinetry housing the extractor fan and the cupboard above the refrigerator are painted in a high gloss for contrast and ease of cleaning. The flooring is rubber, Normament in dark grey, the kitchen cabinetry on the rangehood and overhead fridge cupboard are Resene Bianca and the tiling is a porcelain mosaic from The Tile Warehouse in shades of blue, which works with the Resene Smalt Blue.
The windows sashes were replaced with double glazed units and painted. The ceiling beams received a new coat of Resene Brown Derby and the ceiling Resene Quarter Spanish White.
The 60s ranch house with a 15 degree roof and windows up to ceiling height had strong structural bones. A new kitchen could not be a wilting violet. The exterior of the house is Resene Corn Harvest with Resene Tia Maria on the exterior doors and half of the house is a brown/ orange brick. The new kitchen needed to have colour that worked with the outside and evoked the period of its build.
An early idea was a mahogany kitchen with a white bench but colour prevailed. While the limited palette of colours in compact laminate had to be considered it was the inspirational Orla Kiely, Irish fashion and housewares designer who guided the cabinetry colour. With the lid of one of her cake tins as inspiration, the Resene paint range was searched until the matching Resene Luxor Gold was found. Curiously it looks very like the exterior colour of the house. The other colours followed easily once the Resene Luxor Gold was decided on.
Building contractor: Bruce Kerr Construction
Interior designer: Marjory Brown
Painting contractor: Mark Geusebroek
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2014