Approach an architect with an extensively researched mood-board and references and it can go one of two ways. So, when Kate and Corey approached Spacecraft Joinery, mood-board in tow, sparks flew – the good kind – and the spirit of collaboration, expertise and enthusiasm was evident from the get-go. Their wonderful mid-century kitchen was the result.
“It was a nice clear vision,” remembers Sarah Katsaros, Designer at Spacecraft Joinery, of her clients. “There was quite a firm idea and vision for the Mid-century. She had a mood board, and she knew what she wanted.”
Clients Kate and Corey bought their Mid-century home in the Barossa Valley and as locals of the immensely beautiful wine country, were aware of the colours and landscape changes this part of Australia goes through each season – let alone each year. The couple were looking to transform their perfectly adequate kitchen into something more era appropriate, hoping to add practical and pragmatic design touches, while introducing materials and a palette that better reflected the home and world surrounding it. It should also be a place to work, gather as a family and of course, needed to be delivered on budget.
When working on a home with such a clear origin, remaining faithful to the movement is key, but the concept of what makes a kitchen has come a long way since the 50s. Therefore, adjustments to 21st century needs must be made, but in such a way that feel evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary. Ultimately, it should feel authentic, but function as we expect.
“Back in the brief stage, Kate and Corey, wanted heaps of colours, they didn’t want a monochromatic kitchen and at the time, the Barossa was surround by red trees and leaves. It was just very picturesque,” explains Sarah of the process.
Settling on a warm, autumnal palette, the kitchen uses Laminex Burnt Ochre and Pale Honey to establish the suitable Mid-century feelings, only made stronger by the presence of flush blackwood handles by Auburn Woodturning (and pull handles for the heavier drawers). The circular handles hint at a quiet theme of sorts for the kitchen.
While Laminex has been used for most of the bench top space, employing its impact, scratch and stain resistance for these high traffic areas, the connection to the peninsula has been made by a gentle arc detail. Using Fibonacci Terrazzo in the very apt and complementary Assemblage colourway, it slots into the benchtop with casual elegance and architectural relevance. Featuring large and small inclusions, the terrazzo hits every element of the palette, bringing all the luxury and tactile features of stone to the project.
“Whether it’s a bright or if we need something earthy, there’s always the right colour that we can find,” says Sarah of the Laminex Colour Collection, “we know it’s durable and hard wearing, but the colours, feel and texture all just work so well, particularly within a theme [such as this].”
Benchtop edges, shelves and even the window ledges in blackwood maintain another important Mid-century touch, the use of grain and timber, and Sarah’s control of the project. For the splashback, Artedomus’ Chifu tile in Olive is final piece of the puzzle. Applied vertically, they make their case by eschewing any notions of contemporary interior design – without falling into retro, pastiche or kitsch design - recalling memories of yesterday, of trips to our grandparents with the fresh aroma of bread and pastries. In a word; fitting.
Scattered around the kitchen are Kate and Corey’s collection of vases and jugs, ceramics and art which will no doubt be slowly usurped by the pragmatic decisions this kitchen was designed for; more cookbooks or storage, but for now, the kitchen is the result of the perfect collaboration with a great designer.
If there is one thing the Mid-century design movement brought it was a sense of warmth. The use of timbers and primary tones with familiar and natural materials were meant to be comforting, welcoming and easy. How they were used and interpreted was key to their many successes. After all, there is a reason many of us return to this era’s aesthetic and design language.
On one hand this is a kitchen that includes the subtle motifs necessary as a response to its origins and surrounds, but then there’s the other response, that of the functional, working space. Kate and Corey’s house and kitchen ticks all the boxes, not that they’ll need any reminders that their home is a great place to cook, work and live.
Learn more about this project, and Spacecraft Joinery’s portfolio here.
Credits:
Design: Spacecraft Joinery
Photographer: Jonothan van der Knaap
Stylist: Maz Mis
Banner image: Kate and Corey's kitchen features Laminex Pale Honey joinery, and a Laminex Burnt Ochre and Fibonacci Terrazzo benchtop.
You might also like
