For this award-winning kitchen on Waiheke Island, the client wanted to replicate a New York loft-like appearance. Ironically enough, both Manhattan and Waiheke are islands, which meant added considerations around budget, transportation and time. Designed by Cube Dentro and Yellow Fox featuring Hettich ArciTech Drawers, this is a great demonstration of functionality and design working together in an open plan area.

The concept

In a way, this kitchen design had to be the feature of the house. Designing a kitchen in an open plan area always comes with extra attention to detail as there is nowhere to hide, and choosing the right finish was key to achieving a seamless aesthetic throughout. The designer chose a warm wood tone that can work across different areas, including the lounge, bar area and master bedroom, as well as the kitchen. The result of this provides a space that is welcoming and warm on the eye.

The requirement

Pulling cues from a super city like New York and translating those into a place like Waiheke Island reflect how well this space was designed. At first, you wouldn’t compare the likes of New York with Waiheke Island. However, the loft-like appeal uniquely works. The bold dark brown used on all the cabinetry is a great way to showcase a house that is situated amongst New Zealand native bush. Waiheke Island is covered with natural earthy tones, allowing the owners to bring these colours into their kitchen space. The earth conco coating used as a finish enhances the rich brown even more and completes the look. New York is known for its alternative and vibey look, which is seen in this area with large glass windows that separate the bedroom and living space.

Aspects like this showcase how well two incomparable locations can actually inspire a look that would not necessarily be imagined to work.

Limited space creates more focus on functionality of the kitchen and one of the hardest working features to offset the limited space is a beautiful antique mirror. Acting as a splashback, the mirror provides an artwork of its own, it also tricks the eye, suggesting a much larger space. Using features like this, are a smart way to bolster your space and visually create a larger area by the use of an illusion.

About the product

ArciTech drawers are a high end drawer selection. With most elements in steel, this drawer has a weighty, luxurious feel and is one of the smoothest running drawer runners on the market — this means it has an unparalleled feeling when opened and closed.

The champagne colour of the drawers in this kitchen complement the rich tone of the cabinetry used. When opened, you can really understand why the owners went with this option. Seeing both colours contrasting together is another touchpoint that reflects the time and thought gone into this beautiful design. Storage utilisation is also key and Hettich’s interior options are always a great solution to this. ArciTech Drawers can hold upto 70kg in weight and you can see the size of the drawers in this design. Having larger drawers calls for more storage and we all know that the more storage you have in a kitchen the better.

Hettich internal drawers and interior organisation are a prime example of functionality and design. Our internal drawer offers more storage options and the finish on our interior organisation inserts contribute the look and feel of this kitchen.