Modern open plan design is ideal for busy families, providing flexible space for living, eating and entertaining — but it isn’t without its challenges. Aromas and noise from cooking can easily spill into other areas without careful design. It’s exactly this problem that the owners of this newly renovated kitchen in Kohimarama wanted to resolve, turning to Parex for three innovative solutions that reduce kitchen smells, noise and clutter — all while improving functionality.

With a preference for a clean, minimalist aesthetic, one of the first kitchen decisions the clients made was to install a Parex MultiTap. Designed for convenience, the MultiTap delivers filtered cold water, hot water and near-boiling water from a single tap. This saves significant benchtop space as it not only removes the need for separate taps, but also eliminates the need for a kettle. And beneath the benchtop, the toaster-sized water tank is tucked neatly out of sight.

While space saving was their main goal, the clients are also thrilled with the noise reduction the MultiTap provides. The boiling hot water function means there is no longer any kettle noise, leaving the kitchen and living room quiet and comfortable.

The usefulness of the MultiTap is not to be underestimated as Barnaby from Parex explains. “The convenience comes from instantly being able to access near-boiling water for tea, coffee and meal prep like pasta and rice — and you can also use the hot water to sterilise benchtops and help with clean up.”

Another key part of the design is a Schweigen Silent Undermount Rangehood — a high-performance extraction system that removes moisture and odours from the cooking space. The system’s external extraction motor sits on the exterior of the home, meaning that extraction noise is entirely eliminated from the kitchen. “By moving the noise from extraction out of the kitchen, the system helps to maintain a calm and user-friendly internal environment,” says Barnaby.

And the final noise-reduction feature is a surprising one — the Evolution range InSinkErator. The InSinkErator gives the clients a more sustainable way of disposing of any organic waste not suitable for compost, and thanks to improved technology is much quieter than food disposal systems of the past.

“The evolution range has got quiet technology with anti-vibration mounts and tail pipe insulation to minimise vibration in the sink,” explains Barnaby. “This effectively minimises noise in the kitchen. Depending on the model, it can be 40% to 60% quieter than standard models.”

Barnaby says timing was key in bringing these elements together. “The earlier in the piece the appliances are included, the better. That way you know what to put in first, the flow of the kitchen and how cabinets can work, and you can work around the appliances,” he says. “By engaging us early in the process, all the appliances for the kitchen were able to be designed in from the start.”

Overall, clever incorporation of Parex appliances has helped modernise the kitchen, adding an extra level of functionality, convenience and hygiene, while ensuring a peaceful atmosphere for open plan living.