Kitchen

BEFORE: The island before it was replaced with a blue beauty.

The elegant eat-in kitchen is one of the highlights of the renovation. It features a center island clad in Carrara marble, sleek custom cabinetry, and high-end appliances from Fisher & Paykel. There is also a skylight which floods the space with natural light.

While the interior design is mellow, the house was a social hub (or at least it was pre-pandemic), frequently the site of games nights and jams. The open space here, in a pinch, could also comfortably host a small house show. (It was the perfect size for the 75 guests at the couple's post-wedding brunch earlier in the year.)

The living room, dining room, and kitchen are distinct spaces while still being very open. “It was fun to come up with a slightly different approach to an open living concept,” Herrmann says. The artwork on the left is by Sonnenzimmer. The abstract on the right is by Ludovic Philippon, a painter in the South of France.

A band of windows wraps around the kitchen to bring the outdoors into the kitchen, which is outfitted with Piacere equipment.

In the kitchen, a large picture window frames views of the surrounding forested land.

The material palette of this kitchen is calm and muted, using putty coloured cabinet doors, wood grain on the intermediate cabinets, a concrete coloured honed quartz countertop, and light oak flooring throughout.

When it came time to select appliances that would seamlessly blend into their kitchen, Joel and Meelena relied heavily on Dacor for their elegant, high-tech product line. “What I love about the camera in the fridge is that it’s highly functional and not just a gimmick,” notes Joel. “How many times have you gone to the store and purchased things because you forgot you had it? In my mind, this is a beautiful, simple feature that allows you to use less and waste less—while also wasting less time.”

An Arteriors Wahlburg Chandelier hangs over the kitchen countertop.

the kitchen is at the center of the living space

After deeming the original structure unfit for renovation, Chris worked with the Corrigans to raze it and rebuild. With the addition of a lower level, the top floor now sits higher, with clarified sight lines. In the kitchen, a pass-through window connects to the deck, where the couple often entertain; Chris, Jack, Ellen, and Lara Deam enjoy the view.

Kitchen and island

Herman and his wife love to cook for and entertain their guests. They also have a great selection of South African wine and malt whiskey.