Kitchen Wood Cabinets Marble Counters Ceiling Lighting Concrete Floors Design Photos and Ideas

The small home was purposefully designed to accommodate entertaining friends. Much of the entertaining took place in the central kitchen, which is connected with the outdoor spaces and has views beyond the laneway.
In the kitchen, the couple kept the original cabinets and "beautiful, custom-rolled stainless-steel counters,” says Christine. They updated the island counter, flooring, and backsplash, adding Foro marble, Concrete Collaborative tiles, and Cle tile, respectively.
The architects created built-in storage to show off Frank and Amy’s extensive LEGO collection. A glimpse of the couple’s collection can be seen on the left.
The cabinetry in the kitchen is rift-sawn, dark-stained white oak that complements the ceilings and contrasts with the white walls. The dark-pigmented concrete floors were intentionally left untreated in order to convey a sense of time. “As the home ages, the floor ‘records’ the construction process, foot traffic, wine spilled at birthday parties, drips of olive oil from anniversary dinners, watermarks from relaxing showers, and so on,” says architect Hunter Gundersen. “Every action will be subtly set in stone before it’s quickly cleaned up or swept away. Over the years, a patina of life will build up, adding depth and beauty to the interior.”
A local blacksmith fabricated metal elements for the doors, shelves, and light fittings throughout the house.
The dining table and chairs in the kitchen were handcrafted by the homeowner from timber harvested on-site.
The front and back doors are only 12 feet apart from one another, separated by the living space at the heart of the home. The open floor plan allows the living space, den, dining room, and kitchen to flow into each other, while the way the volumes are positioned makes each space feel distinct—this works well for entertaining both large and small groups.
A full-length skylight above the floating steel shelf in the kitchen allows light to stream across the Venetian plaster wall and bounce off the high-gloss white shelf. “It creates an ever-changing and ethereal experience,” says designer Jamie Chioco. The ceramic dishes and plates displayed on the shelf are from Kinn Home.
The kitchen countertops and backsplash are Carrara marble slabs, while the cabinetry is crafted from vertical-grain white oak, which adds warmth while contributing to the brightness of the interior palette.
The island bar in the kitchen features white Arcilla Field tiles by Ann Sacks that match the turquoise tiles used in the guest bathroom. The lights above the bench are classic VL45 Radiohus pendants, which were originally designed in the 1940s by Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen for Louis Poulsen for the construction of the Radiohuset building in Copenhagen.
“For me, it was very important to use materials which last and age with grace,” Schalgien says of the Verde Guatemala countertops.
“One night when we sat and had a dinner, I said I would design this neon for his kitchen because it would be perfect,” Schwalgien says, “and then he agreed to it.”
The majority of the kitchen is set into the rear back wall, which is painted black to ground the house in the sloped site.
The kitchen and dining space opens out onto the timber terrace, which has expansive water views.
The door opening to the left leads to the children’s bedrooms. A second staircase was tucked behind the kitchen storage and connects those bedrooms to the mezzanine level and the parents’ master suite upstairs.
A view of the kitchen and sitting room beyond. A balcony at the mezzanine level defines the space below it and subtly differentiates the kitchen from the main open area. The extensive central island is wrapped in Carrara marble, its gray striations syncing with the floors, which are light gray cast polyurethane.
The kitchen's central island is particularly luminous when sunlight pours down through the skylight.
Curves, found throughout, echo the home's original joinery.
An L-shaped skylight is the highlight of the kitchen, from which views of the garden and pool are visible.
To add texture in the custom kitchen, Woods covered some of the cabinets and the wall with American oak battens.
The kitchen includes ceiling lights whose fittings are recessed and offset; their glow is both diffuse and elusive.