A kitchen that references the history of Central Otago has been judged best southern kitchen at the national kitchen and bathroom awards.
Designed by Hub Design Interiors, the "Arrowtown Hills" kitchen was praised by the judges for the National Kitchen and Bathroom Association’s Excellence in Design awards.
"Creative thinking has enabled the design team to create a well-appointed kitchen with a distinctive design," the association said in a statement.
"The space effortlessly suits the home’s style and meets the client’s brief. [It’s] a fantastic transformation of an existing space."
The homeowners, a semi-retired couple with three teens, had recently moved to Queenstown. They loved their new home but wanted to update it to make it their own.
Hub Design director Carmen Hubber said there were several challenges to overcome. The kitchen was located in a long, narrow room with a large fireplace in close proximity to the island and there were existing stone columns to work around.
The new island has a rustic, round table at one end, which reduces the long, narrow feel of the room and references the area’s gold-mining history with a riveted steel base and aged timber top.
The island includes an induction hob with a pipe-style extractor to echo the shape of the table and to minimise obstruction of the mountain views.
Located behind this are an integrated sub-zero fridge, freezer and pantry so everything is at the owners’ fingertips.
There is even a custom drawer designed to fit food for the family’s two cats.
The materials used included steel, travertine tiles, natural timbers and Neolith porcelain reminiscent of jade.
