Asked the time old question; What would you take with you if you were stranded on a deserted island? Ester our lead graphic designer said her copy of Walk Off the Earth’s debut album; R.E.V.O. Sandro on the other hand, having spent his childhood growing up on the Sunshine Cost of Australia said he would have “no choice but to bring his Hawaiian long board”. Marivi opted for a comfortable deck chair from where she could sip margaritas, read up on art philosophy on her iPad and occasionally watch Sandro relive his surfer days.

The truth of the matter was that the island they were to be marooned on for a night was in fact an elegant 14ft kitchen island, illuminated by Ray Power’s enigmatic Link suspension wood lamp. 

This 14 foot kitchen island which happened to be part of a swanky redevelopment LZF was proud to be a part of, was designed for a family of  2 adults, three kids and the same number of pooches. Combined with their  passion for entertaining, the homeowners were desperate to overhaul their inadequately-sized kitchen. 

Step one was to remove the dividing wall between the kitchen and the dining room, allowing the cook to converse with the guests while the food was being prepared. Only problem being that the surrounding walls were either windows or doors, meaning storage has to be really well planned. One of the solutions was to build a butler’s pantry in the adjacent mudroom. Not only does it work well, it allows the homeowners to imply they have a butler, which sounds kind of cool.

The distinctively modern kitchen had to relate to the traditional architecture of the existing home. To achieve this, a monochromatic palette of soft whites and grey was specified, all with matte finishes. Custom European white oak floors were stained to preserve their natural grain and to provide a soft contrast to the warm grey oak wall and white base cabinets. 

LZF’s Link suspension wood lamp is yet another example of how adaptable our beautiful timber veneer creations can be; able to span both classic and contemporary genres. The Link’s organic form (based on the Mobius strip) adds sculptural interest and a welcome pop of colour over the heroic island bench.

It’s little wonder the family are always in the kitchen at parties.