What can be missing from any given kitchen design picture is the path taken to arrive there . Before reaching this kitchen , you have already stepped into a grand 1900s Victorian home with 3.7m-high ceilings , elaborate wood carvings on mantels and stairs ; walked past leather panels with brass button detailing ; and under giant chandeliers hanging in the formal rooms below .
Designer Paul Bentham of Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen and Bath says the challenge was to create a kitchen with modern amenities that would feel true to the historical nature of the home , in all its glory .
“ We started out by combining a small dining room with the adjacent existing cramped kitchen to create a bright , lively space ,” says Bentham .
To achieve the grand look that marries the kitchen to the rest of the home , the pristine white upper cabinets are created in a classic style .
The 1.5m tall top cabinets are constructed traditionally – with solid 2.5cm-thick doors set into the carcass , while the 20cm-high stacked crown mouldings add to their presence . These upper cabinets boast exposed polished chrome barrel door hinges – adding to the formal tone .
“ We also added antiqued mirror inserts to
Facing page : All that glisters – brass Moroccan-look chandeliers , antiqued mirror cabinet front inserts and glass splashback tiles collectively give this formal kitchen by designer Paul Bentham a touch of sparkle .
Above : The upper cabinets are built traditionally , with the doors inset into the frame . However , the undercounter cabinets are constructed in more contemporary fashion , with doors set over the carcass , allowing for more shelf space inside .
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