A Sense of Place

When imagining a room, especially a functional one such as a kitchen, thoughtful designers will imbue their schematic with a specificity and quality of belonging to the city or natural landscape where it exists.

We visited with an award-winning architect in Australia and a renowned designer in The Netherlands to learn more about how particular kitchen projects reflect and respond to the world outside the windows.

Australia
This stunning streamlined home, known as “The Farm,” is on the windswept south coast of New South Wales, with a view of the Tasman Sea. The award-winning architecture is responsive to climate and integrated with the ever-changing landscape. From nearly every angle, the owners and their guests are treated to views of verdant headlands that undulate down to the shimmering sea.

Generous-sized doors and windows flow to a welcoming courtyard or, when closed, keep the home cozy and inviting at any time of year.

The thoughtfully designed kitchen opens fully to an expansive deck, making it a relaxed and convivial center of the home. The space, like every part of the house, is accessible and relaxed but also offers a state-of-the-art culinary environment.

“Most Australians live in temperate coastal regions, and so outdoor dining and cooking are very popular,” says Fergus Scott, Principal of Fergus Scott Architects, who, with Caryn McCarthy and Richard Smith, was the architect on the project. “Australians also love a weekend BBQ.”

He explains that outdoor and informal inside dining each influence the national cooking style. “This allows kitchen designers to explore open, accessible, and less formal kitchens.”

Scott says that The Farm kitchen, being at the heart of the living areas, was designed to be generous and communal in nature. “We wanted to maximize its spectacular outlook and accessibility on all sides,” he says. “Our design allowed access to the Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances and generous storage without visually breaking up the room.”

He explains that with proximity to the outdoor elements, efficient, high-quality appliances in durable materials were critical to the success of the kitchen. “The owners also required a simple, intuitive design for easy use by guests,” says Scott. “Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances were the ideal choice.”

“The kitchen is a clear expression of a spectacular visual connection with the outside,” says Scott. “It gives the experience of preparing and enjoying food on a spectacular coastal platform.”

The Netherlands
“Haarlem is near to Amsterdam, but closer to the sea,” says Davy Swanenberg, Creative Director and co-owner of Culimaat Kitchens in Berlicum, Netherlands. “In previous centuries, the rich people of Amsterdam moved toward the coast a little; it was a kind of retreat for them, and there are many historical buildings still intact throughout the city.”

One of these, an opulent circa 1700s bank building, has been transformed into a resplendent private home with modern flourishes. The interiors were mostly gutted and refitted for contemporary living, but the scope and size of the rooms harken back to an earlier century. “The house reflects the grandeur of the sort of robust financial institution that Haarlem was famous for,” says Swanenberg. “There are big, tall windows that overlook the city, soaring ceilings with crown moldings, 12-centimeter-thick doors. The client wanted to make a statement.”

In the sleek, centrally located kitchen, Swanenberg and his team exposed some of the Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances and hid others. “The Wolf oven is behind doors, but the Sub-Zero wine storage units are on display,” he says. “The clients are wine lovers, and that was part of the visual they wanted.”

The cabinetry on the left and right sides of the kitchen has moveable doors with ultra-thin glass, which makes them easy to slide open or close, depending on the homeowner’s needs. “You can change the look of the kitchen by switching the doors from thin to thick, left or right,” says Swanenberg.

At one end of the long main room, a markedly modern fireplace warms the interior living space, while opposite, past the kitchen island, are floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a view of a busy urban environment with strong historical roots. The space marries dark with light, old with new, and functional with stylish— all in an unmistakably Dutch way.