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Realising Design Freedom with Fisher & Paykel
In the pursuit of ‘Kitchen Perfection’, Fisher & Paykel’s Design Freedom philosophy places the kitchen at the intersection of performance and personal expression, transforming it into a dynamic, multi-functional space shaped by the way we live.
Once a space defined by function, the kitchen today is now the home’s social anchor – a place for shared meals, work, conversation and creativity. With this shift, the expectations placed on the kitchen have deepened, calling for spaces that reflect the individuality of the people who use them. This idea of ‘Kitchen Perfection’ – where routines become rituals, where tools enhance creativity and where design supports both beauty and utility – guides Fisher & Paykel’s approach to product development.
Design Freedom empowers designers to configure kitchens around specific needs and preferences for seamless living, cooking and entertaining. As a reflection of Fisher & Paykel’s deep understanding of the nuances of the design process, its foundations lie in a project’s early stages, where a consideration for lifestyle elements informs a home’s planning and layout. The kitchen’s place in this is integral, and is influenced by pragmatic briefing requirements, such as the need for both formal and informal living areas, as well as aspirational lifestyle elements including dynamic spaces for entertaining, and a desire for a connection between the indoors and outdoors. These early design choices affect not only the location, scale and layout of the kitchen, but its relationship to the broader program.
Understanding these lifestyle needs and how clients will use their kitchen on a day-to-day basis informs both the flow of the space and how its work zones will be configured. Design Freedom encourages kitchens to be planned as a series of work zones – areas for prep, cooking, entertaining or clean-up – each informed by distinct patterns of use. These patterns consider everything from cooking styles and storage needs to entertaining preferences, ergonomic principles and household makeup. Appliances become modular building blocks that are not only distributed thoughtfully to support tasks, layouts and the overall design intent, but considered as integral to the kitchen’s overall framework.
Integration, which often unlocks the design concept thanks to the level of versatility it facilitates, is pivotal. It allows myriad factors to come into play – from customised panels to hidden ventilation – and gives architects and designers increased options around what elements to conceal and what to showcase. Integrated column refrigerators and freezers can be distributed throughout the kitchen to support different storage needs and household patterns without disrupting the overall design. Further, CoolDrawers and DishDrawers – both of which can be placed below bench height to facilitate easy access and simplify clean-up – can be fully integrated into custom cabinetry, lessening their visual impact and placing the architecture at the forefront of the experience.
Where appliances aren’t integrated, materials and finishes play an important role, and Fisher & Paykel’s appliance styles – which range from understated and minimal to intentionally bold – meet many design rationales and aesthetics. This idea, encapsulated by the phrase Beauty of Choice, allows designers and homeowners to choose a style and integration option that complements the overall design direction. Products can recede within the design, reflect the material palette or provide contrast, bringing an added layer of richness to a space. Available in a considered palette of finishes with refined detailing – such as hidden controls and customisable hardware – Fisher & Paykel appliances allow for kitchens that feel both architecturally resolved and deeply personal.
The core tenets of Design Freedom are beautifully illustrated throughout a range of high-end residential projects. At Roberts Gray Architects’ Wanaka S.K.I. House in New Zealand’s Otago region, the kitchen is tailored to clients who love to cook and entertain. Appliances are distributed across a generous footprint, with column refrigeration integrated into oak cabinetry and cooking appliances centred around a marble island. The layout supports a clear workflow while reinforcing both the social function and material expression of the space.
Similarly, at Edition Office’s Naples Street House in Melbourne’s Box Hill, Design Freedom supports a kitchen created for intergenerational living. Integrated appliances are distributed throughout and concealed behind spotted gum joinery, allowing tools to be positioned exactly where they’re needed without disrupting the architectural language. The design reflects the movement towards “kitchens-as-furniture”, where spaces increasingly embody the materiality, scale and aesthetics of surrounding rooms and furniture. With an emphasis on craftsmanship and refinement, this trend sees classic large banks of cabinetry replaced with freestanding, furniture-like pieces that often float or are on legs. Dining tables replace islands; handles become bespoke, artisanal features; colour blocking acts to both break up spaces and add visual interest.
Lastly, Piers Kay’s Skelton Studio House in Auckland taps into the dual power of deft spatial planning and integration. Work zones are split between a concealed scullery and front kitchen, where an integrated ventilation induction cooktop is embedded into the bench to maintain a clear, uninterrupted surface. The joinery – akin to furniture as opposed to kitchen cabinetry – is meticulously detailed and minimal in expression, and the subtlety of the cooktop means it disappears into the design. This condition facilitates the act of socialising while cooking and preparing food, fostering connection in a unique kitchen-dining space.
By allowing the kitchen to be shaped around inhabitants and their lived rituals, Fisher & Paykel’s Design Freedom philosophy supports designers and homeowners in reaching ‘Kitchen Perfection’. The resulting spaces are personal, intuitive and precisely attuned to the people who use them.
Architecture by Edition Office, Piers Kay and Roberts Gray Architects. Interior design by Piers Kay. Appliances by Fisher & Paykel.
