Mead Residence

by Rowson Kitchens & Richard Priest

This thoughtful and considered new build is situated on a quiet street in Raglan, New Zealand with serene views through the neighbouring Pohutakawa trees and to the water beyond. The bold charred Siberian Larch exterior offers a strong statement and serious street appeal, and the interiors are warm and natural – creating a calm and relaxing contrast to the exterior. The kitchen features warm timber veneer and creamy textured Dekton benching, and this palette is continued throughout the home to the laundry and vanities. Forte flooring continues throughout the home, and the bathrooms feature large format tiles and custom vanities for a luxe & seamless aesthetic. Accents of blackened brass feature throughout the home to compliment the warm timber tones and soft neutrals.

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The brief for this project was to create a functional kitchen that allowed our clients to entertain comfortably & one with a zone to close off from the main kitchen to place platters/dishes without the need for a scullery

In response to this I designed a Butlers pantry fitted with a secondary sink, Juno hot & cold sink mixer, a secondary dish drawer & drawer storage for crockery, cutlery & glassware that is accessed by Hafele Hawa Concepta bi-folding pocket doors – opening back & pocketing in to reduce door swing when in use, & seamlessly closed when not. The inside of the unit features the same Dekton benching as seen on the island but in 12mm, continuing up between the floating veneer shelves that are fitted with LED strip lighting. A Blum Space Tower to the right of this unit stores everyday food items for easy access

I specified the flush mounted Miele Down Draft Induction hob & placed this on the island to remove the need for a rear riser or suspended range hood unit for a sleek yet functional aesthetic that also allows our clients to feel connected when cooking while entertaining, & the drinks nook is fitted with an integrated cool drawer for beverages & floating shelving for glasses & display & is located to the outer point of the kitchen to easily serve guests without disrupting the flow of the kitchen while in use

Both a full 60cm oven & steam oven with warming drawer cover all cooking methods & offer extra capacity while entertaining

The space is long & relatively narrow & is adjacent to the living space so the dining table was specified to push against the island but can also be orientated & moved away from the island to create a separate dining space if required

One of the challenges of this space was the initial material palette – my client engaged in my services from seeing my blue steel work on Instagram but once meeting onsite & taking in the location & close proximity to the sea along with being surrounded by beautiful protected Pohutakawa trees I felt steel was too cold for the space & flipped the palette to an earthy & natural combination of warm timber veneer, creamy textured Dekton benching with a natural fossil-like texture & blackened brass island panels & handles on the tall cabinetry by Powersurge. The blackened brass also continues through to the Linea light & dining pendant, & the space is finished with elegant dining chairs by Resident, warm timber floors & soft sheer curtains