Scullery disguises an awkward corner to become star attraction.

Article published in Stuff by Colleen Hawkes, Sep 23 2022

In most kitchens, if there’s a scullery it’s usually tucked around a corner out of sight. This family kitchen turns that idea on its ear, opening up the scullery to full view, and in doing so, it disguises an awkward, angled corner.

It’s a brilliant idea, and it works because of the crisp, clean styling and tidy finish, and the desire of the owners to keep it looking this way.

The open scullery is the brainchild of Auckland NKBA designer Leanne Harley CKDNZ, who was commissioned to replace the original kitchen in the Laingholm house, which was built in the early 2000s.

The scullery is a key part of the kitchen, being the main clean-up centre, with the larger sink and dishwasher. Working with the tricky angles was a challenge for the team.

“The brief from the owners Megan and Jarred was loud and clear – they wanted an industrial, organic aesthetic with lots of steel and easy-clean, robust surfaces,” Harley says. “An entertainer’s kitchen with a good connection to the barbecue deck was high on their list of priorities. Megan was also really keen to display ornaments and plants, so some shelving with LED lighting was desirable.”

The designer says, although the existing kitchen was a high-end kitchen, it was visually overpowering and it wasn’t practical, with bench space around the cooking centre greatly compromised. “The kitchen was quite congested – it didn’t have a good flow.”

However, the biggest challenge was the awkward shape, which was determined by the contemporary architecture. “When I first saw it, I had to leave it for a week as it was quite overwhelming with all the corners and angles. And it’s true, sometimes the best ideas come to you in the middle of the night.”

Leanne says the family had a system in place that worked well, and therefore they had very specific ideas on where they wanted two of the main working centres. “The clean-up centre with a large sink, DishDrawers, bins and a stainless steel benchtop was to be located in the scullery, with a smaller secondary sink located out in the main kitchen for preparation.”

‘A puzzle amongst angles’

“What remained was a puzzle amongst angles which I helped them piece together. It included working how to install a continuous stainless steel top in the space with four angles, coved upstands on all four sides, a welded sink insert and an anti-spill (lip) along the front edge.”

With the scullery playing such a significant role, it made sense to open up this space, and have no doors.

“We really wanted to showcase the scullery, and not have it hidden away – it’s almost the star of the show,” the designer says. “It’s a room to be seen and embraced. Megan and Jarred are both real foodies, and they love to cook and entertain, so it is not a problem to keep it clean and tidy.

Mild steel that has been heated and treated with beeswax brings an organic, rustic look to the kitchen. The island top is Caesarstone in Rugged Concrete.

The island, positioned to follow the line of the angled suspended ceiling, features a custom steel frame that matches the steel used for shelving above the cooking centre. Mild steel was used – it was heated and finished with a coat of beeswax for a rustic, organic look and feel.

The steel is teamed with a Caesarstone benchtop in Rugged Concrete, and Prime Panels cabinetry in the colour Devious – a deep navy. The scullery benchtops are polished stainless steel.

Subway Rewind Polvere tiles feature on the splashbacks in both the kitchen and scullery.

The 90cm Fisher & Paykel freestanding oven was chosen, but not bought till it was confirmed it would work with the new design.

Leanne says the owners had already chosen a 90cm freestanding Fisher & Paykel oven with a gas cooktop, but held off ordering until they had the go-ahead. “We made sure it was going to fit into the overall design before making the investment.”