BELSON DESIGN TRANSFORMED WHAT WAS ONCE A SMALL, CLOSED-OFF 1970’S KITCHEN/DINING AREA, INTO A CUSTOMISED KITCHEN-DINING ZONE THAT FULFILLED THE REQUESTS WHILE KEEPING THE LIFESTYLE IN MIND. BELSON DESIGN ENSURED THAT THE PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS WERE TOP PRIORITY WHILE ALSO BEING A DYNAMIC AND COMFORTABLE ATMOSPHERE.
When I first entered this townhouse, one of a selection that straddles, between Finch and Belson streets in the gascoigne estate. I knew instantly this townhouse had great bones and well-founded charm within this heritage overlay area. Built in the 1970’s by Lloyd Williams, it was in need of a full interior remodel to give it the contemporary makeover it deserved all, while honoring its original bones.
This full-scale renovation over three levels screamed, “look at me” but the main hub of this upgrade was the “Double Duty” tight space of the kitchen and dining area.
My starting point was to sort through my stacks of inspirational books. I came upon the powerful words of Frank Lloyd Wright. Later that day after hours of pouring over magazines and websites, Frank’s words kept coming up as a mantra, “freedom lies within”. I attribute the ease of this project’s success to allow myself freedom. My design vision for the kitchen/dining space: Create balance using horizontal lines Optimise every inch of space for family entertainment Use plenty of white in the space to allow all elements in the room to breathe With this design vision in mind, the ideas started to flow. It was as easy as 1-2-3 (three zones). I decided to push everything out to both walls of the room, which created the central zone.
I was inspired to bring the natural beauty from outside into this design. I decided on a mirrored wall to make the space look taller, drawing the eye up and carrying it around the room, making it lighter and brighter. The design for the dining setting was a built in custom-made grey linen floating banquette that is fixed to the wall directly under the mirrored wall. The sconce lighting on the mirrored wall gives the dining zone a timeless elegant finish. A simple, clean-lined oak table that measures three meters long and a set of chairs placed beneath a pendant light finished the dining space.
Next was creating the perfect storage solution, this plan allowed for many appliances and storage requirements to fit in the island that is 1.2 meters wide, which is the center mark of the design. The purpose of this storage solution was to make it a breeze for preparation as well as serve as a divider between the kitchen and the entertainment zones. The island serves a dual function; one side serves as a functional zone to the kitchen with the integrated dishwasher, built in drawer bin, a microwave that has been placed under the bench with large pot drawer. Additionally within the island is the double sink with a classic understated tap. The other side of this central mark design is nine massive drawers that serve as required storage within the tight kitchen design. Finally, I cannot forget the artwork “vanity fair” by Australian artist Kate Bergin that encapsulated the design thus completing the space.
The design of food preparation area features two tall-integrated cabinets one at each side of the room. One is the pantry and the other is the built in fridge. Centred is the elegance of the black ceramic glass 5-burner gas cooktop. Beneath are six deep drawers, each side has three drawers under the bench stove. This zone was designed to optimise work, ensuring to utilise space to enhance quality of motion and efficiency for food preparation and cooking.
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Belson Design found this remarkable public artworks from Tom Otterness on route to school.
Tom Otterness bronze sculptures emerge from every corner you look. From the floor playfully working up the subway platform into this stairwell of the 14TH street subway.
Doubtless anyone could miss Tom Otterness's unique sculptures, which took several years to complete the full installation. Can you believe the bureaucrats disputed to install Tom Otterness's public works ????
Parts of Tom's works appear all over town ~ from Central Park to Battery Park City to Downtown Brooklyn and Pratt Institute. Keep your eyes open..
SHARE YOUR APPRECIATION FOR TOM OTTERNESS'S PLAYFUL WORKS...
Check out BD's exciting journey in NYC and LA on INSTAGRAM: @belsondesign and Facebook: Belson Design
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AuthorSharyn McBride, principal designer and trainer at Belson Design. Previous Blogs
June 2018
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