Multiple features create dream kitchen

 

Country-style yet contemporary, a Dannemora couple’s unique, custom-built Jag kitchen is perfect for the family’s needs.

When Steve and I-Fei Chan met Jag Kitchens’ designer Caroline Charman, they knew they had found the designer that would help them achieve their dream kitchen.

“We’d been to other companies but once we talked to Caroline that was it. We knew she was the right one,” says I-Fei. “We were really fussy with what we wanted so we needed someone who would pay close attention to detail and listen carefully to our ideas. We needed a designer to put ideas together, listen, stand back and think along the same lines as us – that was really important.

“Caroline was very good at putting ideas together. This helped us a lot as there were so many little details we wanted. If she disagreed with our opinions, she would give advice, tell us what she thought, then give us time to think about it and discuss it with each other. There was no pressure at all, which we appreciated.”

The Chan’s unique kitchen includes two completely different workstations – one with a contemporary look and one more country-style – each complete with bench, sink and integrated Fisher & Paykel dishdrawer.

“I like to cook meat separately from everything else so it’s great having a completely separate area to prepare meat and roe and the separate dishdrawers, one under each sink, is perfect,” I-Fei says.

“We always prepare breakfast in the ‘country’ side and Caroline suggested an integrated Fisher & Paykel cool fridge where we store our fruit and bread. We used to have it all sitting on the bench but now we have this beautiful kitchen we just want to hide everything away. What’s more, the temperature of the cool fridge can be adjusted to serve as a wine cellar, fridge or freezer.”

Also unique to the kitchen is the oven tower incorporating a steam oven, regular oven and microwave combi.

An additional, larger oven, is positioned below the hob. “I just love to cook and bake and the multi ovens are fantastic for entertaining – I can have the main and dessert cooking at the same time, or the kids’ meals in one oven and the adults’ in the other,” says I-Fei.

As parents of triplet boys, making the kitchen more family-friendly was a high priority for the Chans.

“We moved the hob and rangehood onto the bench overlooking the lounge so I can watch the boys and talk to them while they play,” I-Fei says.

“That bench was also widened and will be used as a breakfast bar.”

In achieving the perfect balance between country and contemporary, a striking black splashback doubles as a message board, as does the floor to ceiling blackboard/magnet board.

A row of tall cabinetry was removed to accommodate the second sink area. Space-efficient pull-out pantries were an effective storage solution to replace this.

“We sat down and really thought about exactly how we would use the kitchen to make sure it functions for us,” says Steve.

“It may not work for everyone, but it works for us so that’s all that matters.

“It’s everything we could want. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

– Article courtesy of H&P Times