When Dianne de Ridder started planning the kitchen of her new build in Tokai, she knew two things for certain: ‘I wanted a change from my previous homes which were more classic in style, and I wanted to move away from a cluttered look that is often difficult to keep tidy,’ says Dianne.
The brief to architect Denis Maas from Maas & Coetzee Lifestyle Architects in Cape Town was therefore to create an open-plan space, suitable to intimate family living when it is just Dianne, her partner Clive, and their children at home, as well as grand-scale entertaining. To this end, Denis, who has worked with the couple on two of their previous homes, delivered a contemporary, open-plan design with ‘trendy modern twists within a traditional exterior’, he explains. The kitchen area, just off the double-volume hallway and family lounge, is open to a large dining space that leads out to the braai terrace and garden, while the scullery, pantry and laundry are all concealed along a corridor that connects to the garage. A fireplace was also incorporated on Dianne’s request. ‘Open-plan design can be great in summer but not so much in winter – unless you have a raging fire going,’ she explains.
To further enhance the usefulness of the area, a workstation designed by carpenter Randall Smith was also incorporated. ‘I felt such a space was important,’ says Dianne. ‘We all like to work around coffee.’ The aesthetic was kept neat with sleek cabinetry and appliances, built-in recycling bins and Dianne’s choice of an all-white palette.
What might easily have been cold and stark, is imbued with warmth and character by the addition of engineered timber flooring – a design element that was repeated on the bulkhead above the large kitchen island and on the fireplace – as well as characterful pieces, such as the antique armoire in the scullery in which Dianne displays her collection of all-white crockery (and which has moved homes with her three times) and the unique lighting sourced from Newport Lighting. It is this considered edit of old and new, rustic wooden accents and high-gloss surfaces that achieves Dianne’s vision of a sleek, modern country kitchen. ‘I love everything about it,’ Dianne says. ‘It is where all socialising begins and ends.’
Read our selection of five must-love products for a minimnalist kitchen.
Photographs
David Ross
