Design – European Kitchen Studio

Hettich Cosario overhead system

The new “Cosario” fitting system impresses at first glance. Unlike a conventional wall unit, storage space is completely open to view and provides ergonomic access to contents.

Mounted below a wall unit, Cosario is the ideal place to store herbs and spices or kitchen gadgets out of sight, but handy when needed.

The integrated light strip is an attentiongrabbing feature. With the Cosario shut, the light illuminates the countertop; when it’s open, the contents are illuminated.

Cosario combines unobtrusive good looks with innovative technology, it’s a winning way of making better use of wall storage space.

Blum introduces individual design at designEX 2011

Blum is excited to announce their participation in Australia’s leading design and architecture event, designEX 2011. Occupying 72m², with over 50 individual products on display and applications devoted to the entire home, exciting developments from Blum can be viewed at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 13th April – 15th April 2011.

Functionality is brought to the forefront with the inclusion of Blum’s soon to be released CLIP top BLUMOTION hinge and electrical support system for overhead lifts, SERVO-DRIVE for AVENTOS. The TANDEMBOX intivo line allows drawer individualisation with the harmoniously designed pull-out. Available in three colours and limitless BOXCOVER alternatives TANDEMBOX intivo is only limited by imagination.

Also a feature at designEX 2011; the TANDEMBOX intivo Design Configurator is Blum’s newest design tool. The Design Configurator’s main purpose is to try out different pattern suggestions for glass and imitation leather in a virtual TANDEMBOX intivo pull-out. This enables you to see what the different patterns would look like on the finished pull-out.

Alicia Draper, Blum Marketing Communications Manager comments, “This year is all about making not only your kitchen, but your home work for you. Blum is vanguard in terms of functionality which is paramount in all of our products. However, design and individualisation, personal tastes and consumer needs are being explored; as are tools to make the planning process enjoyable”.

Integrated streamline joinery is a trend which is here to stay. Complete home applications such as home entertainment, bathroom, home office and wardrobes are an important part of Blum’s display. The significance of quality functional hardware and ease of use should echo throughout the entire home.

“Integrated kitchens and living areas are a trend which continues to grow stronger due to social changes within home living. Television, the internet and varying, busy lifestyles have forced us to knock down walls and open our homes to create more interaction”, says Alicia. Cabinets fitted with soft closing drawers such as TANDEMBOX and open with a touch thanks to SERVO-DRIVE are becoming standard.

In addition to creating togetherness, the appearance of cabinets throughout the entire home has become streamlined fashioning clean surfaces with custom storage solutions. Effortless function is also key and is becoming more prominent during the design process.

Blum turns the opening and closing of furniture into a graceful and enhanced kitchen experience. For over 50 years, quality has been the highest principal for the development and manufacture of Blum products. Their fitting systems epitomise excellent quality with their well-thought-out function, recognised design and durability.

Unique style with TANDEMBOX intivo in for example Silk white with BOXCOVER and design element

TANDEM and TANDEMBOX waste/recycle sets

Easy opening with SERVO-DRIVE

tandem, blum, bin Does this sound familiar? You need to throw something away, but your hands are full, dirty and/or wet.

Blum’s new TANDEM and TANDEMBOX waste/recycle sets, with SERVO-DRIVE touch-to-open feature, open automatically with just a light touch of the drawer front. This means the drawer stays clean, and the trash ends up where it belongs.

Attadale – Classic face frame

Client Brief

_MG_6004_2 (Small) This home in Attadale is situated half way up the hill, overlooking the Swan river, with panoramic views out to Perth city, with the kitchen on the first floor, in a very large family room surrounded by a veranda going right around the house, all things about this house are on a large scale, with the architectural style being very traditional colonial with all the fittings.

The clients wanted to match the kitchen the house , large, classic, grand, colonial, with the help of some magazines cut outs they had the basis of an idea, the colour had to be white, with lots of detail, the appliances had already been chosen, an 1100 mm wide colonial stove, with a mix of modern appliances as well, including a microwave, steam oven, standard oven, coffee machine, 2 x dishwashers, a pair of built in fridge’s and 2 x sinks.

The budget was discussed as being liberal, with the acceptance of spending what was required to get the idea right, it was evident from the outset that this would pass $100,000, and the go ahead was given to proceed.

Design Solution

The design process started with locating the many appliances, while the massive stove was the centre piece, most of the other items had to be built in or hidden from view, so as not to distract from the overall theme.

The fridge’s by Liebherr are fully integrated behind the tall doors, one a fridge and the other a freezer, above them sits a TV, which also acts as a monitor for the security camera to see who’s outside.

The coffee machine by Miele, sits behind the Bifold doors in the appliance cabinet, next to the desk section.

_MG_6024 On the island there’s a narrow 450 mm wide integrated Miele dishwasher beside a built in integrated bin, with a Billy Zip boiling/Chilling water filtration system under the sink.

Out of view are the main built in Miele oven, Miele steam oven, Miele microwave, at the end of the fridge cabinets, facing away from the main island, with the other integrated Miele dishwasher beside the Belfast china sink under the window beside the walk in pantry.

The main feature face of the kitchen has the 1100 wide Falcon stove set into the fireplace hood section surrounded by the curved facia and mantel supported on hand carved corbel’s flanked on either side by a pair of our handmade Criss Cross glass doors from our special Bespoke range.

The finish to all the cabinetry is a two pack lacquer finish in Taubmans Whitehouse, and the construction featured on this kitchen is our Bespoke beaded face frame set off with the classic square 101 cut paneled door, recessed back into the frame.

The hardware used is by Blum, and features Tandem drawers with Blumotion soft closing system and the wonderful Blum Clip top hinge.

The benchtops are beautiful Pacific Black granite, with the main tops having a double layered facia and the island featuring a triple layered colonial facia to finish of a great looking island with the tucked in breakfast bar to the front.