Our
first port of call is our classic style. . .it
is inspired buy the original European and especially English,
Irish, Scottish and Welsh kitchen furniture. . .it is not ornate
or pretentious but beautiful in its simplicity and necessity of
design.
It
is the sort of furniture the European settlers in New Zealand
had in their cottages and villas.
This
style can be sealed to give a natural wood look. . .it can be
bleached to look stripped or given a clear finish in varying levels
of gloss. . .it can be painted in suitable
colours
Also
it may be distressed or aged to some degree if that helps it to
blend with the life your home has already had. . . |
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Details
Essence
Handles
Sinks
Benchtops
Timbers
Chairs
Colours
Tiles
Ceiling
tiles
Present
work
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| We have a range of furniture we call 'Essence'
which has been reduced to the essential elements of the classic
kitchen furniture style. At
present there are four pieces of furniture in the range. . .a
sink cabinet, a corner cabinet, a pantry and a side or island
piece.
Have a look at this range here
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From 1870 to the early 1900s we were strongly influenced by the
Arts and Crafts movement from England. Chapman
Taylor brought a pure 'back to nature' and craft aspect to our
architecture and the style came through the interior design and
furniture details to become part of our own New Zealand style.
The style includes a lot of medieval and gothic elements. . .shaped
brackets, vertical rails, black iron work, jointed frames and
oak.
This
style in turn led to the Craftsman and Mission styles in America
which we were also influenced by here. |
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The Craftsman style in America was often a bit
over the top with busy detail! . . .but here, as with all the
styles which have contributed to our New Zealand style, fashion
took a long time to travel to our distant shores and when it did
arrive we were satisfied to accommodate it to our simpler living
conditions in a simplified form.
There
are many diverse elements coming through from Oriental, Egyptian,
Spanish Mission and Japanese styles synthesized in the Craftsman
style and epitomized in the work of Green and Green, architects
in the US. |
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The Art Nouveau movement was concurrent with
the Arts and Crafts period and centred more in France, Germany
and Belgium. . .it was a very exuberant style, full of curves
and natural plant, insect and animal motifs arranged in abstracted
patterns.
We
can undertake stained glass, and source hardware fittings in this
style. . .and supply a range of hand painted tiles
in the original glaze colours and Art Nouveau
designs you might like to consider as suitable detailing for your
kitchen.
You may view this delightful and comprehensive range here
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Art
Deco from 1920's to 1940's was specifically expressed in
New Zealand and particularly concentrated in Napier, Marewa and
Hastings. It has sunburst motifs conveying the dawn of the modern
age. . .speed, power and flight. . .the geometry of machines and
technology which was the promise of a bright future!
Paradoxically there was also a fascination with ancient civilizations:
Egyptian and Aztec themes are evident. |
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Shaker style is not exactly a founding member of New
Zealand interior design but we have included it here because for
some settings it is the perfect synthesis of basic simplicity
and bare functional form.
The
interiors are usually uncluttered to the point of being sparse
and everything, it seems, is designed to make 'clearing the decks'
easy! The classic peg board detail around the walls at head height
is used to hang the few necessary accessories including the chairs
when they are not in use. |
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