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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Bondi Apartment by MinosaAugust 16th, 2013 by Sumit Singhal
What to do with a 66m2 space when the brief includes 13 appliances, large preparation areas, 10 seater table, 3seater sofa, two large arm chairs with foot stools, 65 inch plasma with ALL the gizmo’s and a demand for a space that integrated their family and life into one space!  Image Courtesy © Minosa
 Image Courtesy © Minosa Brief The design brief was simple: – Fit enough appliances in that would service a small commercial kitchen; cater for a family of five that entertain a LOT, a ten seater table was a MUST! Make it stylish with no visible appliances and no products are to be made in China. All this into a space that is a fraction of the size of their previous home; throw in a three seater couch, two large arm chairs and a 65inch plasma with all hi fi mod cons and toys and the design solutions was simple… Add another floor!  Image Courtesy © Minosa The client engaged Minosa at the eleventh hour after confidence had been lost in the previous project manager; the space was stripped and all rough in works were well underway. The designer had to come up with a concept very, very quickly; after the first site visit the designer simply requested that the easiest way to meet the brief was to add another floor to the two level apartment or at least an extra 15 m2 (obviously never going to happen)!  Image Courtesy © Minosa The Constraints The main constraint was the space that had to encompass this kitchen/family room, windows (with a very sunny northerly aspect), doors and plumbing outlets that could not be changed or relocated; the ceiling was low; a large stack had to be concealed within the design; a very obvious structural pier or two were also in the way! Throw in the fact that this is a apartment on the sixth floor with now service lift and the small issue of 13 household appliances…….it was a challenge to say the least.  Image Courtesy © Minosa Design solution The layout of the cooktop and sink really selected itself as the plumbing was fairly fixed and the window had to remain, the biggest challenge came trying to conceal the structural piers and conceal the wall ovens and appliance cabinets.  Image Courtesy © Minosa The design team (Minosa) decided to create a 7.2lm run of storage with a “pop and slide” door system to conceal the wall ovens and steamer, appliance cabinet for all of the small appliances; & second appliance cabinet would house all of the breakfast products and tea/coffee making facilities and also the entry into the scullery. This solved a number of issues as all can be easily opened when required and closed when visitors come over. The scullery became a pivotal part of the design as we could house the second dishwasher, 2nd fridge and wine storage (wine fridge) and one of the great success’ of this kitchen is the wall of white glass installed in the scullery which acts as the hub of the family home….white board markers & family planner live front and center and can be closed of to guests effortlessly.  Image Courtesy © Minosa The structural piers played a very big part in the design concept as we had no choice but to highlight one of them on the cooktop run and make it a design feature of the space; a bulkhead was created to join the vertical element so it would tie in and shorten the tall timber joinery preventing it from connecting with the ceiling. All the walls (including glass splash-backs) and ceilings were painted in the one shade of white to give no clear distinction of were the wall stopped and the ceiling started.  Image Courtesy © Minosa A timber surround was designed to tie in the integrated fridge on the left of the pier to give the feeling it was coming thru the pier and also to frame the cooktop area; the timber surround also married the tall joinery element on the right side (near window) which is the stack, the challenge here is that future access is required and we did not want any visible fixing. A vertical split baton panel was applied to the vertical panel so it was easy to remove and allow access if every required.  Image Courtesy © Minosa The final piece of the puzzle was the island unit, we have a family of 5 using this every day and with the request for up to 12 seats it was decided (after much debate) to rotate the table and integrate it into the island unit, this did a three things; firstly it removed one walk way that would have been created if it was to run north to south. Secondly it allowed us to create a extension table that could be easily extended each weekend when the entertaining would start & finally it drew your eye thru the room upon entry; making the space appear larger.  Image Courtesy © Minosa BACK TO The table…this needed to be bold yet understated but in the same breath fulfill the clients desire for a real showstopper! After much discussion, debate and sketching the designer pitched the idea of a infer-red remote control system normally used for pop up plasma televisions in entertainment units. A 316 stainless steel frame was engineered to take the load of the marble top and house the mechanics of this system….the table will seat comfortably 8 and with the extension table extended it could easily seat 10 to 12 people the client was searching for.  Image Courtesy © Minosa Success The kitchen design has fulfilled the clients brief in every essence and far exceeded their wildest dreams of what the space could be, the total integration of the space is the success of this kitchen/living room. The way the kitchen works for the client is outstanding and effortless. For a small (ish) Bondi apartment the space has all the mod cons the client was searching for, ample storage to accommodate a family of 5 and the design speaks for itself. I hope you like it as much as the client does!  Image Courtesy © Minosa What the clients say –“So one day we walked into the Annandale showroom of Minosa. We were in search on the perfect bathroom basin for our renovation. We wanted to use it in two of our four bathrooms. Our research had led us here. So…. 4 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 living/ dining room, 1 study, 1 bedroom, 1 entry foyer and staircase design later we were very happy with Minosa! Then five awards later (and also being finalists a few more times), we were certainly very, very very happy clients!  Image Courtesy © Minosa We walked into Minosa’s showroom with no expectations. What we received was a warm, professional and friendly welcome. This was the basis for establishing a strong relationship over the coming months during our renovation. The whole design and construct process was professional and seamless. At our request, Minosa became involved in many aspects of the renovation resulting in a completed product far superior to what we had first set out to achieve. We simply could not be happier with the result.” Antony & Janelle  Image Courtesy © Minosa  Image Courtesy © Minosa  Image Courtesy © Minosa
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