1. The retractable rangehood
The ‘Downdraft’ rangehood from Smeg is perfect if you want your cooking zone on the island bench. Because they are installed in the benchtop, either to the rear or one side of the cooktop, the rangehoods are super discreet. Hidden when not needed, they can just pop up when you are cooking, keeping overhead clutter to a minimum.
2. Dedicated wine fridge
It’s the dream of every wine buff! Have your favourite tipples on hand with this clever (and stylish) wine fridge. The Grand Cru BLACK range features rimless black glass doors, integrated handles and either full black or natural timber trim. These wine fridges will perfectly cellar and display your wine collection in climate-controlled comfort all year round. The Grand Cru 46DBT used in the renovation is a stylish 46-bottle dual zone wine fridge.
3. Classic built-in coffee machine
The coffee culture is well entrenched in most Australian homes, but sometimes a semi-isolated location such as Pete and Courtney’s Victorian home doesn’t have ready access to a latte. The solution? Build in your own top-of-the-range coffee machine. The one featured on House Rules is from Smeg and yes, will pay for itself once you add up the cost of those takeaways.
4. Hidden bar
We loved what Tim and Mat created in the kitchen at Ferntree Gully – a beautiful and stylish mirror-backed bar. The highlight? The pull-down door meant that you could close it when it’s not in use. Judge Wendy Moore loved the idea. “I really liked the fact that when it’s during the day and it’s just a kitchen it is a little bit of a extra bench space and fairly innocuous, but when you open it up, it becomes this really quite sexy bar,” she says.
5. LED kitchen lighting
Simple task lighting is a great option for a high-spec kitchen, rather than cluttering up the space with fussy details. The LEDlux Strix 1200mm dimmable pendant in black, from Beacon Lighting, used in the Ferntree Gully kitchen, is a great choice because its simple styling blends in with a modern aesthetic. The use of LED lights means you will probably never have to replace the globes, making it super-practical as well.
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