Our expert Amy Moorea Wong on the importance of saturation when creating a palette – as seen in this dynamic rough-and-smooth scheme
This kitchen may be satisfyingly minimal, but there’s just so much going on. Initially, the eye wants to linger on the alluring deep blue matt-ness of the splashback, surface top and curved extractor, but it gets distracted and rolls off its beautiful bends into the rest of the room and its curious contrasts. ‘The space is a concerted effort to restrain expressive excess, resist architectural blandness and amplify a sense of joyousness and delight,’ says Adriana Hanna, director of architectureatMelbournepracticeKennedyNolan. ‘Colour is deployed to create varying, distinct intensities of saturation, and we explore laminate’s ability to create dramatic sculptural forms.’
The contradiction of the rugged terracotta tiles and the surrounding laminate flatness demands immediate attention. The textures here could not be more dissimilar – coarse handmade roughness taking over the floor set against a sea of velvety smoothness,soseamlessit almost makes this kitchen look like a rendering.
Who knew real life could be so slick? ‘We selected terracotta floors as a rich earthy tone to ground the space,’ says Adriana. ‘The terracotta creates a unique textural juxtaposition with matt navy laminate.’ Both materials entice the hands (and feet) to explore and enjoy the simple pleasureofopposingsensations,whilesimultaneously confirming we’re still in the real world after all.
It’s the natural verses the manufactured, the two blurring into each other. In one corner, nature’s colours and finishes gather – the exposed wood table and chair, the terracotta, the olive-green hue of the cupboards, the midnight blue splashback – while on the flip side, swathes of laminate, chunks of ultra-glossy metal, pillar box red and hints of black add engineered punch. This clash is neatly summarised by the pair of non-identical twin chairs – one skilfully crafted in timber by human hands and decorated only with the pattern of grain, the other machine-shaped metal finished with a flawless crimson coat. Placed together so provocatively, the narrative is intriguing and challenging, encouraging a direct comparison between nature and technolog
