A kitchen that’s not just pretty — it’s pretty amazing

No expense has been spared to knock this kitchen into shape, in keeping with the rest of this landmark house.

Robyn WillisEditor, Home magazine

@Robyn_Willis

2 min read

March 15, 2019 - 2:00PM

Home Mag

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With a house like this, there was never any question of cutting corners.

Located in New Lambton Heights near Newcastle, the house is a landmark property.

Local interior designer Stewart Horton of Horton and Co says the 1960s house was the pride and joy of a local master builder who used his own home to showcase his skills.

Curved lines create a relaxing space. All photos: Jane Kelly

“It was very fancy in its heyday — it was such high quality,” Stewart says. “Most of the house was in original condition but the kitchen had been renovated in the ’90s and the owners at the time did a pretty nasty job of it with timber cupboards and yellow glass inserts in the cabinet doors.”

Stewart says he had been working on the house on and off “for a million years” when it was time to set the kitchen in order.

Parquetry flooring takes its inspiration from the ballroom

“We didn’t feel like we needed to keep anything so we started from scratch,” he says. “The owners wanted the kitchen to reflect the rest of the house with its beautiful high ceilings and architectural detail.”

With a generous amount of space to work with, Stewart designed a kitchen that is luxurious in both style and function with ample bench space, plenty of storage and a curved island bench. “We wanted it to be a very contemporary, easy-to-use kitchen,” he says. “There’s a lot of bench space but bringing in those curved lines definitely wasn’t the cheapest solution.

The walk-in pantry hosts extra storage and a bar fridge

“But the house calls for it — you couldn’t get away with an ordinary kitchen in this house.”

Floors are parquetry in keeping with the ballroom downstairs while custom-made wallpaper from Paris adorns the dining space at one end of the room. Stewart admits some of the choices are a little out of the ordinary for a workspace.

“A lot of people wouldn’t think of putting wallpaper in a kitchen but in reality, you don’t need to go near the wallpaper because it’s at the other end of the room,” he says. “So many people are scared of marble too but it ages beautifully over time.”

The Lambton Heights home was designed by Stewart Horton of Horton & Co

He says the space is unashamedly feminine without feeling twee.

“It’s a few steps back from being over-the-top feminine because it’s very simple but the silhouette is nostalgic,” he says.

The total refit, which includes a walk-in pantry and kitchen nook, took about three months.

“There was a lot to do,” he says. “Even the walk-in pantry, all the walls were lined in (hardwood) cherry. We had one particular contractor who was very finicky and understood what the house required.”

What this house wants, it gets.