Home cooks are levelling up with commercial kitchens
From commercial kitchen equipment to ovens with ‘wellness functions’ that can prepare hot towels and compresses, the kitchens of the future have arrived.
From fridges that use air-purifications systems inspired by NASA technology to ovens with “wellness functions” that can prepare hot towels and compresses, the kitchens of the future have arrived. Whether they are for a home cook or a more serious chef, designers are receiving an overwhelming number of requests for high-spec domestic kitchens.
Melbourne-based interior designer Lauren Tarrant starts most projects with the kitchen and works backwards.
“It’s the most exciting space to design and the showpiece of any home,” she says.
For her clients Ant and Neredah McIntosh who own Blakeaway, a ready-made meal business, the brief was for an impressive entertainer’s kitchen that was also highly practical. High-end appliances such as a Lacanche oven from France, Sub-Zero fridge and an industrial ice machine were installed, but it was also essential that the space “look fabulous”.
The introduction of sublime travertine across the island offered a seamless and serene look to disguise all the operational elements. “The soft, natural stone helped balance the harshness of the commercial stainless-steel bench and turn it into a fashionable design,” Tarrant says.
She believes good design should not be sacrificed as today’s kitchens aren’t just a place to cook; they are the heart of the home.
“Modern-day living has moved to entertaining in the kitchen, so I make sure to design something suitable for the homeowners to congregate with guests,” Tarrant says. “Also, families today like to eat around an island bench, making it even more important to create a multi-use space for both meal preparation and dining.”
Sydney-based interior designer Jillian Dinkel echoes the sentiment. “Kitchens paired with living spaces need to be aesthetically pleasing and aligned to the scheme of the home,” she says. It’s an easier look to achieve if there’s another, back-of-house kitchen to hide mess and amenities. An ancillary prep kitchen or butler’s pantry means that the main kitchen can act as a showpiece.
Dinkel’s most recent project, a “secondary entertaining home” for a family in Point Piper, with a pilates studio, playroom, living, dining room and 4m-long island bench (there aren’t any bedrooms), features a black-stained oak and stainless steel Poliform kitchen exclusively for personal chef use.
Studio del Castillo’s KGB House – a resort-style home designed for a retired chef – upped the ante with a kitchen “that would be the envy of any Michelin-star restaurant”, says interior designer Penny del Castillo. Of the whole build, $785,000 was spent on the kitchen alone, with funds allocated to a $125,000 rangehood, appliances, a cool room, fridges, joinery and finishes. It fulfilled the homeowner’s brief for a functional kitchen that could easily feed large numbers and produce large quantities of food.
No expense was spared on the commercial-grade equipment, including six-tray combi ovens with smokers, gas lava rock chargrills, electric deep fryers, induction woks, commercial dishwashers, adjustable salamander, a cool room and full bar set-up. “The priority was functionality but we were fortunate that the materials we used meant it looked fabulous as well,” says del Castillo, who used high-performance Dekton with a bronze patina finish and luxurious marble.
But big doesn’t necessarily mean better, and some of the most-advanced appliances are both smaller and smarter. Many passionate-yet-time- poor cooks are leaning on convenient products that make life easier, with smart gadgets that work wirelessly to for precision.
Take Bosch’s smart coffee machines, creating barista-quality drinks at home by voice command or touchscreen. Or Samsung’s AI oven that recognises up to 80 dishes and optimises the settings while monitoring the mode, temperature and time. Paired with an app, users can use the oven’s internal camera to keep an eye on what’s cooking.
“Australians are increasingly interested in the innovative technologies and intelligent programs in the latest appliances from world-leading brands which can help them achieve restaurant-quality results at home, make entertaining more enjoyable and preserve food for longer,” says Harry Boileau, general manager at specialist kitchen retailer Winnings.
Boileau reports a steady stream of passionate cooks purchasing chef-standard appliances, with aspirations for “MasterChef creations”. For those who love to preserve, he suggests Sub-Zero’s refrigerator compartment, which can keep food fresh for weeks. And for home cooks after “restaurant-quality sears”, Wolf is a “master of temperature control”. There are now ovens with 46 per cent more space than a standard version, which can cook food for up to 16 people.
The surge of interest in high-spec home kitchens has seen premium Swiss brand V-ZUG – open showrooms in Richmond, Melbourne and Surry Hills, Sydney.
Take a seat: Dinner is served.
