The kitchen for The Shed was to be part of the open plan living/dining space, so we wanted it to feel light and adaptable, but also work in with the industrial aesthetic. As with everything on this build we wanted something striking but budget considerations meant nothing too pricey. Our architect proposed the idea of using mechanic/tool cabinets for the kitchen storage (instead of joinery), something he had seen at a friends place in up state New York. We were excited, and a little nervous, about this idea right up until we rolled the units into position against the oversized white sub way tile wall. We loved it! Cost effective, flexible, plenty of storage and the look worked perfectly with the industrial style of the house. If we ever want to update or change, we just simply roll them away… or as Dean our builder suggested, “like the Italians do, just take the kitchen with you when you leave’
Tag: Alexander Michael
Slab & Steel
The last few months have been an amazing experience as we witnessed the early stages of construction of THE SHED. From watching the pouring of our giant slab and the meticulous work of our concreters, to the touch and go placement of the enormous steel ‘A’ frames that would form the ‘backbone’ of THE SHED and the galvanised steel purlins that would form the ‘skeleton’. There was a lot at stake as all these elements would ultimately be exposed and a main feature of THE SHED, true to industrial architecture.
Alexander (Michael) The Great
I never forgot a house I saw featured in Vogue Living Australia about 8 years ago … it was a weekender perched on the very picturesque escarpment in Kangaroo Valley, NSW. Of course, I didn’t still have the original issue but scanned my memory for enough info to feed into Google and lucky for me I found the details of architect Alexander Michael. Looking at his magnificent past work and knowing my house building budget (meagre!!) it was with trepidation I called Alexander for a chat about the possibilities of working together….
After a 30 minute chat I knew we had found our guy … the Kangaroo Valley house was designed by Alexander for himself and his partner as a weekend escape and completed in 2005. Alexander’s extensive use of concrete, steel, glass and wood plus his obsession with adapting commercial and industrial items for use in a domestic setting meant a result would never be “suburban” (Alex’s favoured term). A weekender with a difference …simple, light and robust!
Here are some picture taken from Alexander Michael’s website siloboy.com and here is the full article on his Kangaroo Valley Retreat.