What sort of kitchen and joinery do you put in a sustainable straw bale family house?  Our clients pondered this for some time as they planned the build of their Passive House home.   Some of the must have’s included:

• A breakfast bar
• Incorporation of their preferred underbench extraction system
• A secondary sink
• A compost bin and
• A concrete bench top

End Result – a Recycled Timber, Plywood and Concrete Kitchen

The end result is a gorgeous timber kitchen with plenty of room for the whole family to cook, eat and spend time together.

This island bench is a high functioning, multi purpose island bench with many superpowers.  The island bench design is split into several work areas.  The left hand side provides clear bench space for food preparation.  Next to the food preparation area is a small second sink and tap, with a small chopping board on top.  Nearby, sits an under-bench compost bin, making fruit and veg washing and chopping easy and convenient.  Next comes the cooktop with the under-bench extraction system.  The extraction system removes the need for an overhead rangehood.

The island bench top is a custom made concrete bench top with visible blue metal aggregate.  And recycled timber on top of the concrete bench creates a defined breakfast bar area.

The super-powered island bench ended up containing:

• vast drawer storage
• wine storage
• cupboard storage
• a second sink
• a compost bin
• the microwave
• the underbench extraction system and the cooktop
• a dedicated breakfast bar area / eating area and
• a dedicated food preparation area

Many drawers provide practical storage for pots and pans, cups and glasses and the plethora of kitchen equipment.  And the everyday drinking wine has its own dedicated storage area.

Thoughtful additions to the kitchen include the pull-out tea-towel holder, the hand-made timber handles and the timber cutlery holder.

The bathroom and ensuite also include simple timber vanities and mirror units.

Materials

• Plywood cabinetry
• Custom concrete bench top
• Recycled timber from the old Tharwa Bridge
• Figured eucalypt veneer
• Custom stainless steel bench top
• Casuarina Vanity Benchtops