Architect Matt Robinson and his wife Penny Thomson bought their former state house in Westmere, Tāmaki Makaurau back in 1996. After spending time overseas and returning to Auckland, in 2016 they added a large, airy extension centred around a double-height dining area and leading to a new living space.

But it wasn’t until 2022 – some 26 years after they bought the place – that they got around to updating the original house, including adding a new kitchen from IMO. The original kitchen “combined the proportions of the 1940s state house design with a quick update pulled together in the mid-90s”, says Robinson. “There was no social connection to the living and dining areas – and the whole thing was starting to fall apart.”

Robinson’s plan reworked the original state house, expanding the two-bedroom layout to three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen stayed in largely the same spot, but opened up entirely to the new living spaces, with a large island connecting to the back garden and the dining area. “It was really important that the new kitchen acted as a link between the earlier extension to the house and the more recent renovations,” says Robinson. “I wanted the kitchen to provide easy movement between them.”

He specified a mixture of birch ply cabinetry (which featured in the earlier extension) and KXN cabinetry by IMO. Made from steel and powder coated black, the design has been an ever-evolving project for IMO designer Sam Haughton, who has added integrated appliances, extraction and overhead shelves over the years. And because it’s steel, it’s hard-wearing and water-resistant – perfect for this family of five, including 12-year-old twins who are both enthusiastic cooks.

The kitchen, particularly the island, is elevated a couple of steps above the dining room, so Robinson wanted the cabinetry to act like furniture. “Our focus was to use cabinetry that sat above the floor, with sleek lines, that both concealed all the appliances and was incredibly practical,” he says. “The KXN system provided this, and the dark metal joinery works well in contrast to the birch ply.”  

Haughton designed the steel components of the kitchen, working closely with Robinson to refine things. “The more clients think about it, the better,” says Haughton. “We always say, ‘Don’t design it, but do tell us how you want to live in it.’”

The final design is generous and open. The cooktop and oven are on the back wall, while the island includes a sink, dishwasher and rubbish bins. The fridge is at one end, close to the dining room. A pantry at the other end has birch-ply doors that fold and slide to one side. For Robinson, the kitchen was the final piece of a puzzle more than two decades in the making. “The new kitchen is key to knitting together old and new,” he says.

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