TO ENSURE VISUAL COHESION, A TASMANIAN OAK FRAME UNDERLINES THE DEKTON ON THE BREAKFAST BAR SIDE OF THE ISLAND THE UNIQUE, GENTLY TACTILE VELVET FINISH ADDS DEPTH AND DRAMA TO THE PARED- BACK PALETTE ‘It was the first time I’d worked with [Dekton] and This meticulously-constructed kitchen showcases you do need sophisticated or different tooling to cut the creative and technical skills of every member it,’ Rod says. of the Impact Kitchens team. And achieving such ‘It’s actually very fragile while you’re working with a seamless finish, Rod says, begins with ensuring it, but once installed, it’s heat, stain and impact every detail is perfect at the design stage. resistant.’ ‘There was a lot of prior work in making sure all the The island’s timber waterfall edges were custom- different heights and thicknesses on the benchtops designed by Rod and crafted from the same timber and the sink would come together correctly.’ used on the ceiling of the adjoining sunken living room. The client, he adds, ‘absolutely loves the kitchen, it’s everything that she had envisaged. We definitely Achieving such a seamless finish, Rod delivered on what she was after.’ Her positive says, begins with ensuring every detail reaction prompted Rod to put the project onto the is perfect at the design stage awards circuit, ultimately winning the 2018 HIA Australian Kitchen of the Year, sponsored by HIA Insurance Services. ‘The reason we encased it like that was because ‘We enter [the awards] to showcase our projects. the stone only comes in a certain length, and we Recognition for our work, especially winning, is wanted to try to equalise the length of the island great exposure and our existing and new clients compared to the cooktop section of cabinetry. So can be confident in our workmanship.’ we put them on the outside, slightly raised just to While Rod’s been entering projects in the HIA give it that different look.’ awards since 2011, and has collected eight state- To ensure visual cohesion, a Tasmanian oak level trophies in that time, the Ivy Lane kitchen frame underlines the Dekton on the breakfast bar scaled new heights with a national win. He’s thrilled side of the island. to have brought Tasmanian talent into the spotlight. ‘On the other side, we installed an undermount ‘This is the first time we’ve won nationally,’ he says butler’s sink,’ Rod adds. And here, precision was proudly. ‘And it’s the first time a Tasmanian project everything: ‘We had to make sure it was all made to has won the national Kitchen of the Year award.’ the millimetre.’ www.impactkitchens.com.au SEPTEMBER 2018 HOUSING 65 INTERIORS • KITCHEN PROFILE