30 Second Avenue

The priority for the clients was a kitchen with room for an island and a dining table that could seat up to 12 for entertaining. However, as there would be only five people using the kitchen during the week, they were concerned about the table taking up unnecessary space. ABL3 Architects came up with a concept that met both needs. They designed a kitchen island with an integrated dining table that pulls out. During the week, the five family members use the island, while at weekends the table comes out for entertaining. The dining table wasn’t the only challenge that the ABL3 team faced. Due to the way that water comes down from the property’s roof, the team had to pull structure away from it, essentially delivering a wraparound extension and meaning there was exposed steel at the end of the kitchen run, as well as an area with a dropped ceiling. Keen to maximise every inch of space, the team worked within these parameters to turn the end of the kitchen into a reading nook, with a corner window and a bench seat. ABL3 painted the exposed steel pink and made a feature of it, adding a hidden bookshelf beside it at the end of the reading snug. The kitchen bench was designed in the shape of a giant clothes peg. This bespoke feature evolved out of a solid block of timber the client was able to source from their family business – a builders’ merchant. The business also came in handy in numerous ways. There was an emphasis on not wasting wood. Inside the larder door, for example, the timber that was left over from the cut-out for hob was used to carry on the ladder.