SJO Architects founder and Japandi Estate co-founder Steph Ottavio has questioned whether one of Kitchen Week’s biggest advantages actually helped. Picture: Nine
One of The Block’s richest prizes might have been too much of a good thing, with Courtney and Sev’s $250,000 appliance haul failing the “gold tap” test.
The House 4 pair finally unleashed their huge appliance package during Kitchen Week, filling their Mt Eliza kitchen with some of the show’s priciest inclusions.
But despite entering the reveal with an advantage few home renovators could dream of, Courtney and Sev finished third.
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Instead, Adam and Jolene won after a far simpler design decision: turning their kitchen island towards the outlook, something no other team did.
SJO Architects founder and Japandi Estate co-founder Steph Ottavio said the result was an example of what she called the “gold tap theory”.
Ms Ottavio said a kitchen could be specked to the nines but still fall short if its layout and execution were wrong.
Courtney and Sev finished third in Kitchen Week despite entering the reveal with a $250,000 appliance haul. Picture: Nine
Courtney and Sev’s kitchen featured some of the show’s priciest appliances, but Steph Ottavio said the branded inclusions dominated the room. Picture: Dylan James Lark
She said the result should give everyday homeowners confidence they could create an impressive kitchen without spending extraordinary amounts on appliances, fixtures and fittings.
Premium appliances could also become more of a visual statement than a design asset if they were allowed to dominate the room, she said.
Ms Ottavio preferred major appliances to be integrated and visually recessive.
She compared understated luxury with wearing high-quality clothing without a brand name splashed across the front.
Natural light and premium finishes were major themes of Kitchen Week, but Steph Ottavio said expensive inclusions could not compensate for poor execution. Picture: Dylan James Lark
Chantel and Wyatt were among the teams chasing the Kitchen Week win as design, layout and orientation came under the spotlight. Picture: Nine
Courtney and Sev’s kitchen, she said, went in the opposite direction.
“Yes, they had Sub-Zeros, but it’s not a sleek kitchen that’s integrated and blends away,” Ms Ottavio said.
“It is this very industrial, loud, branded object, which I don’t think did them any favours.”
Adam and Jolene’s winning room took a different approach.
Their island faced the Mt Eliza outlook, while a mirror helped bounce natural light and the view back through the kitchen, living and dining area.
Ms Ottavio said the relatively simple decision created the point of difference she had been waiting to see this season.
Adam and Jolene were the only team to turn their kitchen island towards the outlook, a decision Steph Ottavio said probably helped them win. Picture: Dylan James Lark
Adam and Jolene won Kitchen Week after making a relatively simple change to orient their island towards the view. Picture: Nine
“I think that’s probably why they won,” she said.
“This whole season, all we’re doing is screaming out for someone to do something different.”
She said facing the island towards the view made the kitchen feel more intimate and better connected to its surroundings.
“It’s not about your appliances, it’s about how you execute them,” Ms Ottavio said.
Even stripped of its styling, expensive finishes and appliances, Ms Ottavio believed Adam and Jolene’s was the strongest kitchen architecturally.
She praised the relationship between its orientation, outlook and natural light, including three Velux skylights within one large opening above the kitchen.
Steph Ottavio, pictured with husband Gian, said good execution mattered more than simply spending heavily on appliances and stone. Picture: Instagram/stephottavio
Ms Ottavio said the skylight opening also mirrored the island beneath it, strengthening the relationship between the ceiling and floorplan.
“They’ve got the most considered kitchen, living and dining space,” she said.
“They deserved to win, for sure.”
Builder and Velux skylight expert Carl Swanson said the island had become far more than somewhere to prepare food.
He said islands were also used for working, reading, meeting and sitting down with a glass of wine.
That made them an important area to target with natural light.
“I always like lighting my workspace,” Mr Swanson said.
Natural light became part of the Kitchen Week design equation, with skylights positioned above key work and gathering zones. Picture: Dylan James Lark
Lisa and Rosco were among the five teams competing for Kitchen Week honours. Picture: Nine
He said skylights should be positioned around how a kitchen would actually be used, rather than simply where they looked symmetrical on a plan.
Mr Swanson said the walk-on skylights used across this year’s homes took that concept a step further.
Daylight could pass through a trafficable glazed section of an upper floor and into the level below.
He described it as a “waterfall effect”, with light able to continue between storeys rather than stopping at the upper floor.
Rick and Taylah took on Kitchen Week as the five houses moved deeper into their Mt Eliza builds. Picture: Nine
The technology could also give homeowners another way to bring daylight downstairs without surrendering as much usable floor space to a large void.
Mr Swanson said privacy could be addressed with obscured treatments, while Velux was developing an automatic electronic blind option for a future version.
Walk-on skylights used across this year’s homes can carry daylight between levels without sacrificing as much usable floor space to a void. Picture: Dylan James Lark
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