Photography by Shannon McGrath and styling by Swee Lim, courtesy of Robson Rak.
Two kitchen trends that we’re seeing on the horizon: The return of the 1970s-style tiled countertop, an economical option that provides a durable grid-work surface.
Both of these elements are prominently on display in the airy open kitchen at Layer House, a private vacation home near the coast in Victoria, Australia, designed by architects Kathryn Robson and Chris Rak of Robson Rak.
Designed as a gathering place for a multigenerational family and their many guests, the house revolves around a central living/dining/cooking area with a clean-lined, organic-modern look.
It s known as the Layer House according to the architects because it was designed as a series of layers with intersecting zones and private vistas Adds Robson While we used a simple...
...and pale palette of timber rammed earth and a pale concrete we added some strategic graphic insertions to the design to excite and delineate areas The green tiled island bench is one such example
The kitchen components are all bespoke, including cabinets finished with an oak veneer, six-millimeter white porcelain slab counters (Maximus Venus from Artedomus), and the extra-long tiled island fitted with a breakfast counter and oak cabinets and storage shelves.
The green tiles, Robson tells us, are “a hardwearing, commercial grade tile”—sourced from Melbourne purveyor DeFazio Tiles & Stone—that “help connect the landscaping with the internal space.” The copper-plated steel hanging lights are Nathan Yong’s Parachute design by Ligne Roset.
The kitchen opens to a small terrace.
At the other end of the island, the dining area overlooks a broad terrace. Space Copenhagen’s Rén Dining Table and Wohlert Church Chair, a midcentury design by Vilhelm Wohlert, are both in ash from Stellar Works.
The dining terrace is paneled above and below in spotted gum, an Australian hardwood.
Fitted with an Electrolux gas grill, the outdoor “bar bench” is made from the same porcelain stone as the indoor counters: “It’s a manmade product,” says Robson, “very strong and stain-resistant—almost indestructible.”
The beach is nearby—hence this luxurious outdoor shower.