Ria Vandervis' moody island escape
There is something special about a kitchen that feels connected to where you live. For Ria Vandervis, that meant creating a kitchen that suited the laid-back beauty of Waiheke Island while still feeling considered, contemporary and completely her own.
Photography by Paris Tilley
For Ria Vandervis, designing her Waiheke Island kitchen was an opportunity to create a space that reflected her personal style while complementing the relaxed character of its surroundings. With a considered mix of colour, texture and natural materials, she created a kitchen that feels distinctly her own.
The result is island dusk, a moody kitchen that brings together deep colour, natural timber and subtle black accents. Ria designed and installed the space herself, creating a space that is sleek, open, and functional for the way she lives.
With deep blue poppy seed doors, warm hevea timber benchtops and matt black bolivar handles, the design shows how darker kitchen colours can still create an inviting space.
The starting point for Ria’s kitchen was contrast.
Rather than choosing a light, bright palette, Ria embraced a darker kitchen design and allowed the natural light in the room to do the rest.
The deep blue tones of the poppy seed doors and panels creates a strong visual foundation, while the natural warmth of the hevea benchtop softens the overall look. Together, these materials create a balance between bold and relaxed.
making the most of space
Open shelving was always part of Ria’s vision for her kitchen. Knowing she wanted to bring an open, styled element into the space, she chose two of our black slimline steel frame shelves. Their industrial black frames complement the matt black bolivar handles, while the open design adds a sense of light contrast to the dark cabinets.
Ria also spotted an opportunity to make the most of an often-overlooked space above her fridge cabinet. Cleverly, she created an open shelf by repurposing a spare pantry end panel, turning unused space into a practical and stylish display area. It’s a great example of Ria’s thoughtful approach to design; finding creative ways to make the kitchen work harder while adding her own personal touch.
bringing natural warmth into a moody kitchen
Incorporating timber surfaces is a great way to add warmth and character to a darker kitchen.
For Ria's kitchen, the hevea timber benchtop provides a natural contrast to the moody poppy seed blue cabinetry. It brings a tactile quality to the space and creates a softer transition between the darker kitchen and the bright interior.
a kitchen made her way
One of the standout parts of this project is that Ria designed and installed the kitchen herself. Using kaboodle, kiwi's have freedom to create a kitchen around their home, their style and their needs. For Ria, that meant creating a kitchen that suited the character of her home, while also ensuring it stayed functional for her needs.
Ria's island dusk kitchen proves that a dark and moody kitchen palette can balance style with an inviting sense of home.
Photography by Paris Tilley
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