Presenting our versatile kitchen

10th July 2009


I have promised someone to publish pictures of our kitchen(s) on this blog for some time now. Thank you for the patience, and here it is...

The design for our dry kitchen was produced after much deliberation and thoughtful thinking. I still remember myself sketching on scrap paper and then emailing the result to my wife who was at that time still studying in Brisbane. Oh yes, that was quite a while ago and the reason why it took a long time to be constructed is because it was hard to find a carpenter who can follow the design.

You see, the cabinets comprises of an L-shaped counter with hanging wall cabinets, plus two separate counters in the shape of a crescent (or U-shape to be exact) and a circular one that fits into the first one. Another detail; these two are movable. Even a famous kitchen custom designer declined our request. We were frustrated until Mr. Lu was introduced to us. He is also the one responsible for our bedrooms and study room built-in cabinets.

We are really grateful now that our dream kitchen has become a reality and safe to say, an original one too! Since the two counters are movable, we can change the settings any way we wish, and here are 4 options to show you.

Option 1 - The crescent is adjoined with the fixed cabinet with the round counter forming extra space at the other end. This is our everyday setting.

Option 2 - The round counter is merged with the crescent to act as a serving preparation area while guests sit at the bar stools for a rather informal setting. I can imagine my wife preparing any of her delicious menu while the kids and I sit, watch and wait. Hehehe...

Option 3 - The round counter used as an island, while the crescent one forms a serving "bar".

Option 4 - Both merged as one to function as a serving area. This way, we can arrange our foods in a buffet style and guests can sit for an enjoyable meal in the adjoining dining room.

Not only was Mr. Lu able to follow the design, his price quotation also included granite counter top, a panel for my wife's oven and a tv panel as well. The drawers used are complete with absorbers (so that they don't bang when shut) and corner shelves ordered from Germany. We are very satisfied with the end result.

We also requested for a custom-built dining table with high-back long chairs (like those in restaurants). It's still in the making, and I'll definitely publish pictures of it once it's ready. Temporarily, we use a foldable long table.

The wet kitchen on the other hand is smaller, but enough for day-to-day cooking. Thankfully we bought a large and deep basin for all those dish-washing and another basin dedicated for the in-sink erator. The built-in cabinets are also part of Mr. Lu's touch. The cabinets here are handle-less.

By the way, I was asked about the difference between a dry and wet kitchen. Suffice to say, the wet kitchen is where the "rough" cooking takes place; frying and strong-smelling cooking which are quite common in Malay cuisine. The dry kitchen is for mild cooking (such as preparation for baking) so that the whole house doesn't end up smelling like food.

A tall pull-out drawer for convenient storage space.

For extra working space, we bought this IKEA foldable table. It also acts as a table for our maid when enjoying her meals.

There you have it... Hope you enjoyed the pictures!