Striking Custom Kitchen Centrepiece Made From CSIRO Recycled Teak // From the Workshop
December 2023
When Rob and Caroline from Casey Brown Architecture approached us to design a huge centrepiece for their client’s kitchen, we knew we were in for a fun and challenging design journey. The end product was a striking, 4.5 metre long piece that would become the focal point for their client’s new kitchen, providing not only an aesthetic communal hub, but a functional kitchen workspace.
RECYCLED TEAK KITCHEN CENTREPIECE
DESIGNER: David Scerri
MAKER: Simon McKenna
TIMBER SPECIES: Teak (Salvaged from CSIRO in Canberra — Learn more)
DIMENSIONS: 4530 x 900 x 950mm
FINISH: Clean dressed
If you have a project in mind that you would like our opinion on, or a quote, please complete an enquiry form via the button below and we’ll be in touch.
The Backstory—A Kitchen Island That Would Be ‘More Than Just a Kitchen Island’
We were engaged by Rob and Caroline from Casey Brown Architecture to design a centrepiece for their client’s kitchen.
It needed to serve multiple functions; offering a communal gathering place akin to the traditional kitchen table, a meal preparation station with ample working space, and plentiful storage for larger items like pots and pans.
Rob and Caroline originally came in looking to have this piece made in spotted gum to match the rest of the house they had designed for their client, John.
But things changed when they saw the teak benchtops we had salvaged from CSIRO’s Plant Science Labs in Canberra and fell in love. Along with Thor’s Hammer designer David Scerri, Rob and Caroline changed their focus to specifying the piece in teak.
As the only teak in the space, we expect the kitchen centrepiece to stand out in the best possible way!
The Challenges—A Large Scale Bespoke Design
This piece is a great example of our collaborative approach to customising a design to meet the personal requirements of our clients—whether they be architects, builders or home owners.
The dimensions of this kitchen centrepiece were a significant challenge during the process, requiring a lot of timber!
Salvaged as complete benchtops, these pieces of teak came in panels with fixed sizes and a single thickness.
To achieve the appearance of long, ‘continuous’ lengths of timber, we cut the benchtops into individual boards, before joining them back together to make one large table top.
Due to the thickness of the teak, we also had to miter apron edges all around to achieve the desired appearance.
All of these extra steps meant some careful work on the design to ensure that the piece could be made from the lengths and quantities of teak we had available.
“Working with teak was exciting,” said Simon, the joiner working on this piece.
“It’s very different to what we normally work with, so it was a real pleasure. Plus it smelled great! It had its challenges on such a large scale, given the complexity of the joining involved, but the end result hopefully speaks for itself.”
Design Features to Take Note Of
You might recognise the signature Hoop Leg, from our Hoop Leg table. This is a modern design with beautiful clean lines we have adapted to suit the standing height of this piece.
We also used our custom stainless steel fixing plates to allow the base frames to be bolted to the table top with a secure metal thread.
And finally, the underside drawer cabinet is also made from solid teak, with four drawers with concealed soft close runners, a shark-nose finger-pull and black internal linings.
Limited Salvaged Teak Stock Remaining
We’ve used much of our stock of salvaged teak already in the course of making kitchen benchtops, sit/stand desks, and a range of other custom furniture and joinery jobs. We still have a small quantity of teak available though, just shy of 28sqm.
If you have a project in mind, please make an enquiry via the button below, or get in touch with us via phone (6282 9900) or email (hammer@thors.com.au) to explore your options. We can’t wait to create something with you.
Please note our joinery production schedule is now fully-booked for January and if you’d like your job to enter production in late February or March 2024, it needs to be scheduled prior to Christmas.
Photos by Rohan Thomson.
Words by Ebony Levy & Ellie Keft.