Weinviertel, Lower Austria
Old-School
A small picture on the internet as a gamechanger on the long road to the dream kitchen.
Verena and David, both in their mid-thirties. A kindergarten teacher and a firefighter. They had been searching for a long time. Plots of land, houses, ideas. Until they found the old school, close to where David's grandmother lives. A couple had lived here for 40 years, but everyone in the village still calls it die Schui, the school. A bungalow with a garden, a pond, woods. And a tremendous amount of work.
“We almost gave up. What we were looking for, we simply could not find. Until we spotted a small picture of keep on the internet. After that everything happened very quickly.”
The central room is the former classroom. Large, open, loft-like. Brown rubble stone walls, wooden floorboards, colourful chairs. This is where a kitchen was meant to stand, one that commands attention yet feels like it belongs. Right in the middle of the room. The centre of everyday life together. And once again the two of them searched. They almost gave up.
“Steel was clear from the very beginning. A wonderful material that behaves much like the stone of the walls. Robust, raw, strong.”
Originally the kitchen was going to be black. A contrast to the stone and the floorboards. But what defines a classroom? The blackboard. And what colour is that? The idea was born: dark green linoleum fronts wrapping the black steel frame. Conifer on steel. As if it were made for this place.
“Often we do not even sit down. We just lean against the counter, drink coffee or wine. The kitchen is the best spot for a good chat.”
The wide wall module with its Bora gas cooktop and black worktop forms the heart of the kitchen. Steel shelves above echo the frame and give the module height. Next to it stands the cabinet, housing most of the appliances. The relaxed L-shaped arrangement adds depth to the room without claiming too much space.
“Beyond the look and the modularity, it was above all the robustness and longevity of a steel kitchen that spoke to us. Something like that is a perfect fit for us and our old school.”
Today the kitchen sits right in the middle of family life. Outside the chickens cluck, cats wander about, their son plays on the floor. There is cooking, coffee, simple conversation. With friends who always find an open door. And with the extended family living nearby. The kitchen is simply the best place to talk.
Tall cabinet, Wall module
Conifer
Bora gas cooktop
Black
Weinviertel, Lower Austria
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