Kitchen & Bathroom DESIGN Awards 2011 - Reflection on past winners

As we are about to leave for the Gold Coast and the 2011 Kitchen & Bathroom design awards (KBDI) we thought we would share some of the past kitchens and bathrooms that have been successful for Minosa over the past 10 years.

It is not widely known that Minosa dokitchens as well as bathrooms or for that matter is it widely known that we are interior designers first, our range of bathroom products have really justtaken overour business over the last 5 years.....

So Minosa first entered the kitchen awards way back in 2003 with our first real kitchen since we had started up Minosa in 2001, this kitchen was a real game changer for us as it was the first kitchen that we had designed that really integrated the open plan idea.....the dining table is attached to the island unit making it a fixed piece of joinery and the bench seat behind the table is a great place to sit and read or drop the shopping when you come home and it is at a great height and easily accessible...it also makes for a great spot for the kids to hang out whilst Mum is in cooking the evening meals.

The amazing partabout this kitchen is there are some 12 finishes used and they are applied to great affect and it is as modern today as it was the day we created the 3D walk thru for our client (see youtube) .

This kitchen won 6 awards, wasfinalist in another two including the International Kitchen & Bathrooms in London in 2005.

Thenext year2004 was a massive year for us at the the HIA awards, we had entered three kitchens & one bathroom and walked away from the NSW regional awards with 6 awards and finalist in another 3,

The most successful on the night was our Balmain kitchen....this was a great project as it was a small space with only one wall to work with and clients that loved to cook.....challenge! This kitchen had gadgets everywhere to utilise every square millimetre of space under the bench making it a dream kitchen to use! and difficult to build. Also check out Youtube for the animated 3D walk thru of this space.

The Bathroom we had entered was also very successful, like the top kitchen this bathroom was a game changer for us and really defined our style to a certain degree. A centre wall divides the space and is a great back drop for the freestanding bath, clad in Bisazza tiles with a inset of frosted glass it looks incredible. There is a double walk in shower accessible from either end of the bath and the toilet is tucked away out of site....finally there is a double washbasin set up with wall to wall drawers and shaving cabinets above...we created custom basins for this project taking the Scoop washbasin and thickened up the edge and created a non drip edge....

The Pallucco Italia Mirror applied to the curved wall works a treat as it guides you thru the space whilst giving a great dressing area also. Love it!

In 2006 we entered what i think is one of our best pieces of work, but sadly the judges did not see it the same way.....great kitchen.

2007 sore Minosa enter the Portland Stproject into the Corian design awards...we picked up the round victory and then in 2008 the overall prize for best interior using Corian as a integral part of the interior.....there is a lot to talk about with these spaces but i think i will let the images do all the talking.....

2009 brought a change, the KBDI had been formed (kitchen & bathroom design institute). The KBDI was created to focus on the design of kitchens, offer a training program that specialised in the the teaching of kitchen & bathroom design.

In 2009 we received three awards with two separate projects....Waverly kitchen & Queens Park bathroom both similar in the design layout...long and narrow spaces.

Hopefully on Saturday night our Bondi project receives recognition for it's design, these spaces are real stand outs. I will share more on this nest week.

Cheers

Modern Kitchens by Minosa - Home Beautiful top 40 kitchens 2010

You may or may not be aware that when Minosa was first established by Simona & myself, we started as an interior design company. We focused and specialised in Kitchen & bathroom design, kitchens have been a labour of love for the both of us.

The current release of Home Beautiful Top 40 Kitchens (for 2009) has brought back some fantastic memories for Minosa and those associated with us. We have two of our kitchens featured in this edition, the first one on page 40 "Hide & Seek" as the header was designed in early 2003 and commissioned early in 2004. This kitchen was awarded by the HIA (Housing Industry of Australia) in 2005, this was the first project we had worked on with Architect Denis Morgan. Denis also introduced us to Scott Fuller of Special Lights on Crown. This was the first of many projects we have worked on with Scott.

The second kitchen on page 134 "All in One" was designed in March of 2004 and installed a few months later. This was a great challenge to us at the time as our clients wanted to open up their 12m2 space and create an open plan living dining & kitchen area, the only problem with that was that it limited the amount of wall space we had to place joinery. The space had be a stand out as they worked from home and used their home for business meetings.

We really had to focus on the storage solutions under bench! The Blum drawer systems are fantastic for this.... We made great use of all space under bench and ended up creating a wonderful piece of joinery, we were very fortunate to have clients that were open to all of our ideas. This kitchen was also awarded by the HIA in the same year, Minosa was also adjudged the NSW Kitchen Designers of the Year & we also one Kitchen Project of the Year.

Both of these kitchens are full of colour, these colours represent our clients and their personalities and are a great example of Modern kitchen design and with the use of colour you can create spaces that are engaging, exciting and will last the test of time.

If you would like any further information on either kitchen email me at darren@minosa.com.au

KBDI Finalist for kitchen & bathroom design

Design09 - Kitchen & Bathroom Designers Institute

KBDI announce design finalists for kitchen & bathroom awards 2009

We are excited to be involved in the inaugural event for the growing Kitchen & Bathroom institute (KBDI). It is always nice to be recognised for the work you produce, it is also great to see a dedicated body working with our industry and the design professionals.

Design09 will be held on the 12th September on the Gold Coast were all state & national awards will be announced at the Gala evening.



Medium Size Kitchen of the Year 2009


Large Bathroom of the Year 2009

Should we win either of the above categories, we will then be competing for the Kitchen & or Bathroom Design of the Year awards for NSW & then go into the pool for the National awards that will also be announced on the night.

We will post the results next week.

Minosa Interior - Corian Residential Design Award Winner

Corian® congratulates Simona Castagna & Darren Genner of Minosa™ on their recent Corian® Design Award win. Minosa™ has been recognised for their luxurious work on a Dover Heights residence.

When taking on this project, Minosa™ wanted to create interior spaces that seamlessly integrated into the amazing arch

itecture of the building. When looking for the right materials to use – Minosa™ used Corian® throughout the kitchen, bathrooms, outdoor area and home theatre.

Minosa™ created three dream bathroom spaces, adopting a feeling of endless luxury and warmth. Using products from the Minosa™ Bathroom Collection allowed them to create an environment that is aesthetically and functionally pleasing. A Double Scoop®, Scoop® and The Puddle® washbasins are all a part of these grand designs all made entirely with Corian® Solid Surfaces. An art-like unique mosaic feature wall also complements and highlights the Scoop washbasin.“The Puddle®, Scoop® & Double Scoop® washbasins where chosen to support the very linear & cantilevering nature of the home”, says Simona.The Status bath is also a highlight feature in one of the bathrooms with it’s Corian® bath surround. It was chosen to complement the Double Scoop® washbasin, and the style box like nature of the architecture. A minimalist and grand kitchen space was created and Corian® in Glacier White colour was used on the kitchen benchtops. A custom made dining table was also created with Corian® that extends to seat another four people.“Corian® was chosen in the kitchen for its amazing integrity and so we could create work surfaces that are completely seamless and easy to use & care for”, says Darren.The use of Corian® also extends to the home’s outdoor area. The Utzon BBQ by Electrolux was made in Glacier White colour to match the kitchen, creating a truly integrated feel from the kitchen to the outdoors.

“Corian® gives us incredible flexibility when creating products and interiors; our bathroom collection is a testament to this. Corian® allows us to design bold & beautiful washbasins through to stylish organic forms”, says Darren.

“With Corian® we are confident our products are durable, practical and completely renewable”, adds Simona.Congratulations to Minosa™ for this outstanding Corian® Design Award win, and for the creation of this majestic interior.