It’s hard to know what’s more jaw-dropping about Kevin Dundon’s kitchen, the extra tall solid walnut cabinets by Design House in Dalkey offset with brushed steel Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, or the view through picture windows, French doors and a wall of glass to woodland and the estuary where the three sisters – the Nore, the Barrow and the Suir – meet the sea.
Dundon and his wife Catherine built their home in the grounds of their Dunbrody Country House in Arthurstown, Co Wexford seven years ago and moved in the week before their youngest child Tom was born. They also have two daughters, Emily and Sophie.
Elliott Design were the architects for the project and the couple knew exactly what they wanted.
“The front of the house is mirrored on Dunbrody House, the back of the house is contemporary in design. The interior space was designed by Catherine and myself, and the architect designed the house around our vision,” Kevin says.
The working part of the kitchen and central island face the living and dining areas. “I wanted a user-friendly and interactive kitchen. It works really well when we are all in the one area at the one time. As Catherine and I like to cook together in the kitchen, we have two work spaces.
“It is the perfect space for when we have guests for dinner as I can cook and be part of the party too.”
A clever design feature is the hefty wooden work surface that can completely cover the row of hobs, or slide apart and frame it either side.
The firepower in this kitchen is a mixture of gas and electric. “I use a combination of electric and gas hobs. Wolf is a superior brand and I felt the investment was really worthwhile.”
The extraction is also by Wolf. It comes up over the back of the unit and is completely silent. It goes underground outside to the main extraction unit.
“We have a double Wolf oven. We don’t normally use the second oven but it’s great when cooking for large parties, like at Christmas or when entertaining.”
The large fridge and freezer framing the double ovens are also Sub-Zero.
“What I love about this fridge is the compartment space; another great feature is that if the door is left open for any length of time the temperature returns nearly instantly to normal due to the internal chilling system.”
Is there anything he’d do differently if he were planning his kitchen again?
“Nothing, I love my kitchen.”
Kevin Dundon is chef/proprietor of Dunbrody Country House, Co Wexford
