Zip HydroTap's refined silhouette harmonises with kitchen design's elevated materiality at Melbourne apartment

Located in a private dwelling along Melbourne’s vibrant Prahran High Street, this stunning kitchen interrogates a dynamic juxtaposition of textures and colours to set a grand stage for the theatre of contemporary urban living. Spearheaded by interior designer Danielle Ryder and the home’s owners, David and Kristina Compagnino, this transformative project was born from a desire to reimagine a conventional kitchen into an elevated yet practical space. 

“David and Kristina were not overly happy with the design and layout of the kitchen when they first purchased the apartment,” explains Danielle. “They decided to pull it out and start again, which presented a wonderful opportunity to make both an aesthetic upgrade and address key functionality issues in the original layout.” 

As a Sales Director at Signorino Stone, David had an excellent understanding of kitchen design and quality products – and a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve. “David and Kristina sought my help to consolidate their ideas and resolve the apartment’s layout, finish selections and fixtures,” Danielle explains.

Challenge 

Realising the owners’ design vision was paramount, they envisioned a captivating interplay of contrasting elements to define this area of the dwelling. Even the most intricate details had to harmonise seamlessly to bring it to life. Achieving this striking dynamic demanded a meticulous selection of materials and finishes to ensure a cohesive and confident yet unimposing design language.

In addition, it was crucial to optimise the limited space on the island bench. Clean lines and uncluttered surfaces were essential in generating the sophisticated aesthetic the owners were after. Plus, the interior needed to be both visually captivating and functional, ensuring that every inch of the benchtop was utilised effectively.

Solution 

The creative collaboration, fusing Danielle’s design prowess with David’s vision and extensive knowledge, galvanised a remarkable metamorphosis, yielding a kitchen that epitomises quiet luxury.

The striking palette of rich, grained timber veneer joinery, soft-toned herringbone wood flooring and the ethereal palette of the natural stone imbues the interior with a sense of elevated confidence. The grounding geometry of dark joinery frames the perimeter of the space while acting as an empowering backdrop for the feminine allure of the Cristello Rosa stone. Sourced by Signorino from Brazil, the large format quartzite slabs bring a stunning fusion of intricate veining and subtle orange, deep rust, blush pink and red hues to the backsplash and kitchen counter. The kitchen island – as if carefully sculpted from the stone – gracefully rises from the muted foundations of timber flooring, taking centre stage with its subtle yet charismatic volumes.

Gracing Cristello Rosa’s mesmerising surface, the Zip HydroTap Celsius Plus All-In-One PullOut, beautifully engineered by Zip Water, with its refined silhouette perfectly harmonises with the scheme’s elevated materiality. Danielle explains that the refined matte black shade – one of seven available modern finishes – emerged as the perfect match for the matte black edge pull handles and black appliances punctuating the joinery at the back of the kitchen. 

“We didn’t want the kitchen handles or appliances to stand out as we wanted the stunning stone to be the main feature,” she explains. “The Zip HydroTap we selected suited the rest of the hardware and appliances in the kitchen beautifully and aligned with the black aluminium window framing lining one whole wall of the apartment.” Danielle adds that the resulting palette creates a dynamic juxtaposition between the grounding joinery and hardware and the lighter, more feminine quality of the blush pink quartzite. “I think it worked out beautifully,” she smiles.

Apart from being the perfect choice from an aesthetic point of view, the Zip HydroTap helped address the space constraint. The ingenious design offers instant pure-tasting filtered boiling, chilled or sparkling drinking water at the press of a button and unfiltered hot and cold water for washing up, allowing the project team to maximise the bench space. “The space required under the bench for the single Zip HydroTap system is less than what we would have needed for two separate taps, allowing for more storage space,” Danielle explains.

The tap’s integrated pull-out sprayer, enhanced by the under-bench Zip Hose Management system, ensures ease and versatility in food preparation, cleaning, and washing down the sink at all angles, further augmenting the streamlined character of the design.

The inclusion of the Zip HydroTap not only streamlined the kitchen’s functionality and aesthetics but also underscored the owners’ commitment to health and wellbeing. The Zip MicroPurity filtration system, certified to remove 99.8% of the six most harmful contaminants, ensures that every glass of water is as pure as it is refreshing. Plus, the tap came with Zip Water’s full-service experience, including delivery and installation. 

Elevated by the captivating juxtaposition between Cristello Rosa’s lyrical beauty, timber veneer joinery’s enigmatic elegance, and the gentle pattern of the herringbone wooden floors, the Prahran apartment’s kitchen emerges as an epitome of quiet luxury. Beautifully integrated into this refined design scheme, the Zip HydroTap’s minimalist design, stunning finish and exquisite engineering not only helped solve some of the spatial challenges but also became an essential part of this cohesive, highly considered design scheme. 

“David and Kristina are thrilled with the outcome of the apartment, as well as the functionality and aesthetic of the Zip HydroTap.” Danielle sums up. “It ticked all the boxes in both form and function.”

Project details

Project: Prahran Apartment 

Location: Melbourne, Vic

Client: David and Kristina Compagnino

Interior Design: Danielle Ryder Interior Design

Product Specified: Zip HydroTap Celsius Plus All-In-One Pull-Out in Matte Black

Photography: Timothy Kaye