Light Waves: A Breath-Taking Australian Kitchen Design
When acclaimed interior designer Sarah Nolen was asked to describe her latest kitchen project, her short answer said it all: “It takes your breath away.” The space, created by Birdblack Design and based in Wollongong, NSW, has not only captivated clients but also earned the prestigious 2025 HIA Australian Kitchen Design award. It’s a kitchen that feels less like a room and more like an architectural sculpture — fluid, deliberate, and deeply connected to the home’s architecture and the clients’ lifestyle.
A Sculptural Kitchen that Pushes Boundaries
The project stands apart in Australia for its bold integration of sculptural form with everyday practicality. Sarah explains that the design was driven by a vision to fuse beauty with function while honoring the principles of Feng Shui. The clients, originally from China, appreciated these subtle nods to heritage and sought a home that balanced flow, balance, and serenity with modern living. The result is a kitchen that looks and feels like a continuation of the home’s architecture rather than a separate, stand-alone space.
Key to the experience is the kitchen’s material language. A microcement splashback and a discreet door to the wet kitchen behind create a seamless, almost seamless transition between zones. The floor and benchtops feature French Vanilla marble, which provides a warm, creamy undercurrent that unifies the entire ground plan. This choice ensures the spaces move naturally from cooking to entertaining, maintaining visual continuity without sacrificing practicality.
Feng Shui Principles in a Contemporary Form
The design team applied Feng Shui principles not as a decorative flourish but as a functional framework for layout and energy flow. In practice, this meant curating sightlines, optimizing bench space, and positioning appliances to support ease of use and harmony. Given the clients’ appreciation for these subtle cultural signals, the kitchen becomes more than a place to prepare meals — it becomes a space that promotes calm, conversation, and connection to the home’s broader social life.
The Wet Kitchen: The Hidden Heart of Daily Life
While the public areas glow with sculptural elegance, the functional wet kitchen behind the scenes remains the beating heart of daily life. It serves as the practical hub for cooking, with ample bench space, storage solutions, and thoughtful zoning that keeps mess out of sight. By concealing daily cooking tasks in a dedicated workspace, the main entertaining zones stay pristine and inviting for guests and family alike.
Materials, Light, and Seamless Transitions
The careful material selection contributes to a calm, cohesive atmosphere. French Vanilla marble on floors and benchtops provides a timeless, warm palette that complements the microcement’s cool, tactile finish. The resulting balance — warm stone, cool cement, and natural light — enhances the home’s architecture and lifestyle, inviting lingering, conversation, and a sense of effortless luxury.
Trust, Collaboration, and a Shared Vision
Perhaps what truly set this project apart was the collaboration: a deep trust between client and designer from the outset. Sarah recalls that the clients didn’t arrive with fixed ideas. Instead, they gave Birdblack Design the freedom to shape a vision that honored their heritage while embracing contemporary style. The result is a home that feels inevitable — as if it always existed in its finished form, yet it was brought into being through thoughtful dialogue, fearless design, and meticulous craftsmanship.
For Sarah Nolen and Birdblack Design, the award is a recognition of a broader philosophy: design that breathes with the people who inhabit it, spaces that balance beauty with everyday practicality, and projects that celebrate cultural heritage within a modern Australian context. The Light Waves kitchen embodies that philosophy, proving that when architecture, design intention, and lifestyle align, a kitchen can truly transform a home.
