A Stunning Kitchen In The Vaal
Over the years, the APT Team has delivered quite a few phenomenal kitchen projects. For instance, there was Aviel's and Makenosi's, where we were literally handed a blank canvas to get creative with. And speaking of Makenosi's kitchen in particular – who can forget the almost perfect symmetry wrought by the delicate interaction between the kitchen floor tiles and the laminated flooring in the dining room, captured in that near‑iconic image?
On the other hand, the Mtambisis' kitchen was a lesson in optimal utilisation of tiny spaces.
But the Molipas' kitchen, in the Vaal, will be distinguished for a different reason. In fact, I was literally running out of suitable adjectives trying to describe this kitchen. Suffice to say: it's stunning.
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A Kitchen Born from Word of Mouth and Pinterest
Regular readers of this blog will recall that my team did a kitchen for the Mphahlele family in Teanong Section, Tembisa. It so happens that Mrs Molipa hails from Tembisa – practically the same neighbourhood as the Mphahleles. And not only that: the two families know each other.
And so it was that the Molipas came to know about the APT operation and our diverse home‑improvement portfolio of services, including kitchen design and installation.
Having been acquainted with our service, and considering that the Molipas were in the process of acquiring another property, my brother Sello (Mr Molipa) gave me a call one good afternoon. He enquired about the possibility of my turning up at their new property in Vereeniging for a site visit, with a view to collecting the necessary measurements.
I promptly obliged. A few days later, I was on my way to meet the couple in Sonlandpark, Vereeniging.
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The Charm of Sonlandpark
Now, Sonlandpark is a laid‑back suburb where, it seems, old‑fashioned courtesies still hold sway. You have total strangers politely greeting you in the street, totally oblivious of who you are. Neighbours tiptoe next to the boundary wall to inquire about your well‑being. It was truly unbelievable in this "new" South Africa.
Anyway, a couple of days after the call, I went to Vereeniging, collected the measurements, and began working on an optimal design for the Molipas.
As usually happens with most of our clients, in the middle of delivering on the kitchen brief, the Molipas [Check the link here] added more work – including tiling of the kitchen walls and skimming of the ceiling.
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The Concept: Straight from Pinterest, Brought to Life
The brief for the project had come earlier in the form of an image sourced from Pinterest and forwarded to me by the lady of the house, Kedibone (Mrs Molipa).
For their kitchen, the Molipas chose two different boards: Espresso for the base (floor) units and American Walnut for the wall (tall) units. Carcasses were to be in melamine board, while the doors, side panels and void covers were to be Supawood.
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| The two tone design; American Walnut Wall Units and Espresso Floor Units |
The units would have wrap doors – no pattern in them, and no handles. For these doors, I roped in the A to Z (ATOZ) Doors team in Turffontein, Johannesburg. Sylvester at Elvico Marble and Granite was tasked with supplying top‑of‑the‑range Starry White Quartz countertops.
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| The specks in Starly White Quartz Splashback clear in this image |
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The Result: Spacious, Spectacular, Stunning
The Molipas had a specific request: the base units were to be installed on a separate, stand‑alone base. Adam and I prepared strips of 150mm‑high Shutterply, cut to size, and assembled them into a solid, level foundation for the floor units. (You'll notice in the photo album pictures of Adam busy at work.)
With the base ready, we laid the base units in place, secured them firmly, and turned our attention to the wall units.
Now, part of what makes this kitchen unique is that the wall units all feature upward‑flipping doors – each fitted with a gas lift hinge that propels the door open and holds it there until you pull it closed. No awkward reaching. No door in your way. Just smooth, effortless access.
And here's the detail that sets this installation apart: the wall units are restricted to a single section of the kitchen wall – a deliberate feature wall, insisted upon by Mrs Molipa herself. That decision, combined with the undeniable contrast between the deep, dry‑blood hue of the American Walnut wall units and the subdued, grey‑green of the Espresso base units, completed the kitchen's unique identity.
However, at one stage, as Adam and I were busy assembling the carcasses, the Molipas — clearly with trepidation on their faces — came enquiring what colour the kitchen would be. I could immediately understand their apprehension. They had picked a two-tone kitchen — American Walnut on the wall units and Espresso on the floor units — and yet all they could see me and Adam grapple with was, pretty much, nondescript units in white. However, being the meek couple that they are, they kept their peace and gave us space to do our magic.
It was not until we had the wall units in place and began to fit the American Walnut doors and facades that, at last, the Molipas understood the game plan. They had been seeing only the carcasses in Picco White, which had left them agonising that perhaps we had misunderstood the brief they had given us. From there on, smiles were clearly no longer pained, and they began to express their admiration for what was clearly a stunning transformation of their kitchen space.
Never before had we accomplished such a look. And not after – this one stands alone.
The inspiration came entirely from the lady of the house, Kedibone. Adam and I simply listened and did the best we could to actualise her vision. Few clients have had such a profound, hands‑on contribution to their own kitchen installation. It was heartwarming – a genuine pleasure to work, almost literally, with her to bring the vision to life.
The rest of the tasks followed a naturally unfolding path.
Next came the showstoppingly decadent Starry White Quartz – top of the range – taking its rightful place as countertops and splashbacks atop the base units. The final blending of the lightly speckled quartz splashback with the rectangular, creamy 600mm x 300mm stately Chinese porcelain tile is, for lack of a better word, simply sublime. (In Zulu, they would raise fingers to the mouth, snap them, and say "Nca!" – that good.)
The floor tiles followed. And here, too, the delicate interaction between the Espresso plinth and the floor tile is a showstopper in its own right.
Before we could turn our attention to the sink, we were requested to skim the ceiling – an assignment we accomplished working overnight. No fuss. Just results.
Then came the sink unit. This was not a smooth affair. It seemed that no maintenance had been done on the kitchen waste pipes in years. The blockages were serious – beyond remedy by any quick fix. So we did what had to be done: we laid new piping altogether. From scratch. Done properly.
And so, having adhered strictly to the brief Kedibone entrusted to us, we finally stepped back to savour what had been accomplished. We looked, and we looked again.
It was nothing short of amazing. Unique. And – you guessed it – stunning.
Here it was: we had started with a blank canvas. And in the intervening days, in line with the Molipas' wishes, we had transformed this space into a true oasis of culinary beauty, function, and quiet, confident elegance.
And to have clients sing their kitchen's praises so lyrically? Simply priceless.
The result – the effect – is one stunning and spacious kitchen. With a larger window installed overlooking the sink unit, the effect is nothing less than spectacular. And in the evening, the diffused light streaming through that large aluminium window creates a rarefied lighting effect—almost like light passing through a soft filter—that is easier to see than to explain.
You'll find the Molipa kitchen project documented from start to finish in the photo album linked below.
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Ready for your own stunning transformation? Whether you have a Pinterest board full of ideas or just a dream, let's talk.
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📧 Email: info.aptdesigns@gmail.com
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View the full photo album of the Molipa kitchen project on this link.
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