Functional design meets art: Striking splashback reflects new start

Some people think it’s bark. Others mistake it for stone.

The striking splashback in Natalie Alegria’s kitchen is actually painted glass – and it represents the ever blurring line between functional, interior design and art.

For the Alegrias, it is also a significant step in the bittersweet process of making their new Chapman house a home.

The family was among many in the Weston Creek region who received the dreaded letter informing them their property was infested with Mr Fluffy asbestos.

Rather than wait and rebuild, the Alegrias decided to downsize and bought a house in the same suburb.

“We were very settled where we were: we loved our house, we loved our street. We were really devastated when we got the letter saying we had a Mr Fluffy,” Ms Alegria said.

“I think we just felt, for our family, for us, it was best if we try and move on.

“We decided to put our footprint on the new home. We were fortunate enough to be able to do that.”

Ms Alegria commissioned local artist Claire Primrose to create the large, abstract work that now forms the centrepiece of her home’s open-plan kitchen and dining area.

“I looked around at different materials for the splashback – tiles, antique mirrors – and then I just kind of thought, ‘what if I could put an artwork there?’,” she said.

“I saw Claire and said, ‘do you think you could paint a splashback?’ Claire’s eyes lit up.”

Creating functional art, whether it be in the kitchen, bathroom or elsewhere in the home, is about more than aesthetics.

Primrose’s first major foray into the space flipped her art-making process on its head, as she painted a piece that could withstand heat, steam and mess and complemented the house’s existing interior.

“I had to learn how to paint backwards,” she said.

“Normally, I paint on a canvas or a board and I build up from the back to the front. But I had to paint on the reverse of the glass and that meant I had to paint from the front to the back. I’ve never done that before.

“It’s using another side of your brain I don’t usually tap into while I paint. The challenge for me was learning how to be procedure-driven whilst still remaining expressive and experimental and spontaneous.”

Ms Algeria said visitors were instantly drawn to the splashback, particularly when its back-lighting was switched on.

And interest is growing. Primrose has already completed a second splashback and a bathroom design and is currently looking into a fourth project.

“What I’ve found is quite a lot of people are sometimes reluctant to make an indulgence purchase with some art, whether that’s a sculpture or a painting, but kitchen’s seem to be a whole different category,” she said.

“People can understand the value in investing in a really lovely kitchen because it is the focal point of the home. It’s functional.”