Kitchen
Dark wood gives a quality feel to kitchen cabinets, adding depth and drama to a room. However, it’s important to consider the other elements in the space to ensure the room doesn’t feel dreary. Here, the designers have contrasted deep brown units with glossy white surfaces elsewhere, as well as a row of gleaming copper pendants. To tie in the large white island with the dark cabinets behind, they’ve positioned a dark wood breakfast bar at the end, doubling up the layers to make it super-chunky.
Kitchen carcass and door materials
Composite worktops
A wall of storage was designed to define the dining space that’s alongside the kitchen. It provides somewhere to store a computer, files and practical things that used to be out on the table. The cupboards feature a grey timber veneer, while the display spaces are finished with pitted bronze panels that are lit to add subtle shine.
Kitchen worktops real stone
By using different materials and heights, it separates the prep space from the eating area. It avoids the chef putting anything but serving dishes on the breakfast bar while cooking
Totally black island block
Full height cupboards and no wall units. Love the designer extractor and the concealed lighting as well as feature lights.
Run of ovens/grill/ coffee machines.
Layout, ceiling recessed lighting and style
Putting the sink into the old fireplace recess allows the drainer to be placed behind the sink
Squeezing in a dining table
Antiqued glass mirrored splashback
Use of mirror in alcove behind worktop, hopefully easier to keep clean than mirrored splashback.
Bench seat
Marble effect tiles
A kitchen without wall cabinets
Breakfast section. Could make this apply to drinks? There’s a larder in the centre of the wall of cabinets, hidden behind doors. Once again, a bow shape allows more depth in the middle for the dedicated breakfast station.“This is where the family can store cereals, bread, jams and the crockery and appliances to make breakfast happen without involving the rest of the kitchen,”
Large skylights ensure this room is never gloomy. Recessed lighting over false ceiling above island.
Glass section in the extension roof allows light in to the internal areas. Huge expanses of glass forming much of the ceiling area, as well as an almost seamlessly connected window at the end of the shorter part of the extension, seen here, give the space a lovely link to the garden – making that the feature, rather than the inspired yet non-visually intrusive architecture.
Light and storage, windows and doors
Consider a painted ceiling or covered ceiling. Wood is a beautifully natural way to give your ceiling an edge, and it can be used in different ways for a variety of effects. Here, the designers have chosen thin timber slats for a contemporary look that adds warmth to the sleek, white kitchen, plastic and metal stools, and modern lighting. A false ceiling like this has the added benefit of providing an easy surface for adding lighting – here they’ve fitted LED spotlights as well as pendants.
A large vegetable drawer is divided into eight for easy organisation. The floor is a liquid screed floor with wet underfloor heating, topped by a layer of hand-trowelled microcement. It’s a lot more versatile than polished concrete and allowed the owners to choose an exact colour and finish. A very comfortable and uniform heat now rises from the floor throughout.
To the far left of the storage wall, the two-column-wide breakfast pantry opens up with pocket doors to reveal an orderly line-up of small appliances, crockery and glassware, all against a backdrop of elegant bronze mirror splashbacks and a Nero Assoluto granite worktop.“The pocket doors remain open most of the time without being in the way, but they can be closed when the owners are hosting more formal occasions,”
The owners wanted a marble ‘waterfall’ worktop to sweep around the island unit, using a stone with dramatic veining on a pure white background, much like a Calacatta or Statuario marble. “Actual marble requires a lot of upkeep, however, and they weren’t so keen on being too careful with citruses, wine and other damaging ingredients on a daily basis,” Cassam Chenai says. “I discovered TheSize’s Neolith, which is an incredibly tough material with a wide array of patterns that are, to me, the most convincing ones in the man-made worktop industry.” The antique globe lights were found at a local antique dealer’s. “They were possibly the best bargain of the whole property,” the designer says. “I had them fitted with black plastic flex for cleaning purposes and flush black ceiling roses by the electrician.”
Kitchen run of full height cupboards and island. Neat. Wood adds warmth and quality. Push to open drawers means not needing to wash your hands because can open with knee and no details for dirt to stick to means stay clean and easy to wipe over.
Change of material for island. One way to avoid a standard look is to use an unusual material. Stainless steel, brass and copper would all work really well to elevate a kitchen island into a standout piece.Here, copper cladding creates a luxurious reflection of the parquet flooring and contrasts with the bright white worktop.
Change of material for island. A huge slab of black marble makes for a mightily impressive central island in this kitchen. A composite material such as Corian can be used to clad an island for a similar effect, or you could try covering the top or sides only for a more budget-friendly option.
Carve out display space. Add some personality to an island by factoring in a display area. Attractive crockery, cookbooks, pots and pans, or glasses – whatever you want to show off can be arranged on the cut-out section of an island like this one. Alternatively, go for an open-fronted style with shelves for an even bigger display area. This would work as well on a smaller island – just adapt the idea to suit the size of your space.
In a big kitchen, it can be tempting to fill the space with one large, central island. But if this feels too overwhelming, how about breaking it in half to create two separate work areas, as the homeowners have done here? The curved gap between these particular islands also provides another handy access point to the oven and sink.
Go curvy This user-friendly shape makes the most of the room’s proportions and would work well in a smaller space, too. When you’re considering kitchen island ideas for small kitchens, a curved design leaves plenty of space for people to move around the room, and doesn’t eat into the floor space like a linear style would. This semi-circular design also creates a nicely sociable feel for those sitting on the stools to chat to the cook, rather than all being perched in a straight line.
Change of material for island. This room has a single key bare wood feature – but a kitchen island is a prominent one. When blending bare wood finishes with colour, it’s really important to check out the timber in person. Just as important is to test a number of finishing oils and waxes on it to see how each affects the tone of the wood. Then make sure you try it out next to your proposed paint or cabinet colours elsewhere to ensure they don’t clash.
Single wall kitchen layout
Floating kitchen island led strips under recessed plinth
Kitchen in centre of large space
Under sink storage
Wall of cupboards
Kitchen doesn't need to be set in to an end of a room
Love the colours and texture of this
"Screen off" kitchen work tops from seating area so you can't see the mess! Nice with slot for herbs
Tall cupboards
Kitchen storage spice rack
Kitchen storage spice rack
Kitchen storage spice rack
Coloured plinth
Kitchen worktop window
Small kitchen
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