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Kitchen Tour: A Shaker Kitchen Full of Clever Design Ideas
A hidden wine fridge, a ‘Narnia’ utility room, a secret cocktail bar... This elegant design hides great functionality
This kitchen-diner is part of a house bought to accommodate three generations, with the grandparents having a third of the property as their own apartment, and the parents and two daughters occupying two-thirds, including this new extension. So when it came to designing the kitchen, it had to be super-functional but also welcoming and comfortable for a big family.
Step forward designer Adrian Graves of Piqu, who cleverly incorporated plenty of appliances into a timeless design that’s visually pleasing and a pleasure to use.
Step forward designer Adrian Graves of Piqu, who cleverly incorporated plenty of appliances into a timeless design that’s visually pleasing and a pleasure to use.
Luckily, Adrian was hired early in the extension project, so he was able to tailor the space to work with the kitchen design. “The owners wanted windows either side of the hob, so we gave the builders the dimensions to ensure the openings would work around the furniture. The margin between the window and dresser unit is the same on both sides.”
Considering an extension? Find builders in your area on Houzz.
Considering an extension? Find builders in your area on Houzz.
The extractor fan is hidden in a Shaker-style canopy. “We spent time going through the options for this,” Adrian says.
The resulting design creates a focal point for the room, with the cabinetry framing a discreet induction hob. The mirrored splashback was chosen to boost the light into the cooking area in tandem with the side windows.
The resulting design creates a focal point for the room, with the cabinetry framing a discreet induction hob. The mirrored splashback was chosen to boost the light into the cooking area in tandem with the side windows.
The carcasses are made of oak-veneered MDF and the doors are maple, hand-painted in elegant blue and grey shades.
Adrian believes passionately in good craftsmanship and thoughtful design that’s made to last. “When you put in a lot of effort and you get it right with the customer, and the customer has invested not just money, but time, that kitchen will be in there for 20 years,” he says. “Even if the family moves, a new owner could simply paint it a different colour.”
Units painted in Pavilion Gray; island painted in Hague Blue, both Farrow & Ball.
Adrian believes passionately in good craftsmanship and thoughtful design that’s made to last. “When you put in a lot of effort and you get it right with the customer, and the customer has invested not just money, but time, that kitchen will be in there for 20 years,” he says. “Even if the family moves, a new owner could simply paint it a different colour.”
Units painted in Pavilion Gray; island painted in Hague Blue, both Farrow & Ball.
There are plenty of cupboards and drawers on the cooking side of the room, including two slim countertop units flanking the hob that are perfect for ingredients such as herbs and spices. The corner base cupboard on the right has a Le Mans pull-out shelf system inside.
“You have this lovely, classical kitchen, but actually it has a lot of modern features in it,” Adrian says.
The worktops look like marble, but they’re actually quartz. “You get a similar look to marble, but you just have the peace of mind that it’s going to stay looking good for years and years,” Adrian says. Similarly, the flooring looks like wood parquet, but it’s actually hard-wearing luxury vinyl.
Worktops, Silestone. Herringbone parquet vinyl flooring, Amtico.
“You have this lovely, classical kitchen, but actually it has a lot of modern features in it,” Adrian says.
The worktops look like marble, but they’re actually quartz. “You get a similar look to marble, but you just have the peace of mind that it’s going to stay looking good for years and years,” Adrian says. Similarly, the flooring looks like wood parquet, but it’s actually hard-wearing luxury vinyl.
Worktops, Silestone. Herringbone parquet vinyl flooring, Amtico.
The cutlery drawers hide a clever idea – the solid oak dividers run horizontally. “I think this is an interesting way of doing cutlery inserts, and something I designed a few years ago,” Adrian explains.
“Normally when you open a drawer, the cutlery wants to fly back, whereas this stores all the pieces horizontally, so everything stays in position. And the dividers can be moved around,” he adds.
“Normally when you open a drawer, the cutlery wants to fly back, whereas this stores all the pieces horizontally, so everything stays in position. And the dividers can be moved around,” he adds.
The owners asked for some glazed cabinets and, rather than standard cupboards, Adrian made this dresser-style unit.
The left-hand door folds back for easy access to the far corner.
The inside is oak veneer, and Adrian suggested reeded glass for a lovely detail.
Check out 8 ways to use reeded glass.
Check out 8 ways to use reeded glass.
The ‘cupboard’ next to the glass cabinet is actually the door to a small utility room….
Inside is a sink, the washing machine and tumble dryer, and a ladder radiator. “This is one of my favourite parts of the design,” Adrian says. “It just looks like a cupboard, and then you go through to this little ‘Narnia’ utility room.”
Next to the utility room entrance is an oven, then a combi microwave with a warming drawer below. “The warming drawer helps to make that lovely rectangle, so it all looks nice and symmetrical,” Adrian says.
On the right of that is a full-height fridge. “It was important to have that there, so it really functions well with the kitchen. It’s nice and near to the island to take things out,” he says.
On the right of that is a full-height fridge. “It was important to have that there, so it really functions well with the kitchen. It’s nice and near to the island to take things out,” he says.
The tall unit on the right of the double entrance doors hides the freezer. “That’s the appliance you’d go to the least,” Adrian says, “so it doesn’t matter that it’s tucked away in the corner.”
Next is a breakfast/larder cupboard with double doors that can fold right back. “A breakfast unit was on the owners’ wish list,” Adrian explains. “The interior is oiled oak veneer with solid oak fronts. We carried on the marbled quartz work surface in here, so it feels like an old-fashioned pantry.”
The open section to the right serves to break up the run and allows the owners to display books and nice pieces. There are lights and sockets in this area, too, and the shelves are set back, so it can function as an extra work surface if necessary.
The open section to the right serves to break up the run and allows the owners to display books and nice pieces. There are lights and sockets in this area, too, and the shelves are set back, so it can function as an extra work surface if necessary.
“The drinks cupboard was something I suggested,” Adrian says of the right-hand section. “We had the space to do it and I thought it would be nice to have the unit for entertaining.
“It’s lined with the same oak veneer as the breakfast cupboard, but then we’ve covered the base and back with grey mirror and added grey glass shelves to give it that cocktail cabinet feel,” he says. “There’s a raised shelf at the back to get that second layer, a bit like you get in a bar.”
The shelves are staggered, so there’s space below to pour drinks, but deeper shelf space above.
The cupboard beneath it on the left is actually a wine cooler. “I didn’t want it on show – it’s nice and neat behind a door,” Adrian says. “You have all the function there, but it’s hidden away. It’s also in a nice, sociable position – you can serve drinks from there and you’re in the middle of the room, near the breakfast bar and dining table.”
“It’s lined with the same oak veneer as the breakfast cupboard, but then we’ve covered the base and back with grey mirror and added grey glass shelves to give it that cocktail cabinet feel,” he says. “There’s a raised shelf at the back to get that second layer, a bit like you get in a bar.”
The shelves are staggered, so there’s space below to pour drinks, but deeper shelf space above.
The cupboard beneath it on the left is actually a wine cooler. “I didn’t want it on show – it’s nice and neat behind a door,” Adrian says. “You have all the function there, but it’s hidden away. It’s also in a nice, sociable position – you can serve drinks from there and you’re in the middle of the room, near the breakfast bar and dining table.”
There’s a big bin cupboard in the island, to the left of the roomy butler sink. To the right is a dishwasher with a slim cupboard next to it. The tap is a boiling-water design, which means the owners don’t need a kettle taking up valuable worktop space.
Sink, Villeroy & Boch. Boiling-water tap, Quooker.
Sink, Villeroy & Boch. Boiling-water tap, Quooker.
The table is positioned by the large sliding glass doors for views of the garden.
Adrian left room for a seating area and the owners have created a relaxed TV corner.
The project was a real collaboration between the designer and owners, and the family are really pleased with the finished kitchen. “They were lovely to work with,” Adrian says. “Every time we went round there, it was like being part of the family and it felt really relaxed, so it was just a pleasure to work on the design.”
Tell us…
What do you like best about this kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
The project was a real collaboration between the designer and owners, and the family are really pleased with the finished kitchen. “They were lovely to work with,” Adrian says. “Every time we went round there, it was like being part of the family and it felt really relaxed, so it was just a pleasure to work on the design.”
Tell us…
What do you like best about this kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A couple with two daughters, plus the wife’s parents, who live in a separate part of the house
Location South-east London
Property A turn-of-the-century house
Kitchen dimensions 8.2 x 6m
Budget Around £50,000
Designer Adrian Graves of piqu
Photos by Chris Snook
“The owners knew they wanted a classic in-frame kitchen, but they also had a long list of appliances they were keen to incorporate,” Adrian says of the spacious kitchen-diner. So his challenge was to work them all in without spoiling the aesthetic of the beautiful cabinetry.