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Kitchen Tour: An Open-plan Room with an Industrial Aesthetic
Handsome materials, a revamped layout, and taller, wider glazing made this kitchen-diner smart, light and airy
If you had drawn up a list of the pros and cons of the lower-ground floor of this Victorian flat, beautiful, wide timber floorboards would have been in the first category. The dated, rather basic kitchen and limited openings to the garden, however, would definitely have gone into the second.
Now, with a new layout, better access to the garden, industrial materials that complement the period of the property, and an injection of colour – all care of architects Sebastian Camisuli and Ana Martins – there are only upsides.
Now, with a new layout, better access to the garden, industrial materials that complement the period of the property, and an injection of colour – all care of architects Sebastian Camisuli and Ana Martins – there are only upsides.
It was gloomy, too, with only French doors and small windows to let in light. For the sociable owners, kitchen units that intruded into the space for their dining table also meant the room felt more cramped than it should.
The architects replanned the kitchen-diner, tucking the cooking zone into one side of the room, and allowing the dining area an uncluttered connection to the outside. “It was a balancing act between the open-plan dining area by the garden and enough kitchen,” Sebastian says.
The opening to the garden was also enlarged, with full-height, steel-framed glazing, which brings in daylight and allows easy exterior access. “The glazing is integrated into the floor space above, so you don’t see the top of the frame,” Sebastian says. “Any downstand takes away the nicest bit of the light.”
The metal-framed doors and windows also contribute to the industrial aesthetic of the refurbished room. “We chose it for the lightness of the material,” Sebastian says.
Glazing, Crittall.
The opening to the garden was also enlarged, with full-height, steel-framed glazing, which brings in daylight and allows easy exterior access. “The glazing is integrated into the floor space above, so you don’t see the top of the frame,” Sebastian says. “Any downstand takes away the nicest bit of the light.”
The metal-framed doors and windows also contribute to the industrial aesthetic of the refurbished room. “We chose it for the lightness of the material,” Sebastian says.
Glazing, Crittall.
The wall alongside the dining table was clad with brick slips. “You don’t lose space – the cut bricks work like tiles,” Sebastian says. The exposed brick adds to the palette of industrial materials, as does a new, vertical radiator. “In dark grey, all the metals complement each other,” he says.
Radiator, The Radiator Company.
Find more inspiring ways to use bare bricks at home.
Radiator, The Radiator Company.
Find more inspiring ways to use bare bricks at home.
“The original landing was much lower, so we raised it and got more headroom,” Sebastian says.
Here you can see the raised slope of the staircase to the flat’s upper floor.
A timber-clad “utility box” was designed for the kitchen-diner. In the cooking area, it’s home to a larder and a fridge-freezer. “The tall storage deals with the requirement of food and fridge, and the rest of the kitchen is left as open as possible,” Sebastian says.
The kitchen sink was located by the window, and the cooker and extractor positioned neatly on the end wall. Finishing the latter in the same brick slips as the dining area wall bookends the room.
Shelves, rather than wall units, also help keep the kitchen open.
Walls painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball.
A timber-clad “utility box” was designed for the kitchen-diner. In the cooking area, it’s home to a larder and a fridge-freezer. “The tall storage deals with the requirement of food and fridge, and the rest of the kitchen is left as open as possible,” Sebastian says.
The kitchen sink was located by the window, and the cooker and extractor positioned neatly on the end wall. Finishing the latter in the same brick slips as the dining area wall bookends the room.
Shelves, rather than wall units, also help keep the kitchen open.
Walls painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball.
The kitchen cabinetry was made bespoke and finished in a strong blue shade. The space is completed with a quartz worktop that has the appearance of natural stone, but is easier to care for.
The same worksurface was used inside the larder cupboard, providing a place to set out food such as cheeses. Small appliances, such as the mixer and coffee maker, are kept in here as well, ensuring the worktops can remain uncluttered.
LED lighting was integrated into the design, and the adjustable shelves are made with attractive oak veneer, which contrasts with the darker doors.
The peninsula provides a breakfast bar on the far side, with drawers facing the kitchen area for items such as cutlery and napkins. They’re deliberately narrow to avoid the contents piling up.
Cabinetry painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball. Worktop in Frosty Carrina, Caesarstone.
The same worksurface was used inside the larder cupboard, providing a place to set out food such as cheeses. Small appliances, such as the mixer and coffee maker, are kept in here as well, ensuring the worktops can remain uncluttered.
LED lighting was integrated into the design, and the adjustable shelves are made with attractive oak veneer, which contrasts with the darker doors.
The peninsula provides a breakfast bar on the far side, with drawers facing the kitchen area for items such as cutlery and napkins. They’re deliberately narrow to avoid the contents piling up.
Cabinetry painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball. Worktop in Frosty Carrina, Caesarstone.
The utility box is finished in walnut, which works harmoniously with the blue of the kitchen cabinetry. “It was a long process to marry the different finishes,” Sebastian says. “We had the light flooring, the walnut for richness and texture, and London stock brick on the walls – then it was a matter of complementing it with intense and vibrant colour.”
Find kitchen designers and fitters in your area in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Find kitchen designers and fitters in your area in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
There’s generous storage for wine in the section of the box alongside the dining area. The interior’s design wasn’t dictated by a desire to accommodate a set number of bottles, though. “It was more about sketching out ideas and getting the right balance and composition of the space,” Sebastian says.
The timber-clad box serves as a connection between the kitchen, dining area and living room. The panelling is reminiscent of gentlemen’s clubs, but it’s also functional. “It conceals the necessities of life in a beautiful way,” Sebastian says.
The rich walnut wood is repeated in the form of sliding doors that allow the living room at the front of the flat to be separated off when privacy and cosiness are required.
The architects enhanced the effect with a different wall colour for this part of the lower-ground floor layout. “The beautiful green teamed with the timber creates a more intimate environment,” Sebastian says.
Walls painted in French Gray, Farrow & Ball.
The rich walnut wood is repeated in the form of sliding doors that allow the living room at the front of the flat to be separated off when privacy and cosiness are required.
The architects enhanced the effect with a different wall colour for this part of the lower-ground floor layout. “The beautiful green teamed with the timber creates a more intimate environment,” Sebastian says.
Walls painted in French Gray, Farrow & Ball.
The architects enlarged the doorway between the living room and the kitchen-diner. The generous height and width helps to open up the entire floor.
The new Crittall glazing complements the original house to maximise its character. Decking immediately outside, meanwhile, adds another soft material to the palette.
The window in the kitchen area was also replaced with a steel-framed version. “The opening stayed the same,” Sebastian says, “but we took away a concrete lintel and put in a flat brick arch in keeping with the original property.”
Window, Crittall.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature of this open-plan space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Window, Crittall.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature of this open-plan space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? Joel Smith and Tony McAllister
Location Northwest London
Property A two-bedroom flat in a Victorian terrace
Room dimensions 30 sq m
Architects Sebastian Camisuli and Ana Martins of Martins Camisuli Architects
Photos by Alex Maguire Photography
The flat occupies the ground and lower-ground floors of a Victorian terrace. “It’s a beautiful building,” Sebastian says. The owners had laid a wide plank wood floor, but this appealing feature aside, the space didn’t live up to the potential of the period home.
Flooring, Dinesen.