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Room Tour: Clever Joinery Transforms a New Flat With No Hall
The addition of a bespoke vestibule and a generous island has enhanced family life in this open-plan kitchen
Sometimes, it only takes a small tweak or two to completely transform a space, boosting functionality and improving aesthetics. This was what happened when Simone Gordon of Owl Design worked on the open-plan kitchen in a new-build family flat in east London. The room was lacking in warmth and storage until Simone waved her magic interior designer’s wand.
“The original room needed a little bit more character, which is what the joinery and island add,” Simone says. “A monochrome scheme does usually need something to warm it up, and the wood does that without it feeling cluttered. It keeps quite a minimal feel, but makes it more homely and inviting.” The new vestibule also does a marvellous job of hiding the sockets and entryphone on that wall.
“They were short of storage, especially for coats and things, and your eye was kind of drawn to that,” Simone says of the hanging rack seen here.
Contact interior designers easily through Houzz.
“They were short of storage, especially for coats and things, and your eye was kind of drawn to that,” Simone says of the hanging rack seen here.
Contact interior designers easily through Houzz.
The existing walnut shelving seen in this ‘before’ photo has been retained. “But it was quite dark,” Simone says, “so mixing the colours of the woods helps, and the marble and oak combined go a long way to softening the space.”
“The couple had originally been thinking of something more like a cupboard,” Simone says, “but we didn’t want anything that was too much of a heavy mass within the space.”
A good design professional has the ability to see your home in a way you may well never have done. “It’s about being able to think outside the box,” Simone says of the vestibule idea. “And this helps with the flow and doesn’t divide the space too much. It gives you much more than a standard shoe cupboard in which to hide your central mess.”
A good design professional has the ability to see your home in a way you may well never have done. “It’s about being able to think outside the box,” Simone says of the vestibule idea. “And this helps with the flow and doesn’t divide the space too much. It gives you much more than a standard shoe cupboard in which to hide your central mess.”
Inside the new entrance area you get to see what a sweet little space it is – and how useful. The slats ensure neither side of the new wall loses daylight.
“We had this built out of oak slats so it obscures but still lets light through,” Simone says. “It also means it’s not a big, solid lump in the corner of the room.”
On that front, she designed the corner to be curved, so it didn’t feel as if it protruded too much into the room with a hard corner. “It’s almost a room divider, but more solid,” she says.
There’s a dedicated space for shoes in the pigeonholes, and a cushion on top provides a little spot for sitting down to pull them on or off. Hooks allow the family to hang up their most frequently used bags and coats. There’s even space for the young daughter’s little bicycle.
The high shelf has been designed to perfectly hold the rattan baskets you see here, creating a really handy and quite large space for hiding scarves, gloves and any other outdoor paraphernalia that fits. The small ledge, meanwhile, is the perfect spot for dropping keys.
“We had this built out of oak slats so it obscures but still lets light through,” Simone says. “It also means it’s not a big, solid lump in the corner of the room.”
On that front, she designed the corner to be curved, so it didn’t feel as if it protruded too much into the room with a hard corner. “It’s almost a room divider, but more solid,” she says.
There’s a dedicated space for shoes in the pigeonholes, and a cushion on top provides a little spot for sitting down to pull them on or off. Hooks allow the family to hang up their most frequently used bags and coats. There’s even space for the young daughter’s little bicycle.
The high shelf has been designed to perfectly hold the rattan baskets you see here, creating a really handy and quite large space for hiding scarves, gloves and any other outdoor paraphernalia that fits. The small ledge, meanwhile, is the perfect spot for dropping keys.
Seen from this angle, you get a sense of how it feels now to come into the flat without having to walk straight into the kitchen.
More: Surprising Ways an Interior Designer Could Help You
More: Surprising Ways an Interior Designer Could Help You
A plan of the flat before Simone’s additions shows the kitchen and living space at the top. The door on the right is the front door.
The after plan shows the much more zoned space.
To help the job run smoothly, Simone made use of Houzz Pro tools, including the Clipper tool, Houzz purchase orders and Houzz spec sheets.
“When you save things to your room board, [and] once [the owners] have approved this, you can create purchase orders with it and that sends over the specification to clients,” she explains.
“I find it easier to send stuff [this way], especially when you’re swapping items in and out,” she says. “Once you’ve uploaded something, you already have things there for the spec sheets, so you can just drop them in.”
To help the job run smoothly, Simone made use of Houzz Pro tools, including the Clipper tool, Houzz purchase orders and Houzz spec sheets.
“When you save things to your room board, [and] once [the owners] have approved this, you can create purchase orders with it and that sends over the specification to clients,” she explains.
“I find it easier to send stuff [this way], especially when you’re swapping items in and out,” she says. “Once you’ve uploaded something, you already have things there for the spec sheets, so you can just drop them in.”
As well as the entrance area, Simone designed an island and added some new lighting, including the pendant seen here, which adds interest to the space. “The new island is a great spot for eating,” she says.
Simone explains that the original kitchen was an expensive one and so, when it came to the island, she had her carpenter make it up bespoke from MDF and then colour-match the new cabinetry to blend with the dark fronts of the original. “It was much more cost-effective than going back to the original kitchen company,” she says.
The unit houses integrated bins (which the kitchen didn’t previously have), a wine fridge, drawers, and some cupboards. It has seats for five people, but could accommodate more if necessary.
In Between SK7 bar stools, &Tradition. Balancing Variations pendant, Atelier Areti at Monologue London.
Simone explains that the original kitchen was an expensive one and so, when it came to the island, she had her carpenter make it up bespoke from MDF and then colour-match the new cabinetry to blend with the dark fronts of the original. “It was much more cost-effective than going back to the original kitchen company,” she says.
The unit houses integrated bins (which the kitchen didn’t previously have), a wine fridge, drawers, and some cupboards. It has seats for five people, but could accommodate more if necessary.
In Between SK7 bar stools, &Tradition. Balancing Variations pendant, Atelier Areti at Monologue London.
“The worktop is a really lovely green marble,” Simone says of the unusual stone she sourced for the island worktop.
Verde Oriental marble, Mario Marble & Granite.
Verde Oriental marble, Mario Marble & Granite.
And how did the owners feel about their rejigged open-plan room? “Making these small changes has really impacted how they live and how they use the room,” Simone says. “Now that everything has a space, it’s easier to put things away.
“I don’t think they’d worked with an interior designer before,” she adds, “and they were really happy that we’d nailed the brief and ticked the boxes of what they wanted.”
Tell us…
What do you think of the way Simone has zoned and improved this open-plan room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
“I don’t think they’d worked with an interior designer before,” she adds, “and they were really happy that we’d nailed the brief and ticked the boxes of what they wanted.”
Tell us…
What do you think of the way Simone has zoned and improved this open-plan room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple and their toddler
Location Hoxton, east London
Property An industrial-style, new-build flat with three bedrooms
Room dimensions Entire open-plan room, 9m x 5.4m; kitchen alone, 5.4m x 4.5m
Designer Simone Gordon of Owl Design
Joinery Carpenter & Carpenter
Project year 2023
Photos by Veronica Rodriguez
“The brief was they wanted more storage,” Simone says of the young family who own this urban flat. “It was all very open-plan, and they needed an area for their shoes and coats that didn’t impact on the rest of the room, as well as a space where they could eat that also increased the work surface and storage.”
Simone came up with the idea of carving out an entrance area by building a small vestibule made from vertical oak battens. She also created a large island with seating and lots of storage, topped with striking green-veined black marble.
Both are extremely practical additions, but they also do wonders in terms of warming up the room – just check out the ‘before’ photos, below.