The brief
Our clients already had a ‘pretty’ nice kitchen but there were a few things that stopped it being a ‘really’ nice kitchen. Firstly, it lacked well thought out storage. Whilst it had a selection of drawers, pull-outs, and cupboards, they just weren’t in the right place. Second to this the materials were starting to show their age a little, no doubt good ten or so years ago but things have moved on. So, in the end the brief was simple: take the basic layout and make it work better and look beautiful.
The design
Matt graphite base units and light grey wall units
As is often the case making something good into something great takes a considerable amount of thought. Key to this is really getting to know our clients and how they will use their kitchen, there is no ‘one size fits all’ with the kitchens, each and every one is as different as the people that use them. In this case our clients were prepared to do their bit, giving a lot of thought to exactly how the space would be used, right down to what each drawer would be used for. Visually, the main focus of the design is the bank of wall units and feature open shelves. We used high gloss light grey to both enhance the light but also to contrast with the graphite doors on the base units.
A Fisher and Paykel fridge freezer, two full size ovens (one with microwave) plus a raft of other appliances give the kitchen a high level of functionality. Finally, the interesting interplay between quartz and glass along the splashback add interest and another layer of luxury.
How it worked out
This kitchen is a great success! Not only is it made of high-end, timeless materials but the kitchen has been beautifully installed, with an exceptional level of attention to detail. We tried new things here, the duel finishes on the splashbacks and the open space around the sink, have both been a big triumph and are ideas we will certainly use again.
A great fun project working with lovely people, just what we like!
