The Brief
This kitchen was to be part of a large, detached property set in the beautiful East Sussex countryside with amazing views. The property was in the process of being redeveloped on a grand scale and we were thrilled to have been asked to design a kitchen to fit into the client’s dream house.
The kitchen is a large double aspect room with bi-folds leading into the garden. The clients wanted a central island as the centrepiece with seating at one end. Then wall and base units on the north and south sides of the kitchen. The style was to be a white and oak handleless kitchen; contemporary and elegant, with a ‘wow’ factor.
The kitchen needed to house plenty of storage and appliances such as an oil-fired Aga, two ovens, a combi microwave oven, a coffee machine, a dishwasher, an integrated fridge with a water cooler. They also wanted to include an integrated freezer, white wine chiller, two sinks, boiling water tap, pull-out bins and recycling, and a large induction hob. The clients wanted to have a clean and fresh overall look.
The Design
This was a big kitchen to design as part of a large scale redevelopment of the existing house. Our designers and fitters worked alongside many other trade professionals on-site in order to complete it to our clients exacting standards. A bespoke steel frame also had to be designed and fabricated to support the weight of the island worktop.
One of the biggest challenges was moving the huge and very heavy Caesarstone worktop for the island. At 5 metres long, 1.4 metres wide and 100mm thick this required some extra manpower and a lot of precision to get it placed just right.
The island housed plenty of storage consisting mainly of drawers, a prep sink with a Quooker boiling tap, and a large Siemens induction hob.
The cabinetry was a mix of white lacquer and oak veneer handleless units with led lighting throughout the kitchen.
Down one side of the kitchen, we had a run of cabinetry which housed the ovens, microwave and coffee machine along with base units and a sink area. On the opposite side, the units were very carefully housed around the beautiful black Aga with a stunning white glass splashback. The cabinetry above the Aga were flap door style units, one of which concealed the extractor fan. The mix of white and oak veneer cabinetry really bring warmth to the room.
LED lighting illuminates the stainless steel handleless channel detail and vast oven bank to great effect, whilst the island sits impressively within the space. It is often the way the various elements are integrated with one another that makes the difference in the overall feeling of quality, The result is stunning simplicity.
How it worked out
On a project such as this one was, it is a huge triumph when it comes together so successfully. The overall effect is a beautiful large and functional kitchen, which the clients are delighted with. The use of such varied finishes and textures creates an organic feel to the space. The beautifully simple, handleless kitchen hides a world of functionality, features and intricate design details. Achieving such precision over a large scale like this, and having the ability to communicate all the details, not to mention the exactness, of the structural requirements, is key to the finished result.
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