Designed with the family in mind

We provided this bespoke hand built painted kitchen for clients in Hampshire. It has been designed with the family in mind. Whilst cooking takes place, the person working in the kitchen can interact the rest of the family.

Most of the food prep happens on the island whilst facing into the space so that conversations take place with those who are sitting close by.

We enjoyed working with the architect "Noel Wright" on this project. Noel did a great job in providing our clients with beautiful high open space with lots of soft northerly light flooding in from a glazed gable. There are also roof lights above the cooking area.

The kitchen has been placed in a new extension that bridges the main living area with a utility room and home office. Noel went to lengths to ensure that the floor ran through all at the same level.

The kitchen cabinet work had been hand painted after fitting in 2 colours.

The detailing of the cabinetwork is such that it will stand the test of time without looking dated. Note the curved side on the oven cabinet the follows up to the curved cornice moulding and down to the shaped plinth line. This side forms an integral part of the cabinet rather than being slapped on as a separate item as an afterthought.

We tend to choose to hand paint our cabinetwork rather than using a spray finish. Our view is that this approach offers something that has a more friendly tactile quality about it. While technically being less durable, if it does get damaged, it is very easy to repair! We do have the ability to do a spray shop finish if that is what our customers prefer.

We took the client to our granite suppliers to choose the work surfaces. We chose slabs that have pinky red garnets that form part of the structure of the material. You will see in the picture below how we chose glass back splashes on the back wall behind the main sinks and hob that have been painted to co-ordinate with the colour of the granite tops.

We provided "Kohler" stainless steel sinks that are under mounted below the granite. The small sink includes an "ISE Waste Disposal Unit" that is operated with a push button air switch. Note how the sloping drainer grooves have been machined into the surface.

These high quality nickel pull handles are very popular at the moment. They are heavy weight and ooze quality. They are available in other finishes.

We quite often specify power sockets that have integrated USB charging points like this. The idea here is that iPads and Phones can be plugged in and used whilst people are sitting at the island.

Floor standing bins prove to be very practical. We sited these ones under an overhang so that they are just where they are wanted within the food prep area on the island. They are made by "Simple Human" We like their bins!

We make our own timber drawers using traditional dovetail joints. We use state of the art "Blum" soft close runners that are silky smooth and are designed to last a lifetime.

Thank you Mr and Mrs C for being such great clients and for allowing us to photograph your kitchen.