Page 113 - homes & gardens

H&G DESIGN dream KITCHeN

DESIGNER Robert Burnett,
Holloways of Ludlow,
020 7371 1787,
hollowayskitchens.com.
BUDGET £70,000.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE SPACE? This late-1920s
property in north London still retains many of the
architectural details that epitomise the era, including its
original Crittall windows. My clients wanted to turn a
muddle of rooms into an open-plan family kitchen-diner.
They live in a conservation area that does not allow
extensions or external alterations, so the only way to
achieve this was to reconfgure the interior. This involved
removing walls and a staircase, moving the utility room
and then levelling the foors and ceilings.
WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN CHALLENGE? Even after major
restructuring, we were left with an odd-shaped room
with lots of windows and faceted corners. There was no
line of symmetry to start from, as the windows don’t
relate to each other and the doorways are all offset.
To create some sense of order, we built a tall wall of
cabinets between the formal dining space and the
kitchen, from which we could align an island unit. By
squaring up the main kitchen space we also gained
logical positions for the sink run and a seating and
television area at the end of the room.

“

My clients were keen to
blur the lines between
cooking and relaxing.”

HOW DID YOU APPROACH THE OVERALL LOOK? The TOP Flat-fronted drawers give the island a sleek look. ABOVE LEfT A silk drum shade with
brief was for a sleek scheme with luxurious textures chandelier interior adds subtle glamour. ABOVE RIGHT The breakfast cupboard is lined
in dark stained oak. BELOW Bespoke storage and velvet sofas make for a cosy seating area.
and my clients were keen to blur the lines between
cooking and relaxing by avoiding a typical kitchen look.
The decision to continue the dark-oak parquet foor
from the hallway into this space led us to introduce
darker accents to the kitchen cabinetry and bar stools,
which give a greater impact.

WHAT DID YOU CHOOSE fOR THE WORKTOPS? My
clients wanted something with a light tone and a vein
pattern somewhere between Carrara and Statuary
marble, but they didn’t want real marble as it’s too
porous. After a lengthy search, our suppliers in Verona
suggested White Macaubas quartzite, a natural stone
that closely resembles marble but with durability more
like granite. It also had the long lines of veining we
wanted to accentuate the length of the room.
WHY DID YOU GO fOR HANDLE-LESS CABINETS? We
looked at computer-aided design (CAD) renderings
of the kitchen with and without handles and found

SEPTEMBER 2015 | H&G | 113