Unique kitchen designs for discerning clients

Client brief

The client wanted the emphasis to be placed on their large open plan living area with their kitchen blended and scaled accordingly. The kitchen island needed to be large but not dominating. The island also had to have a clean and unbroken look from the dining room whilst still being practical and providing plenty of storage space. The client also emphasised their need for a social area in the kitchen to seat family and friends without obstructing those working in the kitchen.

Challenge and features

The island was designed to provide balance between the kitchen and the large surrounding area. Making it four metres long allowed it to be split visually into two distinct areas using materials of differing colour and thickness. The main work area utilises a single layer of white Caesarstone with black negative detail under. The open breakfast bar has double-layered black granite with aluminium detail between layers. The double thickness of the granite also provides scope for a steel support system to be hidden within, giving structural integrity while maintaining a floating look.

The open seating area provides plenty of room for people to socialise and sit on both sides of the island, whilst being set to one end of the island ensures the work-flow of the kitchen isn’t compromised.

A great deal of care was given to selecting the colours of the kitchen. Black negative detailing in the kitchen and scullery gives the benches a floating look and ties the two areas together. The solid black frame around the cabinetry on the back wall contrasts stunningly with the starkness of the white. This gives the appearance that the door through to the scullery is integrated rather than disjointed. The general work-flow from island bench, to cooktop, to scullery is seamless and natural.

The walk-in scullery shows an innovative use of limited space and the addition of a small sink ensures the scullery is as fully functional as a secondary kitchen. It meets the client’s desire to conceal messy preparation within an otherwise open kitchen.

We also incorporated nine push-to-open drawers without handles into the island, providing extra storage space whilst still keeping with the ‘clean look’. Lastly, soft-close runners and hinges were used throughout the entire kitchen, which elegantly finish off this truly sleek and modern kitchen.