harmony IN PERFECT Subtle details and thoughtful design have resulted in a kitchen that is sophisticated and stylish without having to shout about it

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1 harmony IN PERFECT Subtle details and thoughtful design have resulted in a kitchen that is sophisticated and stylish without having to shout about it PICTURES DARREN CHUNG I WORDS HARRIET PAIGE DESIGN ETHIC The slimline wall cupboard and chunky, off-set wall shelf are a very important part of the design. They help to give the kitchen the unfitted look Arabella was after. Echoing the rectangular shapes of the roof lights and the long piece of Portland stone beneath the television, they also give the room a sense of harmony 54 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

2 STOOLS The Magris Lyra bar stools from Nest sit perfectly with the neat architectural style of the new kitchen scheme FLOORING The engineered oak flooring from The Wooden Floor Specialists has a white hard wax oil finish It s never easy to finally settle on a kitchen company. For Arabella Tullo it came down to the details. When went into the Roundhouse showroom there were a couple of little things that really impressed me about their displays, she remembers. I loved what they call the shark edge on their units and worktop, and they had a slimline wall cupboard that fitted in with the aesthetic I had in my mind. Arabella describes this aesthetic as deconstructed, a look that veers well away from the typical fitted kitchen with heavy wall cabinets. We were creating a large, open-plan living area from what had been a number of separate rooms. I didn t want the kitchen to dominate the space, but rather to be in harmony with its surroundings. With this in mind, kitchen designer Oli Moss made sure that every aspect of the kitchen displays a lightness of touch from the elegant details Arabella had first admired, through to the virtually invisible induction hob and integrated extractor. Arabella herself paid great attention to the practicalities of the kitchen, researching each element so she could make informed decisions. You need to listen to your designer but also think carefully yourself about how you are going to use the kitchen and what you re trying to achieve. I think you need a large sink, rather than the small ones you often see. And I wanted a separate but undermounted drainer, rather than having grooves in the worktop. I also love my pop-up power points on the island, which mean there s no need for unsightly sockets on the side panel. And I couldn t live without the boiling water tap it s brilliant! Lighting was also very important to Arabella. Both the natural light maximising light was the core part of my brief to the architect and artificial. I used a lighting designer for our house in Spain and now I wouldn t do a building project without one. Architects are good at spaces but a lighting designer concentrates on designing with light, which is so important in an open-plan space that needs to fulfil so many functions. We have a Lutron system which allows us to switch between moods, whether we re entertaining, relaxing or cooking. Arabella admits that open-plan living can be high maintenance. As a cook you have to be very tidy I tend to do a lot of pre-cooking in the afternoon if I m entertaining. But she loves the way it expands her interior horizons. I love preparing food on the island, looking out over the rest of the room and onto the garden. ekbb ISLAND CENTRAL The island is large in order to be in proportion with the room and to give Arabella a luxurious amount of food preparation space. However, the colour palette, elegant detailing and unobtrusive appliances help to give it a feeling of lightness so it doesn t dominate the space. With a hob and prep sink, Arabella finds she does the majority of her cooking here. Plenty of seating ensures it s also a great place to grab an informal bite to eat 56 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

3 Arabella describes this aesthetic as deconstructed a look that veers well away from the typical fitted kitchen with heavy wall cabinets EXTRA SPACE Sliding doors at the back of the island give access to reduced depth cupboards which can easily be reached without getting in the way of the bar stools. Oli added a walnut trim to introduce warmth and to tie in with the dining table in the same wood 58 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

4 APPLIANCE BANK Arabella chose a bank of four ovens by Siemens, which includes two single ovens, a steam oven and a microwave. Oli persuaded me to try a steam oven. It s taken me a while to get used to it but now I use it a lot to steam vegetables. It helps me to cook with less oil and eat more healthily, says Arabella WORKTOPS The shark nose detail on the worktop is a signature of Roundhouse kitchens. The sharply bevelled edge makes the worktop appear as if it is floating, an extremely elegant effect MATERIAL MIX Brushed stainless steel, frosted glass and the Kensho composite worktop create a misty softness. This works well with the colour palette and is very gentle on the eye OLI MOSS DESIGNER, ROUNDHOUSE Qa & You came to the project before the space was transformed. How did you visualise how the kitchen would work in the new space? The original space was divided into three pokey little rooms with yellow walls and brown carpet. When it comes to designing a kitchen I find it best to forget all that and work just from the plans and measurements, which makes it much easier to visualise. Upon seeing the plans I was amazed by how much space I had it s incredible what knocking a few walls down can do. How did you settle on the colour palette? We wanted something that was fresh and contemporary but not too clinical. The white of the cabinets has a soft sheen rather than high gloss and we ve warmed it by using a walnut trim around the sliding door cabinets at the back of the island. The timber floor, which was specified by Arabella, also helps to add warmth. We chose Kensho composite stone in a soft grey with a very subtle texture, again to prevent the look from being too flat and clinical. The worktop has a shark edge detail which gives it a light, floaty feeling. What was your starting point for the design? What struck me about the architect s plans were the strong, long rectangular shapes of the windows in the roof and side elevation so I used these as a starting point, echoing the shapes in the long wall cabinet and shelf above the sink. Arabella was very keen not to have something too fitted and this arrangement helped to give the kitchen the more free flowing feel she was after. 60 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

5 All the drawers are crafted in solid walnut and the cabinets all have solid walnut edging KEEPING IT COOL Arabella has an Americanstyle fridge-freezer in her house in Spain and was keen not to get one here as she doesn t like the way they dominate the room. However, her grown up sons, Myles, 24, and Jamie, 21, were wedded to the ice maker. After a lot of research Arabella found an integrated fridge with ice maker by Liebherr which, along with an integrated freezer, sits on the left-hand side of the ovens. To the far right there s a Tambour door which neatly conceals the toaster and other kitchen appliances Kitchen prof ile A number of small rooms were opened up to create a large open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting room, designed to let in as much light as possible from the south-facing garden overlooking Dulwich Park. With soft, white handleless cabinets made to match the colour of the walls, elegant floating worktops, unobtrusive appliances and slimline wall cupboards, the kitchen is designed to be in harmony with its surroundings rather than dominate the space. ROUNDHOUSE 11 Wigmore Street, London, W11 1PE. Tel roundhousedesign.com Kitchens priced from 30, ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

6 You need to listen to your designer but also think carefully yourself about how you are going to use the kitchen OPEN ASPECT The south-facing garden overlooking Dulwich park lets an abundance of light into the room. This has been maximised by the architect s striking use of glass, particularly in the roof and side elevations. The property has been extended outwards and also to the side, leaving a small passage on the right-hand side so as not to block the neighbours light. Arabella has a small herb garden here, overlooked by a slim vertical window at the end of the dining table 64 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

7 BRINGING THE OUTDOORS IN The open-plan living area leads directly out onto the patio and, when the sliding doors are open, there is barely a partition between the two, enabling a natural flow between inside and out VISUAL SOLUTION The window overlooking the worktop faces out onto a brick wall so Arabella decided to use frosted glass I used a lighting designer for our house in Spain. Now I wouldn t do a building project without one ON TAP Oli persuaded me to go for a boiling water tap, says Arabella. I wasn t sure at first as it seemed an extravagance but I m so glad I did, I wouldn t want to be without it now. Stockists APPLIANCES EH879SC11 induction hob, 1,185; HB75AB550B oven, 958; HB34D552B steam and hot air combination oven, 1,241; Microwave, 785; SN66T094GB dishwasher, 1,048, all Siemens. IKB 3660 fridge, 1,642; IGM 2566 freezer, 1,757, both Liebherr. PRO 3 VAC 3DCHR boiling water tap, 870, Quooker. FIXTURES AND FURNISHINGS S008 and KBX110/45 sinks and KBX104/45 drainer unit, all Franke tap, 543, and tap, 324, both Gessi. Konsho composite stone worktops, 5,268, Roundhouse Design. Surf dining table in walnut, around 3,000, Tablemakers. Wilton dining chairs, 139 for two, Made.com. Magis Lyra bar stools, 284 each, Nest. Pirce suspension ceiling lamp, 646, AmbienteDirect.com. Engineered oak flooring, with a white hard wax oil finish, 92.40m 2, The Wooden Floor Specialists. ARCHITECT Richard Dudzicki Associates rdauk.com LIGHTING DESIGN Light IQ lightiq.com FOR STOCKISTS, SEE PAGE ekbbmagazine.co.uk