family A DESIGN FOR A

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1 family A DESIGN FOR A Tobie and Lucy Snowdowne s contemporary kitchen and studio, facing each other across the garden, have helped them achieve the perfect balance between work and family life PICTURES DARREN CHUNG I WORDS HARRIET PAIGE When Tobie and Lucy Snowdowne bought their three-storey Victorian house in Hackney, they were keen to restore all the original features that had been ripped out in the 1970s. When it came to the kitchen, however, they had something completely different in mind. Lucy was pregnant with our son, Rafe, at the time and the small galley kitchen was unsuited to family life, says Tobie. We wanted to extend to create a contemporary family living space that would be in sharp contrast to the rest of the house. As part of the same project the couple converted the 1980s double garage at the bottom of the garden into a studio to house their product design consultancy. We designed the extension as two contemporary white cubes set within a Victorian wall. The kitchen and studio face each other with the garden becoming an outdoor room between the two. For the kitchen itself, Tobie and Lucy chose Halcyon Interiors who specialise in the German brand, Alno. They were able to give us the very minimal door design we were after, and we liked their surface finishes. We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted but our designer, Stephen Parsons, was able to offer us his knowledge of the practical and functional aspects, says Tobie. The couple opted for matt graphite doors, which they teamed with a power floated concrete floor. The dark colour palette is anything but gloomy. So often people talk about light and airy contemporary spaces. But the room itself has so much light it doesn t need to be painted white, says Tobie. Dark spaces have a completely different feel, somehow warmer and more intimate. The stainless steel worktops help to bounce light around the room and give the kitchen the professional, industrial tone the couple wanted. The steel does scratch, which was disconcerting at first, but once the scratches cover the surface it starts to look worn-in rather than damaged. Come evening the kitchen takes on a different character, with spotlights accentuating light and dark areas to give the space depth. The darker style works fantastically when it s dimly lit and the garden lights are on, says Tobie. In fact that s when I love the kitchen the most. ekbb LIFE BALANCE Lucy, Tobie, and their son, Rafe, aged two, gather around the island, which enables them to be together as a family while food is being prepared NATURAL REFLECTIONS Stainless steel worktops and the polished concrete floor reflect the natural light that floods in through the glass doors, preventing the dark colour palette from seeming oppressive 68 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

2 HIDDEN ASSETS A wall panel, in matt graphite to match the cabinetry, effectively hides an RSJ and drainage for the roof terrace above, as well as the over-counter lighting which washes down beautifully over the stainless steel splashback. Keeping the number of different materials to a minimum helps to create the contemporary, streamlined look Kitchen prof ile A three-storey Victorian terrace house has been extended to the rear, transforming what was a small galley kitchen into a large family living space, and creating an office from a 1980s double garage. The two contemporary spaces sit facing each other across the garden, with large sliding doors offering views between the two. In the kitchen, matt graphite cabinets are teamed with power floated concrete floors and stainless steel worktops to give a dramatic, industrial look that is nonetheless intimate and inviting. HALCYON INTERIORS The Alno Store, 120 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 3LS halcyoninteriors.com Kitchens from 18,000. MOULDED SINK The sink is moulded as part of the worktop, with a flat sloping drainer to give a streamlined look People talk about light and airy contemporary spaces. But the room itself has so much light it doesn t need to be painted white WORKTOPS The Barazza brushed stainless steel worktop creates reflections of the glass storage jars, vases, and bowls of fruit that Lucy and Tobie have on display. All of these add a touch of softness to the otherwise stark, industrially-styled space COOK ZONES Tobie and Lucy chose their extra wide gas hob by Smeg for its ultra low profile, which fits seamlessly into their stainless steel worktop. They teamed it with other Smeg appliances, including a pyrolytic oven, which super-heats and incinerates food waste, leaving only ash to make cleaning easy. Next to this, they installed a compact combination microwave which, at only 45cm high, leaves room for a warming drawer underneath, ideal for keeping food at optimum serving temperature, proving dough and gently defrosting food 70 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

3 CONCRETE FLOORING Tobie and Lucy chose the concrete floor for its natural feel. It has hairline cracks where it has expanded and contracted but the imperfections add to its character, says Tobie. It feels like natural stone 72 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

4 HOME OFFICE The office, which sits opposite the kitchen on the other side of the garden, echoes its aesthetic, with the same large sliding glass doors and power floated concrete floor. We love the fact that our work and family life are so close, with just enough space between them to switch off in the evening, says Tobie SEATING Unlike most bar stools, the Mirua by Konstantin Grcic uses only one material reinforced, moulded polypropylene giving it a sleek, minimal look that perfectly complements the style of the kitchen APPLIANCES We went for Siemens for most of our fitted appliances, but chose Smeg for the hob and ovens as they just look fantastic, says Tobie STEPHEN PARSONS DESIGNER, HALCYON INTERIORS Qa & What was your brief from Lucy and Tobie? The couple had a very strong idea of what they wanted. They had already decided on the polished concrete floor and wanted to marry this with dark cabinetry and stainless steel worktops. It was a matter of putting their vision into effect. They originally wanted a mottled effect on the cabinets but we changed to a plain matt graphite, which gives a very smart, contemporary look and is a good foil to the sheen and natural variations of tone in the concrete. The wall panel above the sink is an interesting feature, how did this come about? Tobie and Lucy wanted to bring out the wall behind the sink to give the feel of a flush wall running through the glass doors to the garden. The wall contains an RSJ and vital drainage to the roof terrace above so this was an interesting way of concealing them and integrates well with the rest of the kitchen. It also hides the over-counter lighting. Did you have any reservations about using such a dark colour palette? No, because the wallto-wall glass at the end of room ensures there is an abundance of natural light. Also, the stainless steel worktop reflects the light beautifully and really lifts it. Stainless steel isn t a very popular choice for worktops but it performs very well, being completely heat resistant and non-porous. It gives quite a commercial look, which fitted well with Lucy and Tobie s aesthetic. We chose a brushed finish which softens the scuff marks, which are inevitable. 74 ekbbmagazine.co.uk EKBB May

5 Stockists APPLIANCES AND FIXTURES Smeg SCP112-8 single pyrolytic oven, from 830; Smeg SC45MCSG2 combination microwave, 860, both Electric Shop. Similar warming drawer, Smeg CT15 built-in warming drawer, from 339; Smeg PGF95-4 extra wide gas hob, 444, both John Lewis. KI38VA50GB fridge-freezer, 720; WK14D320GB washer dryer, 903; SN66M054GB dishwasher, 607, all Siemens. CBU1-X900X440X300INT ceiling built-in extractor, 1,171, Westin Design. Similar mixer tap, Minimo in chrome by Gessi, from 391, Sterling. FIXTURES AND FITTINGS Barazza brushed stainless steel worktops, 7,296, supplied by Halcyon. Concrete floor, around 8,000, Steyson Granolothic. Miura bar stools, 162 each, Made in Design. Aluminium group office chairs by Charles and Ray Eames, 1,609 each, Haus. ARCHITECT Bernard Tulkens for Tectonics Architects tectonics-architects.com FOR STOCKISTS, SEE PAGE 182 GARDEN ROOM The garden is positioned neatly between the kitchen and the office and was very much part of the design for the whole project. The interior and exterior walls run flush with each other and the concrete floor is carried on outside, offering a seamless flow between inside and out. The canopy above conceals a roof terrace from the older parts of the house The darker style works fantastically when it s dimly lit and the garden lights are on. In fact that s when I love the kitchen the most 76 ekbbmagazine.co.uk