The urban apartment
Urban kitchen design is dominated by the trend for clean, modern lines paired with an industrial aesthetic, says Andrew Hays, creative director of Smallbone. ‘Mixed materials such as brushed steel and highly polished marble in a contemporary, monochrome colour palette are a popular choice for creating a relaxed scheme,’ he adds. The company’s Mulberry Street kitchen takes inspiration from apothecary cabinets and features stained-oak and glazed cabinets with wire mesh integrated into the glass, which are then paired with steel handles. The highly polished statuary marble worktops help to reflect light around the room—an important consideration when these smaller kitchens often lack a good source of natural light. The high-gloss factor is finished off with the addition of splashbacks made of Bardiglio mini-brick mosaic tiles and mirrored kickplates.
The island, a space pioneered by Smallbone in British kitchens, is arguably even more relevant here as a way of distinguishing between the cooking, dining and living areas of this open-plan space. ‘Incorporating an integrated breakfast bar will help to turn the space into a social hub that enables the host and guests to enjoy the theatre of the kitchen,’ believes Andrew. ‘The kitchen has evolved from a space that is entirely dedicated to food preparation to a multifunctional hub for cooking, dining, entertaining and relaxing and nowhere has this metamorphosis been more evident than in the urban setting.’