Pale and interesting

Move over MDF – plywood is the ‘It’ engineered material for kitchen units

when food writer and stylist Anna Jones collaborated with photographer Issy Croker and stylist and art director Emily Ezekiel to create Narroway Studio – their kitchen and entertaining space for supper clubs, foodie workshops and shoots – they knew exactly what they wanted. ‘The place had to feel inviting and warm, yet calm and simple, with a natural, Scandinavian look,’ says Anna.

With its subtle grain and neutral, natural tone, plywood ticked all the boxes. The trio went with Plykea, which uses plywood to make door, drawer fronts and worktops for Ikea’s Metod range of kitchen cabinets. Natural wood options include birch, oak and walnut, with laminate offering coloured fronts. ‘We decided on a simple birch ply as it worked well with our raw plaster and grey stone look,’ says Anna. ‘It was easy as we knew everything would fit Ikea units and we also had a good idea of what we did want (all drawers) and what we didn’t: cupboards!’

The plywood is treated to make it durable. ‘Our kitchen has been used for supper clubs, shoots, workshops and is used day in, day out and there is not a single mark on the ply – we are so happy with it.’

Going bespoke

This bespoke family kitchen forms part of a much larger open-plan living and dining space, ‘so we had to balance a kitchen that worked technically but which sat within the architecture of the space,’ says Jim Leach, co-founder of Wood & Wire and chief designer. ‘The warmth of the plywood and the European oak veneer helped give the kitchen a furniture quality and we used the outward-facing section for open shelving.’