DREAM KITCHEN Classic meets contemporary in this clean-lined space
INTERESTING DETAILS AND A FLEXIBLE LAYOUT ENSURE THAT THIS ELEGANT ROOM IS ALWAYS DINNER-PARTY READY
DESIGNER Roselind Wilson, director, Roselind Wilson Design, 020 3371 1779, roselindwilsondesign.com.
THE PROPERTY A five-bedroom, Victorian townhouse in West London.
DESIGN BRIEF The owners regularly host dinner parties for 14-16 guests in the adjacent dining room. They wanted a kitchen that flowed elegantly from room-to-room but could also be shut off when cooking up a storm.
DIMENSIONS 4.5x4.2m LAYOUT ‘For the wife of this couple, the kitchen is definitely her domain and functionality was king,’ says Roselind. ‘She enjoys cooking and has a lot to store.’ Building an extension to serve as a store room took the pressure off the kitchen and allowed space for a small island. ‘Glazed bifold doors between the kitchen, dining and sitting room mean the whole floor can be open-plan or closed off, as required,’ adds Roselind. CABINETRY
The owners’ style is classic meets contemporary and they love the warmth and timelessness of timber units. ‘We took it in a modern direction by using an engineered veneer with a crisp, consistent grain,’ says Roselind. The bronze handles were chosen to complement the chandelier but Roselind avoids matching all the metals in a room. ‘It sets the decor to a particular period or trend and can quickly feel dated,’ she says.
SURFACES
Practicality was the priority when choosing worktops. ‘Please don’t give us real marble’, was the owners’ plea to Roselind, having experienced the downsides in previous homes. ‘The realism of marble-look quartz has improved dramatically in recent years,’ says Roselind. ‘Caesarstone’s Statuario Maximus looks great, is easy to maintain and works particularly well in this practical kitchen.’ Large-format porcelain plays a similar role on the floor, while a slimmer slab of Caesarstone takes the marble design vertically above the hob for a resilient splashback.
ISLAND UNIT
Roselind is a self-confessed stripe addict and refers to the fluted surface on the island, which is a soft grey composite material, as a ‘3D stripe’. ‘The island is the kitchen’s main focal point when viewed from the garden, sitting and dining room, and the fluting provides extra texture and interest to help draw the eye through,’ explains Roselind. PANTRY
The elegant glazed pantry has a twin in the adjacent dining room containing fine china. Deep drawers on the bottom section conceal bulkier pots and pans, while the top part has shelves for glassware and crockery. Laminated glass with metal mesh inside blurs the view of contents, negating the need for tidy displays. ‘Bringing this typically “living room” element into the kitchen softens its practical side and helps connect it with the rest of the house for a more relaxed, fluid feel,’ says Roselind.