Creating kitchens with character

28 Jan Creating kitchens with character

Creating kitchens with character is an art. Whether you’re moving into a new home, a new build or re-imagining your existing home, many of our customers love a bit of character in their kitchens.  The good news is that character isn’t limited to period properties. There are plenty of ways to add a sense of character or timelessness to a modern house.

Embrace character features

If your kitchen has character features already, this is the jackpot! Features such as chimney breasts, flagstone floors, exposed brickwork and beams, will do nearly all the work for you. Any of these features can be accommodated in a bespoke design. For example, a chimney breast can conceal a discreet extractor, and exposed beams do not have to be plastered over to get straight walls or ceilings. By working with the right designer, you can enhance all the inherent features of your kitchen. 

Use texture

Try to incorporate different materials in your kitchen, especially matt and textured surfaces.

Handles are a simple way of adding a different material to your kitchen design. For example, choosing a metal with an aged finish such as copper or brass adds a more timeless, characterful quality to the kitchen.

Wooden worktops do take a bit of maintenance, but the warmth of the material, the imperfections, graining and the feel of it will really add character. Or, if you don’t want all your work surfaces in wood, you could always incorporate a butcher’s block or bar stools to give you wooden accents.

Wood is the perfect material for texture and improves as it ages over time.

Add detail

Character kitchens have points of interest, elements and features that catch your eye. They are not minimalist or designed around sleek, uninterrupted lines.

A simple way of adding character to your shaker kitchen is choosing more ornate Cornices and Plinths styles. The Cornice is the decorative, ornamental trim that sits at the top of a wall unit. The Plinth is the trim at the bottom of your low units, designed to conceal the legs. The Plinth can be recessed or moulded to look like skirting, sitting proud of the unit. You can see the styling and curve of the Cornice pictured below and how it adds interest and style to the wall units.

Patterned splashback tiles like those featured above are also a great way of adding character. Being simple to change if your tastes change, tiles are a flexible element to have some fun with too.

Big impact pieces

Certain elements effortlessly add a sense of character and significantly impact the overall feel of your kitchen. To give your kitchen a more classic and characterful feel, consider incorporating a range-style cooker and some free-standing furniture. Islands, pantry units and dressers work well as free-standing pieces.

 A butler sink is another great feature to include. Their more industrial look and the way they sit nestled into the surrounding cabinets mean they always catch your eye. We love how easily a butler sink creates a more classic feel in a new kitchen. 

We hope we’ve given you a few ideas for your kitchen. Why not book a free design consultation? We can meet you in your own home or the showroom, or if you’d prefer, we can arrange a video consultation. Get in touch at info@kitchensbespoke.co.uk or call us on 01342 313 133. Don’t forget to visit our Projects page for real home inspiration and to gather more ideas.