Large family home
Reigate

About This Project

Brief

The client was an architect and wanted us to work alongside them to create a really practical open-plan kitchen for a busy family who like to cook and entertain.

The house was undergoing extensive refurbishment and extension work, and the kitchen was going to be in the new extension at the rear of the property. The new open-plan area was to consist of a large kitchen, dining and soft seating area.

For the look and feel, our clients wanted a light and contemporary, handleless style.

Our bespoke kitchen design

At the start of the design process, on visiting our showroom, our clients saw and loved the Rotpunkt Memory door, which is a stunning grooved wood door and wanted this incorporated into the overall design. Knowing they wanted a contemporary style and already fallen for the Memory door, we designed the whole kitchen in Rotpunkt to deliver that sleek, modern aesthetic.

We used the Memory door on the wall units and on the island, but to keep it light, we used Roptpunkt’s Xerox HPL in ‘Daylight Grey’ throughout the rest of the kitchen. This high-pressure laminate prevents finger smudges on doors and is a game-changer in a busy kitchen!

Getting the island right was key to this kitchen design. It needed to be multi-functional, but be constrained by the slab size of the stone, as the clients didn’t want a seam showing where two slabs would join. They wanted it as big as possible, and with a flawless surface.

The result is this stylish, commanding island, which takes centre stage and is a hugely practical zone in the kitchen. It seats four people, incorporates lots of storage, features a pop-up socket in the worktop, a deep warming drawer, a prep sink and a hob. Serving so many purposes, this island will always be at the heart of the action.

We often design our islands with a cooking zone, as it is such a sociable way to cook and works brilliantly here, as the clients wanted to be able to engage with friends and family across the open-plan space, and have a good view of the garden whilst cooking.

The worktop on the island is a beautiful veined ceramic worktop called ‘Statuario Altissimo’ by Laminam. We just love the waterfall ends that take it from the worktop to the floor. For the worktop on the sink run, we used Laminam’s ‘Bianco Assoluto’ on the surface and for the 300mm upstand. Laminam is an incredibly robust and hardwearing product, ideal for a busy kitchen that will be at the centre of family life for years to come.

We really packed in the storage with this kitchen design. There is a large breakfast pantry unit with on-trend pocket doors which features a breakfast and coffee station. There are two large larder units with pull-out drawers on either side of the fridge and freezer; there’s even a drawer with a dedicated docking station for phone charging. This kitchen has a place for everything.

For the appliances, we worked with the client to identify the products and specifications they were after and arranged for them to visit the Miele Experience Centre in London for an in-depth, tailored introduction to the full range.

The final spec featured:

• Two Miele ovens (one steam oven)
• One Miele combi microwave oven with slim warming drawer underneath
• One deep Miele warming drawer in the island
• One Miele dishwasher
• A BORA M-Pure hob with griddle plate
• Two taps (one Quooker)
• Two sinks by The 1810 Company
• SubZero Fridge, Wine cooler and freezer

The utility room has the same  Xerox HPL door but with black handles. With just as much consideration for practicality, this utility features a bespoke bench seat and storage, a built-in laundry system where your machines are positioned at a height so you don’t have to bend down to fill and empty them, there are pull-out baskets underneath to empty your clothes into, and pull-out shelves for the baskets. The utility also houses a large recycling unit and features the same durable work surfaces.

Going beyond the kitchen

The fireplace

Many renovation projects extend beyond the kitchen, and on this one, we were asked to design three dressing rooms and the fireplace.

For the fireplace, we worked with the client to design the surround and the storage on either side. The storage units are in Rotpunkt, with the same door fronts as the kitchen but in black, and with touch-to-open doors. The surround features Dekton, which is a highly durable engineered stone. The Dekton on the hearth is clad in Dekton Domoos, and the veined surface on the actual surround is Dekton Laurent. In addition to using Dekton here, we clad all the window sills and the shelves above cisterns in all the bathrooms.

The Master Dressing Room 

The dressing room is at the top of the house, in a very awkward eaves space next to the Master Bathroom, so only a bespoke solution would work here to truly optimise the space. We worked with a local joinery company to create handmade, bespoke furniture, really utilising every available space with integrated drawers, rails, shelving, LED lighting, sockets, storage solutions, and a bespoke vanity unit.

Every detail has been considered in this space, to the extent that the profiled LED lighting is angled so it doesn’t shine in your face as you walk in. This is the dressing room where your day gets off the right start!

Feeling inspired?

If you want help with a whole-house renovation, too, contact info@kitchensbespoke.co.uk to book your design consultation. Don’t forget to browse our Projects home page for more inspiration.