The brief was to create a bigger kitchen area, and a downstairs cloakroom. The kitchen used to be the other side of the room, with the current kitchen area being the old dining room. The clients added the conservatory rebuilt to house the new dining room but didn’t want to have an open plan space as this pushed the budget over what they were looking to spend. As a family of four the kitchen needed to be able to cope with this, the husband was also a keen cook and baker so plenty of preparation space was essential as well as clear areas to work. Also the space needed to be warm, inviting and social.
Malmo fitted the bill as it ticked all the boxes and is easy to clean in the gloss finish. It was an ideal kitchen for a family with pets. The chosen finish colour in Gloss Cashmere toned well with the floor which is a Walnut laminate flooring used throughout the whole ground floor of the house; adding a level of warmth to the room which has limited natural light. Adding colours of whites and greys would have been too cold and washed out in this space.
As keen cooks the ovens were an important part of the selection process for the clients. They have a large Neff warming drawer for dough proving and keeping food and plates warm, a steam assist oven with hide and slide door, and a combi microwave. An Induction hob is essential in any modern kitchen which is what the clients opted for, complete with White Silestone worktops.
The beauty of this Malmo kitchen design is the hidden appliances which include a washing machine, dishwasher, fridge freezer and tumble dryer built into the area under the stairs which is to the left of the tall bank (with ovens in).
The extractor came about as the husband is a performance car fan, and the Elica Cyclone in Carbon effect was a quirky feature added to the kitchen. The wall panelling used is to create a unique detail to the space and the mirrors are used to reflect the light around, selecting bronze mirrors to tie in with the colour palette. Bespoke Bronze doors were also incorporated on the larder units to tie in with the rest of the space. Accents of purple and green colours add a difference to the room, by breaking up the colours in the room. The old door into the conservatory was turned into a window, and the window turned into French doors, with the breakfast bar just over hanging so you can see the table and the cooking space from here.
The renovation project had taken roughly 12 months to complete, from concept, however the main kitchen build was 8 weeks including decoration. The old conservatory was removed along with new drains dug, and then the new conservatory built which all took 6 weeks to build.
Designer’s tip by James Jeffery:
Small spaces are sometimes easier to work with as long as the clients are realistic about what is possible and not try to over achieve. Being clear about the most essential points of your kitchen is important, and utilising the space effectively for each process you will undertake in the space.