Kitchens
Mistake 3: Stacking items If you try to pile numerous items on top of each other, you might find it tricky to remove things without the stack toppling over. The solution: Store as much as possible vertically. Just as it’s far better to store books side by side on a bookshelf than in a pile, this rule can be applied to many things around the home. Baking trays and chopping boards in the kitchen are much easier to retrieve and return if they’re stored this way. It can also be a cunning way to make the most of a narrow recess in the kitchen, or try slotting a divider into a standard cupboard, as these homeowners have done. Similarly, don’t stack T-shirts and other clothes – store them vertically, running front to back, within a drawer, so when you’re looking for an item, you can see all the ‘spines’ of the folded garments and make your selection without disturbing the others.
Exploit skinny spaces Another area ripe for exploitation in the name of storage is the gap between a tall fridge and the wall. “If made to measure,” Odile says, “it could store as much as a 600mm base cupboard and wall unit put together – and it’ll be much more user-friendly.” In this example, a skinny pull-out forms the outer edge of a storage ‘cube’, with an integrated fridge-freezer on the right (you can see more in the next photo). “A bespoke kitchen designer will know what’s possible and what isn’t,” she says, “and will often find several solutions to problems you didn’t know could be solved.”
Pimp your plinths Both Odile and Mark point out the value of the plinth area – that space at the bottom of your cupboards generally filled by a decorative strip to disguise the units’ feet. Rather than just blocking this off, Odile suggests fitting plinth drawers under some units. In one of the kitchen brands Mark supplies, the plinth drawer doubles up as a step to help you to reach tall shelves or for children to stand on and assist with food prep.
Include concealed drawers “Internal drawers are very common now, but it still surprises me how often a client is impressed by finding a drawer within a drawer,” Mark says. “This solution works really well for designs where clean lines are required,” he says. “Full slab doors when opened reveal a set of internal drawers. And we all know that drawers are more practical for storage than cupboards.” Talking of which…
She has some advice on how to get the best out of your pantry. “Do an inventory of what you want to store in the larder and measure the tallest, widest, smallest and heaviest items to make sure everything has a place and is easily accessible,” she says. “Pull-out shelves or shallow drawers are ideal at the lower levels,” Odile continues, “especially if the cupboard is deep, so you don’t have to kneel down and reach for the items at the back.” She suggests that pull-outs above the worktop in a larder, where you may not be able to see inside them, are less practical, though. Instead, she advises shallower shelves in this position and adding a rack on the back of the door “for condiments, spices or – if you have enough cupboard depth – larger items such as pasta packets”.
Hide your draining dishes Even if you have a dishwasher, there will usually be some things that get washed by hand. In addition, depending on how good your machine’s drying function is, certain items may need a quick air dry to finish them off. The result is that the worktop area around the sink can easily get – and remain – messy. Dish drying solution. Mark Byers of Oliver Green Kitchens has the perfect solution. “An over-sink draining cupboard declutters the worktop area around the sink,” he says. “It’s a solution that comes as a standard option with some kitchens and we’ve also adapted the idea and can incorporate it in the conventional kitchens we design.” In case you’re wondering, the cupboards are made with water-resilient or waterproof materials. In the example pictured, the cupboard is transparent, but if you don’t even want to see the dishes drying, you could opt for a solid door front.
Bridge, climbers
Modern take on pedestal table
Vanishing door kitchen unit
Like colour scheme and units (not handles)
Box in Extractors can be positioned within cupboards, chimney breasts – or just a simple wooden box, as seen here. In fact, there are options to create a housing that fits with almost any style of kitchen or period of home.The designer here, Sam Shaw of Sustainable Kitchens, used Douglas fir (as well as complementary plywood) for various elements in this light, contemporary kitchen – including the housing for the fan. At the top of the box is a vent. Because this house was designed to be virtually environmentally passive, the air isn’t vented directly out of the side of the building. Instead, it’s sucked upwards and into a heat exchanger above the ceiling, which recycles warm air and expels the cold, damp air.
++ Extractor/ chimney piece over cooker. In this grand, period kitchen, the whole area was turned into a focal point by designer Peter Humphrey of Humphrey Munson, who designed and made a decorative chimney in which to house the fan discreetly. For a similar idea – perhaps in a kitchen with smaller proportions – you could house an extractor within the chimney breast to let the bare bones of the building shine, perhaps fitting just a simple shelf above the opening.
Corner larder
Larder cupboard
nice wooden floor & stools. Like the overall colour scheme - simple
+ Like these barstools. Highlight island with different colour units? - I prefer not.
The designers made the cabinetry in the seating area, too, giving the space a cohesive feel.
From the island, there’s a view through to the dining table and seating area beyond. “The detail in the ceiling separates the dining room from the kitchen,” David says. “In an open-plan room, it’s important to define the zones, so it’s not just one vast space.”
Larder. The plans for the extension included a room behind the Aga wall, so it’s been turned into a walk-in larder. “The owners can also prepare food in here, Pull-out drawers and floor-to-ceiling shelving maximise storage, freeing up the cabinets in the main kitchen for other items.
Underfoot, oak with a white oil finish gives the new extension an elegant and warm appearance.
++ Cupboard! The cupboard next to the ovens can be opened out neatly thanks to its slim bifold doors, and it has a solid walnut interior that’s rich in colour. “It’s a breakfast pantry you can close up to hide the mess,”The owners also store glassware and china in here, and lights that come on as the door opens – and switch off when it closes – create a sparkling effect.
Although the worktop looks like marble, the owners actually opted for a quartzite for its practical qualities. “Marble can stain and you can etch the surface, but quartzite is harder, so you don’t get those issues,” David explains. They chose a mirrored splashback, which gives the cook a view of the room behind. Reflecting the dining and seating area beyond, it opens out the space rather than confronting the cook with a blank wall. It also makes the room more sociable. “When you’re standing at the Aga, you can still talk to people,” David says. With a formal dining area elsewhere in the room, a more casual place to eat breakfast was included on one side of the island.
Short wall splash back for dividing space?
Stainless sink worktop
wood floor. Units.
Using wooden effect tiles on walls - for splashback?
Similar layout to ours - tall units could hide door to larder
Adz do you like the dark cupboard/paint look?
Colour scheme. I like wood + off-white.
Rounded corner units IMPORTANT!
Kitchen island, slate floor, wooden units
kitchen with island giving on to terrace with bifold doors
+ Kitchen with island & hanging thing above. ? Glazed cupboards with in-cupboard lights? Never thought they were particularly practical unless as display cabinet. - Most of the storage here seems too high up to be practical.
+ Like the grey green. - lighter wood than this. - Sink in island not so good. ? Hanging contraption for utensils/ pans?
Bar stools with sink island example
Bar stools with sink island example
Amazing cabinetry
Quite nice kitchen. Barstools with backs.
Wall does not need to be same colour as cabinets if done correctly.
Q