Stylish suburban home, Surrey

THE BRIEF The starting point for this brief was to produce a design that made a better use of the existing space. Originally there had been a separate kitchen and breakfast room, and our clients were keen to explore the options available to them if this whole space was looked at afresh. We were tasked with creating a contemporary, stylish suburban kitchen that utilised the space better, but one that did not feel clinical or austere with glossy surfaces. In addition, the home was transitioning from a space dedicated to raising a family and embracing its next era as a modernised contemporary oasis for a couple who love to entertain. The new kitchen needed to be practical and sophisticated to make hosting easy and enjoyable. OUR BESPOKE KITCHEN DESIGN The first nut for us to crack was to identify the best use of the whole space. We advised opening up the kitchen and breakfast room but not into a completely open plan space. Our design removed just part of the partition wall. This creates great flow and light between the two spaces, but retains practical wall space in the kitchen, and keeping a degree of separation between the two zones. With the larger flow of the space sorted, we then tackled the business end in the kitchen, the working space! This is a rectangular kitchen with two long worktops opposite each other. In the old kitchen, the sink and hob were both on the shorter side, cramping the usable space. This compromised practical areas for food prep on one side and left the other longer length of the worktop unutilised. Our design relocated the hob to the longer length of worktop, making the space much more practical for cooking and working. We were keen to create a space that whilst felt fresh and contemporary, was not too severe or featureless. Our handleless shallow shaker design cabinetry was the perfect solution to create a stylish suburban kitchen. The handleless design created the seamless, contemporary look whilst the matte chalk painted doors softened the overall feel. ALL IN THE DETAIL The Strata Statuario Quartz worktops add a real sophistication to the kitchen and our clients really loved how the veining in the worktop runs seamlessly into the upstand. One of our favourite details in this stylish suburban kitchen is the mustard coloured splashback. It really brings the whole concept together. This shade of yellow injects just the right flash of colour, bounces the light around the space and we think it creates just the most fabulous feature. Credit: Jack Beard Photos