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These clients took advantage of our Signature design service to help with the internal flow of their new kitchen-dining and living space. Reviewing the home as a whole, we created an exceptional kitchen that not only reflects the dreams and aspirations of the owners but also flows cohesively alongside the other living areas of the first-floor space. The elevated kitchen and adjacent living spaces were designed to provide a direct view down to the family-sized swimming pool and landscaped gardens, with delightful views of the stretching countryside and the Solent water, enjoyed through the floor-to-ceiling glass positioned around both sides of the room, maximising all visual access points.
The brief challenged us to design a kitchen that would give our clients a personalised and luxurious feel that blended with the other open-plan areas of their luxury living space, such as the dining area, TV and relaxation zones. The client expressed they preferred dark, luxurious, rich materials; sleek cabinetry and sophisticated cooking appliances, so they wanted us to include these within our design.
Since the large room is a multi-functional space for cooking, dining and relaxing and acts as the main gathering space for the family home, it was important to ensure that the kitchen occupied the most practical space, allowing plenty of flow for other furniture and activities. There was also the challenge of including a first-floor cloakroom within the plans so the family didn’t have to walk up and down the stairs to access a washbasin and WC, which needed to be included in the design solution.
The challenges and design
Since the kitchen space was open plan, clever storage, reduced appliance noise and an integrated extractor in the hob cooking appliance were as important in the design as the aesthetics of the luxury cabinetry and furniture choices.
To answer the need for clever storage, I incorporated a large walk-in larder to cater for a significant amount of storage. This also enables the kitchen to stay a truly clutter-free zone, allowing the island to shine as the central feature and maximising the wonderful views from two aspects.
The layout followed a wide L shape with a central island, which was wide enough to house both the hob and the sink. The Miele induction hob includes integrated extraction, which allows the client a seamless view across the island and out to their fantastic farmland views whilst keeping steam and food smells at a minimum. A Dekton Bromo worktop provides both beauty and durability, making the use and cleaning of this kitchen easy for the owners.
Considering the flow of the adjacent family living areas in the design of the kitchen has enabled the client to position a large L-shaped sofa with bespoke TV cabinetry near the island unit so the family can relax and watch television whilst the kitchen is or isn’t in use.
In addition to the walk-in larder space, and in order to maximise the space being kept clutter-free, I also added a large SieMatic S2 Floating Dresser in a sterling grey laminate finish with a 30mm Silestone countertop in coral clay and shark-nose detail to house dining equipment, such as kitchen placemats, additional cutlery and larger ceramic dishes.
The dark SieMatic cabinets in Onyx oak laminate created additional drama and visual interest in this large, open-plan space, whilst a soft sterling grey finish was chosen for the island and console cabinets to bring warmth and light into the central area.
To maximise access to the views and create a larger sense of space in the room, I answered the brief of a cloakroom by discreetly hiding the cloakroom behind a visually-interesting cladded door that adjoined the start of the wall cabinetry, making it acoustically disguised and answering the problem of a cloakroom on the first floor.
My design approach for the kitchen was to blend the cabinetry and larger dresser unit with the dining space and breakfast bar area, allowing the homeowner to enjoy the breathtaking views across Wiltshire while cooking. The strategically-positioned L-shaped island with the hob and sink area provided the client with the option to switch between the views over the island unit through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Luxury appliances from Miele and LIEBHERR Appliances, Quooker Pro3 Flex and a BLANCO sink complete the look. The Tala pendant lighting over the island and within the open-plan space was added by the client to provide the finishing touch to this impressive kitchen.
The owner says: “Keith’s passion for design and Helena’s eye for interiors left us satisfied we were in the right place when we visited The Myers Touch showroom to discuss our kitchen plans. The way they approached our design was exactly what we were after and allowed us to focus on other aspects of our build.”