“We are renovating a large manse which has many original features, but would like to remove some internal walls to create a large open-plan living space in keeping with our lifestyle. We are also planning to have a games room off the far end of this room. The new room’s doors are oak but the skirtings and architraves will remain white, in keeping with the rest of the house. We don’t think a contemporary kitchen would go with the style of house, but are unsure whether we should have a really “traditional” kitchen becfause we both like modern kitchen gadgets. What should we do?
Graham Crane is Senior Designer at Kitchens International, Aberdeen, 01224 824 300 and offers the following advice
A good starting point was to complete a comprehensive design brief to look at things such as lifestyle, wishlists, likes, and of course dislikes, which are as equally important. High on the Barr’s wish list was an island, modern appliances and an easy-to-use cooking area. I decided the solution to combining both traditional and contemporary would be achieved by staying with the traditional materials of natural oak and granite but incorporating a 21st century twist. The island was to become the main focal point of the working end of the large new room and would be a multifunctional area incorporating cooking, preparation, and socialising.
I designed the “cooking hub” of the kitchen to one side of the large island. Here there is a hob and downdraft extraction, while the ovens are cleverly located in mid-height units near to a sink, which has both a normal tap and a boiling water tap and looks out onto a small side window. This gives a defined working area for the cooking and cleaning functions of the kitchen, and leaves the opposite side for preparing and serving. The introduction of the curves softens the flow to both island and mid-height and keeps it in style with the rest of the house.
To maintain the traditional look of the manse, a simple flat panelled oak framed door was used, but with a modern internal variation. The centre panels are varied between standard oak veneer, black translucent glass and black mirror glass. The mid-height housing area also gives a greater feeling of space, to match the spatial effect intended at the sitting end of the room. The opposite wall is chosen as the main storage area of the kitchen for both crockery and dry foods. As well as the back wall there is storage on the island and on the far side of the utility room door.
One of the main requirements of the Barrs was a full size fridge and freezer, possibly an American style. However, to keep the clean styling common throughout, separate full height fridge and freezer were chosen with the door panels being black mirror glass. On either side storage units are installed with a coffee machine and flat screen TV on black glass to balance the link between kichen and dining areas. This gives the Barrs the hi-tch appliances they were looking for without making them too obtrusive.
Although midway in the room is a formal dining area, which connects the living and cooking areas, there was also the need to have an informal breakfast seating area. This has been achieved by designing an offset circular breakfast table on the end of the island, which contra reflected the curves to the window end of the island. This contemporary arrangement gives a closure to the business side of the kitchen, enhanced by it being offset and nestling in one corner of the island. To give a softer visual effect a wood finish is used in keeping with the rest of the oak in the kitchen. The combination of polished natural Angolan black granite worktops, natural oak units and black glass doors are complemented with a large format polished porcelain floor tile.
The smooth polished surfaces give that much desired clean, shiny kitchen but with a traditional feel. The end result is a traditional canvas onto which a contemporary 21st century kitchen has been created.
