Belinda Dangerfield

The clients wanted to make a statement with this kitchen, they were looking for elegance and style, so the central island with the incorporated banquette seating became the centre piece.

The clients were also looking to incorporate features unlike anyone else's, the Ronda wall, was the perfect choice. It adds interest and colour and allows them to express their individuality.

The family are close and don't spend much time watching TV, so no media area was included. The banquette seating and added chairs allows plenty of space to hang out and talk with each other.

After a few re-iterations on design the final layout of an island with raised breakfast bar was decided upon. The client moved away from the concept of a bank of tall units along the back wall as they did not want a sink on the island, as they liked the idea of a halo light around the wall section allowing good ambient light when they were sitting down to eat or chill.

With such a large family that eat and socialise together, the must haves revolved around how to store, prep, and eat. These included:

• Quooker tap – being from Irish descent the kettle was constantly on the go.
• Tall fridge & freezer – the clients cook from scratch, and additional freezer space was required for the dog's frozen food
• A place where the family can eat together – using a mixture of tall and low seating
• More storage – open walk-in pantry and utility room off the main kitchen which houses 2 washing machines & 2 dryers plus ample larders with internal drawers for food storage
• Ease of cooking – having a wide hob top spice drawer meant it's easier to get access to everyday herbs and spices when preparing meals
• Min 2 ovens – with steam & microwave functions enabling all styles of cooking
• Recycling bin – this particularly vexed the clients as in their previous kitchen, packaging used to be left on top of worktops or hanging from handles and meant the kitchen was always messy.
• Beauty Room – one of the girls was setting up a new business doing beauty from home and so a small area to compliment the kitchen was to be included.

Finally, we incorporated some Zuma Array speaker lights into the ceiling so that they could play music in surround sound – this has turned out to be immensely popular with the children.

Overall, the kitchen had exceeded the clients' initial expectations of what could be achieved in a tight space and most importantly to cater for a multigenerational family with diverse needs

Project cost: £44,300 inc. VAT exc. installation

Installation indicative cost £4,300

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