Angus Mackintosh
Kitchens International (Edinburgh, Dundas Street)
The client wanted to update their kitchen and utility with a cool grey, modern style that better fitted the large open plan room they had on the back of their property and offered them better storage, better cooking facilities and much more worktop space for the client to provide catering services from home.
They want to be able to live a healthier lifestyle and have the kitchen tools to be able to do so. A more sociable space with storage for numerous cookbooks and a breakfast bar area for 2 stools. One of the criteria was also to make better sense of the ceiling lights and have a better plan than the current model.
Getting the right size of kitchen was paramount for this space, so I filled the back wall with units from left to right and from floor to ceiling to also hide a walkway through door to the utility which would be better kitted out with an abundance of storage. The main focus was in the kitchen however. Extra deep worktops flanking the larger single bowl sink in eternal serena provided a cool grey with white veining through it, which contrasted nicely with the dark resin sink, matt black boiling water tap and anthracite glass. The same worktop then picked out to define the seating area but keeping the worktop the same height, this time in a darker Marengo finish, defined the cooking area but didn’t restrict usable workspace when laying out lots of food. It was important to have the correct cooking and refrigeration equipment, so putting in a large 762mm wide wolf oven and combi steam was the way to go to fit bigger trays and then subsequently a wide 912mm single door fridge with internal chilled water dispenser to store the same trays with food quickly and easily made things more effective and time efficient. An incredibly controllably Wolf professional gas hob completed the high spec appliances. The steam oven provides the client with a healthier way to prepare meals and the longevity of the food preservation in the fridge is unparalleled so their fruits and veg stay fresher for longer with the added benefit of their food shop bills becoming reduced as a result of not having to bin food that has expired.
A soft off-white grey units as a base was the way to go. Combining it with a predominantly handle-less style to make it look less kitchen-y in the big open plan space, with handles only put on the secret utility door and appliances that require a bit more of a purchase to open, namely the fridge and freezer doors. This is then complimented with the bookcase on the back of the island and the contrasting dark grey charcoal colours picked up here are also mimicked in the back wall run on the vertical bookcase and the glass splashback with shelving behind the sink. Putting in a secret door fills the space and makes it look like the kitchen is part of the fabric of the building.
An abundance of layers of lighting mean that the clients can set whatever mood they would like to. A new ceiling light plan in the whole space is complimented with pendants over the island, a light well in the new raft feature constructed to be the same size as the island footprint and lastly LED strip lighting in the bookcase and above and below the shelves behind the sink help add depth and intrigue to the design.
In the end, a fantastic new kitchen for two delighted clients.
Cost of Project: £49,000.00
