5 Minutes Well Spent: Discover Dream Kitchen Designs
Kitchens are a fundamental part of home interior design. Not only are they a place to prepare meals, but they are also places to gather family and friends together. Kitchens are utilitarian spaces used for everything from cooking sumptuous dinners to providing venues to catch up on gossip while having a cup of tea with friends. Their design reflects the homeowner’s taste and lifestyle and creates an ambience that fits that of the whole property. The construction and style of the kitchen plays an important part in determining a home’s resale value and should not be overlooked.
As experienced Central London and Hyde Park interior designers, Callender Howorth has a lot of experience designing kitchens. We’ve selected some of our favourite styles and designs.
Modular Kitchens
Modular kitchens are an off-the-shelf solution for many homes. Sometimes known as semi-custom kitchens, a modular design enables an architect or homeowner to piece together their own plan. Modular kitchen designs are perfect for optimising storage space by using diversified materials to create an easily adjustable package.
Although the units are prefabricated, they can be of a very high standard and incorporate durable materials such as stainless steel, cherry wood, oak and marble. Every aspect of the kitchen, from the height of the countertops to the inclusion of islands is customisable. Individual components can be replaced if necessary while leaving the rest of your kitchen intact. Our Hyde Park designers filled a client’s Knightsbridge Penthouse kitchen with space-saving storage to maximise the limited space in this chic city apartment.
Rustic Kitchens
Farmhouse style kitchens offer a bucolic atmosphere and warm ambience. Using heavy woods such as oak give the kitchens an old-world appeal, and can be combined with trendy appliances to keep the kitchen in the modern age. Alternatively, you can install an Aga stove and place a pile of logs in a corner for a cottage effect.
Rustic touches such as beams or old-fashioned tiles really add to the rural vibe, while furniture or chandeliers with wrought iron components, woven baskets and a gingham tablecloth can make all the difference. Our Nice Apartment project has a modern white kitchen but its open layout, original stone wall and ceiling beams give it a semi-rustic feel.
Sleek and Modern
Modern kitchens give a glossy feel with symmetrical lines and minimal clutter. From ergonomic islands to hidden storage, modern kitchen designs are cutting edge, yet inviting. Our Essex Mansion project involved the design of a stunning contemporary kitchen that fitted the client’s brief of having a modern space, perfect for entertaining. The result was a beautiful kitchen with floor-to-ceiling closed storage, multiple wall ovens and an island with futuristic breakfast bar stools. We used a neutral palette of white and charcoal with a splash of green and marble, stone and solid wood materials.
All White
White doesn’t mean boring! White kitchens are pure and clean and their appearance can easily be adapted with bright kitchen towels, colourful appliances, a patterned fruit bowl, or any other accessory you choose. White kitchens are best when they are kept simple, otherwise they can start to look a bit too “busy” or cheap. Integrated appliances create a seamless look, and natural lighting completes the picture.
Callender Howorth created an all-white kitchen for our City Penthouse project in Shoreditch. The owner was interested in New York loft style apartment and we contrasted the exposed brickwork of the main living space with a dazzling white kitchen. We added full-length light beige coloured cupboards and stools to create contrast with the white countertop and cupboards taking up the kitchen’s main wall and the small, low island.
If you are interested in Callender Howorth designing the kitchen of your dreams, please contact us.
The Latest Colour Trends in Kitchen Design
For any house, few rooms are as important as a kitchen. More than just a place to cook, it’s a meeting point and focal area of the entire home. For any respectable home owner, the kitchen needs to look luxurious and contemporary, with cutting-edge design and the perfect colour palette. Here at Collender Howorth, our designs are unique, innovative and stylish; we regularly create kitchens that are a central feature of a home’s interior architecture. Whether you have a design in mind or want an expert’s opinions, our luxury interior designers know exactly what your kitchen needs. Here are just a few of the latest colour trends in kitchen design.
Muted Colours
One of the most in-vogue trends in home design is to use muted colours across floors. In the Luxury Penthouse project, which was recently undertaken by our team in Nice, we used dark wooden tones for the kitchen floor, which accentuates the other features of the room. By favouring deeper textures, such as dark oaks, granite and other natural shades of grey, these designs add a natural feel to the environment.
Minimalism
The very best luxury kitchens make fantastic use of design to optimise both the functionality and look of a space; this is especially the case with minimalist kitchens, which integrate functionality into design to create something truly astonishing. In the Mayfair Mews House Project, we created a minimalist kitchen with an open feel. Minimalist designs benefit from pale colours or white, which is the tact we adopted here. The kitchen feels clean, stylish and contemporary when it’s not cluttered with objects and colours.
Black & White Contrast
By sharply contrasting black and white tones, the kitchen is imbued with a classic feeling of sophistication. Balancing the tones is a fundamental way to create a modern look, especially when infused with splashes of colour. Utilise a black and white design on the walls, cupboards, surfaces and floor, to emphasise the smaller features of the kitchen. We achieved a successful balance at the Belsize Park Penthouse Project.
Image copyright Nicholas Yarsley (Wizzwam ltd).
A Touch of Colour
A subtle suggestion of colour is all it takes to bring your kitchen to life. If you want personality and character, use muted shades for the large worktops and islands, drawing attention to colourful focal points. Small hints of colour can be added to additional fixtures, such as the lighting and decorations, to add just the right amount of personal charm. In the kitchen design at the Essex Mansion Project, we used muted greys to gently complement, rather than juxtapose, colourful highlights of green.
Speak to our luxury interior designers to transform your kitchen into something stylish, modern and creative.
5 Decisions to Make When Planning a Kitchen Island
In many homes, the kitchen is the most important room in the house. The place where the family gathers; an area in which we socialise with guests; the place where meals are shared, laughs are had and memories are made. A central feature in luxury kitchens of today, islands are fast becoming an fundamental request for interior designers when designing dream kitchens. They bring style and functionality to a kitchen, dramatically transforming the space into an area which is a pleasure to prepare, consume and even discuss food. But before you become deserted on your island – stranded with an impractical eyesore – take a long, hard think about these five key factors:
- Practically speaking, do you have space for an island?
If so, how bit should you make it? Remember, it’s easy to get carried away – short-sighted by the prospect of all that extra cooking space. Be realistic. Your island will look out of place, and your place will look smaller, if the structure is too large. Take the shape of the room into consideration to maximise the space of, and around, the island.
- Will the island be a space for socialising or just cooking?
As previously discussed, the kitchen is often an integral area in which the family congregates. Do you want your island to be incorporated into this socialising space? Or will it be reserved for the preparation of food? If you decide that there is enough space to make it a socialising feature, you will probably want to integrate a seating area into the island. This is an addition aspect of the design.
- What’s the best type of worktop for an island?
Again, don’t be short-sighted when it comes to the uses of the island. It will be used as a space to prepare food. Accordingly, the choice of worktop is an important decision to make. It may be worth opting for a surface that will not easily mark, such as stainless steel or granite.
- Will it house appliances? Do you want a sink?
It is possible to integrate appliances into islands, which saves space, looks great and often eases the cooking process. Which appliances would you appreciate in the feature? Will they integrate seamlessly? Will you hide the appliances under the worktop? These are all questions that need to be considered. This brings us onto the option of a sink. Many cooks would relish the option of installing an extra sink. Might this feature appeal to you?
- Do you want an overhead extractor?
Finally, but by no means conclusively, you might consider installing an overhead extractor above the island. This will enable it to feature a hob, or another food preparation appliance, but it may change the feel of the space. Consult with your interior designer to make the most of the option.
These five points by no means exhaust the considerations that should go into the planning phase. If you are installing an island into your kitchen, seek the help of UK interior designers, Callender Howorth. We can advise you on how best to make these decisions. In no time at all, you could transform your kitchen into your dream space with one simple feature.
Three of the Latest Kitchen Gadgets
In any home the kitchen is key. Whether you have family, or are simply an entertainer by nature, the kitchen is often the hub of the house and brings people together, combining a place to eat with a place to socialise. When creating interior designs for our clients, we focus on delivering outstanding finishes and introducing useful, ingenious tools to utilise the space and deliver optimum results.
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