Post haste
Working with original wooden posts and beams may seem restrictive at first, but they can easily be worked into a minimal design. Harvey Jones’s streamlined Linear kitchen has had an island built around the invasive column here, reducing its impact on the space. The sleek, matt units are a foil to the rough, raw texture of the wooden support, while the flowers and classic cross-back bar stools are all that hint at the country-cottage aesthetic suggested by the beams. Kitchens start from £18,000
All bar one
If your kitchen needs to be a multifunctional space, use colour as a simple, economical way to zone it. In Leicht’s Avance-FG design, available at Kitchens International, the breakfast bar is singled out by a oak barrique veneer, contrasting with the blanched cabinets and built-in appliances, ensuring that storage blends into the white walls behind, and that more sociable areas, such as the bar and co-ordinating TV unit, are brought forward – a smart solution for more compact kitchens or open plan spaces. From £15,000
Flower power
A mix of elements is at play in this kitchen, adding a new dynamic to Prestigious Textiles’ fresh Helmsley Collection fabrics, available from Rejects. Heavy-duty pieces, such as the broad wooden bench, industrial-inspired bar stools, oversized factory pendant lights and enormous flagstones, toughen up the delicate florals of the extensive stretch of curtains. Don’t let the juxtaposition be too harsh, but try instead to establish a middle ground: in this case, it’s the combination of carved and Shaker cabinetry in ivory that offers peace and quiet, referencing the period beams overhead. Helmsley Collection from Prestigious Textiles, £29.99 per metre.
Black and blue
Flooded with light from the French doors, and white from floor to ceiling, this space could become blindingly bright and clinical on sunny days. Counter that by creating definition. Crown Imperial’s Rialto kitchen makes use of a cool yet bold scheme to temper the bleached-out surroundings. A handleless island in Metallic Black offers an intense central focus, while a wall of sea-blue cabinetry in Metallic Oxygen prevents it dominating and swallowing up the space. And light is still a priority: surfaces are glossy and the chrome fixtures, appliances and dome pendant bounce the rays around, amplifying the space’s greatest asset. Kitchen furniture starts from £15,000.
Island living
Islands are usually built into the kitchen design to provide another surface for dining or preparing food, but Bulthaup’s B1 collection at Cameron Interiors shows that a large self-contained unit can serve as the bulk of the kitchen, making it a great alternative to multiple walls of cabinetry. A modest stretch of cupboards behind the island takes a back seat to the storage and cooking potential of this hefty unit, uninterrupted by dining space. The latter has been taken care of by a dining table and woven chairs, chosen to unite the seating area with the neutral honeyed wood of the cupboard doors. Kitchens from £20,000
Room to breathe
When faced with a mammoth space to fill, particularly in a converted factory building, say, kitchen cabinetry and dining areas can be lost if they are not skilfully zoned. Alno’s effort, the ceramic Alnostar Cera kitchen in smoky Concretto, plays up the room’s size rather than trying to disguise it, giving storage, food prep and living sections their own separate spaces. The spots and strip lighting underneath the blocks of grey units stop the hue and material from weighing down the space, while pockets of green bring the garden into the kitchen, taking the edge off its industrial feel. From £30,000
Over to the dark side
On their own, navy and mahogany run the risk of being dull and gloomy and sucking the life out of a light and airy kitchen. That doesn’t mean you can’t use them, though: pair with sharp whites and pale blues, as Martin Moore has done in their New Classic design, left, and watch their saturnine nature brighten considerably. The dark wood panelling and indigo island are concentrated in the centre of the kitchen, leaving the room’s lighter colours to compensate. Sandy flagstones and copper touches warm the kitchen further, as do the wooden legs of the bar stools. Kitchens start at £35,000
In neutral
Turquoise can overpower a narrow kitchen: reduce its impact with pale, natural colours. John Lewis of Hungerford’s Pure Kitchen combines Persian Green oak or walnut units with a stripped-back version in white, and interrupts the wall cupboards with open shelving. The turquoise then becomes an accent, giving the illusion of space. From £17,500
This is just a taster, you can find more trends in Homes and Interiors Scotland magazine.
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