This uncomplicated and uncluttered kitchen-dining room is a masterclass in simplicity and the art of allowing beautiful materials to speak for themselves
MWhen Simon and Claire, owners of this spacious house in Chelsea, embarked upon a full-scale refurbishment of their home, they wanted the best possible craftsmen for the job. It didn’t matter if these were based in Denmark, Eastern Europe or even as far afield as South America – if they were the best, they were hired. When Edinburgh’s Cameron Interiors got the call to take on the key task of creating the new kitchen, then, it barely raised an eyebrow. “The clients came to us through word-of-mouth recommendation and we were delighted to become a part of this handpicked team,” says Pauline Denholm, the firm’s design manager.
“We were determined from the outset that distance wouldn’t become an issue. Any potential problems with the logistics of managing such a detailed project from our Scottish base were overcome thanks to forward thinking and detailed planning, combined with frequent and good communication with the architect, client and onsite build team.”
As part of the £2 million top-to-bottom refurbishment (which included several structural alterations to the property such as lowering floors, raising ceilings and adding a double-height rear extension with 3.5m-high sliding doors), £100,000 had been allocated for the creation of a kitchen. This was to be a sophisticated and contemporary space with all the essential elements for practical family living but none of the fuss and clutter. “Simon and Claire wanted a pared-down environment that would blend in perfectly with a cool, calm Scandinavian aesthetic but also have a real wow factor,” says the designer.
This is just a taster, you can browse the full article with more stunning photography on pages 92-96, issue 108.
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Brief To create a dual-puropse kitchen-dining room in the lower ground floor of a London house, making it suitable both for a family with two young children and for large-scale entertaining.
Biggest challenge Working around the underfloor heating, positioning a 1,200kg island and dealing with the architects, contractors and builders employed on this whole-house project from the designer’s base in Scotland.
Budget £100,000 (£70,000 on furnishings and appliances, and the remainder for specialist craftsmanship).
Designer Cameron Interiors
Photography David Butler
Words Judy Diamond
