Formulating the kitchen design when the house barely had its foundations laid allowed Barry to influence the measurements and positions of key features, such as windows. ‘Getting involved with building work before it’s completed allows you to tweak the design, to help the kitchen work beautifully,’ says Barry. ‘This room is a real hub, so it’s important it works perfectly.’
It took around four weeks to install the kitchen, and the finished design is bright, open and beautifully classic. It sits within a huge room, measuring around 7m by 15m, which also contains a dining and living area. To help the kitchen confidently occupy its section of this enormous communal space, Barry designed in big features, such as a huge Aga and a vast island, but kept to a fresh palette of white and grey to help the space look light and airy. Now the kitchen is at the centre of family life. ‘It really is the heart of the home,’ says Barry.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here A family of five
Location Felsted, Essex
Size Part of a 7 x 15m open-plan room
Property A new build with six bedrooms
Designer Barry Sawyer, director of Brayer Design
Budget Approximately £50,000
Brayer Design
‘The brief for the kitchen was to create something classic and bright,’ says Barry Sawyer. ‘We went for white cabinets, a grey marble floor, which adds some warm stone colour, and stainless steel worktops on the base cabinets.’
Brayer Design
‘We kept the design of the kitchen quite minimal,’ explains Barry, ‘but the key was to have a couple of focus points.’ One is the large Aga, with a big canopy extractor above. ‘We factored this in from the early stages of the build, and that influenced the position of the windows,’ he says. They were fitted either side of the Aga, creating a symmetrical look and allowing lots of natural light to flow in.
Brayer Design
A gas hob and oven are installed to the left of the Aga. ‘They act as a backup,’ explains Barry. ‘You might want to turn the Aga off in the summer, so this is a secondary cooking option.’
Oven, Ilve.
Oven, Ilve.
Brayer Design
The large island unit is 3m long and its worktop is 1200mm deep. ‘It needed to be big to suit the dimensions of this huge room,’ says Barry. The worktop is quartzite stone, which is harder than marble but looks very similar.
Worktop, Super White Quartzite.
Worktop, Super White Quartzite.
Brayer Design
The owners’ choice of worktop was influenced by life overseas. ‘The family had lived in Australia for a few years before moving here,’ says Barry. ‘A lot of kitchens over there incorporate marble and stainless steel, so they’d got used to that look and wanted to replicate it here.’
How to choose the perfect worktop
How to choose the perfect worktop
Brayer Design
The breakfast cupboard sits on one side of the kitchen, slightly away from the busy cooking area around the Aga. It contains a double socket for a coffee machine and toaster. ‘The two cupboards that flank it contain the fridge and freezer, so the milk’s handy,’ says Barry.
The cupboard is fitted with bifold doors, which tuck away neatly when the space is in use. ‘You can be quite messy in there and then just shut the doors!’ adds Barry.
The cupboard is fitted with bifold doors, which tuck away neatly when the space is in use. ‘You can be quite messy in there and then just shut the doors!’ adds Barry.
Brayer Design
The tap in the breakfast cupboard produces boiling hot water, so there is no need for a kettle, which would eat into the space. ‘The idea is that in the morning, you open the cupboard and make tea, coffee and toast,’ says Barry.
Of course it works beautifully at other times of the day, too. ‘It’s close to the dining space and is a distinct area, so if someone’s busy cooking, you can still pop in and make a cuppa without getting in their way,’ says Barry.
Hot water tap, Quooker.
Of course it works beautifully at other times of the day, too. ‘It’s close to the dining space and is a distinct area, so if someone’s busy cooking, you can still pop in and make a cuppa without getting in their way,’ says Barry.
Hot water tap, Quooker.
Brayer Design
The two sinks fit neatly into the stainless steel worktop that runs around the border of the kitchen. ‘The owners didn’t want taps on the side, so we simply fitted two mixers, central to each sink,’ says Barry.
Brayer Design
This tall, spacious cupboard to the far left on the exterior wall contains a pantry, complete with racks for spice jars and drawers for food.
Check out the measurements to consider when planning a kitchen
Check out the measurements to consider when planning a kitchen
Brayer Design
The pantry also contains a work surface suitable for food prep, but this large cupboard is essentially designed for food storage. ‘A lot of the contents are visible, thanks to the racks, so it’s easy to find what you need,’ says Barry.
Brayer Design
The kitchen units are made from tulipwood. ‘It’s a hard wood commonly used in kitchen manufacture, but it’s quite ugly!’ says Barry. ‘This keeps costs down, but means it does need to be painted.’
Brayer Design
Although the cupboards and drawers are painted white on the exterior, the interiors are lined with walnut wood. ‘When you open a cabinet or drawer, you get a lovely warm contrast,’ says Barry.
TELL US…
What do you like about this kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you like about this kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
http://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/kitchen
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