Kitchen of the Week: Petite Perfection in a London Family Home

Kitchen of the Week: Petite Perfection in a London Family Home- If you think kitchen design stops and starts in the kitchen, think again. When Paul Brivati of Kitchen Architecture was asked to design the kitchen for this terraced house near Richmond, he soon became involved in rethinking the entire ground floor. ‘There are four bedrooms upstairs, but downstairs was not that great,’ he explains. ‘It was cramped and didn’t flow well. We wanted to give the owners and their two children more of an open, family home by extending out to create a kitchen and dining room that lead into the garden.’

Paul cast his design eye over the garden and into the hallway, too, where he and his team recommended moving a wall and installing sleek storage to help the entrance flow into the house. This attention to the overall space means the finished kitchen is not simply a beautiful room, sitting at the back of the house, but is fully integrated into a connected, flowing and family-friendly ground floor.

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here A couple (he is a designer; she is a personal trainer) and their two children.
Location East Sheen, London
Size 5.5m x 3.4m
Designer Paul Brivati of Kitchen Architecture

bulthaup by Kitchen Architecture

A contemporary extension at the back of the house is home to the kitchen. ‘It’s a small space, but not tiny,’ explains Paul Brivati. ‘From the end of the island to the doors measures 1100mm. We could have made the island bigger and had less than a 900mm gap between the two, but there was no need. The room is big enough for a really generous island, with ample floor space, too.’


Read expert advice on how to plan a rear extension

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The kitchen has a softly Scandi feel. ‘We specified the whitewashed oak flooring and then fitted an island in a clay colour and wall units in a pale, chalky shade,’ says Paul.

Island in Clay laminate and units in Kaolin laminate, all the Bulthaup b3 range, Kitchen Architecture. Oak flooring, AH Peck Flooring Contractors.

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A walnut table and bench give neat structure to the dining area. ‘Using a bench allows you to push the table in closer to the wall, to create more flowing space,’ says Paul. ‘You can comfortably sit six people at the table and still walk past it.’

Bulthaup walnut table and bench, Kitchen Architecture. CH20 Elbow chairs by Hans J Wegner, available from Aram.

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The ceiling height in the kitchen is 2400mm, but Paul deliberately designed the cupboards to extend to a height of only 2180mm. ‘In a small room like this, if you plan right up to the ceiling, it brings the whole space in and makes it feel smaller,’ he explains. ‘Leaving some wall visible above the units makes the room feel a little bit wider.’

Measurements to consider when planning your kitchen

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The side of the island that faces the oven contains drawers for pans, utensils and other kit. ‘It’s the working side of the kitchen,’ says Paul, ‘and allows you to face the table while you cook, so it’s sociable.’ The island worktop is made from Silestone and is 10mm thick. ‘The chopping board has a lip on it that’s also 10mm thick,’ says Paul. ‘You can push the board against the worktop and it fits snugly, so it’s easy to use, but you can also still open the drawers.’

Worktop, Unsui Silestone. Bulthaup chopping board, Kitchen Architecture.

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The island is the chief work space in the kitchen, but it also provides lots of storage. On the dining side, sleek handleless cupboards hold glassware and china. Rather than a chunky gas hob, a state-of-the-art induction hob is fitted flush into the worktop. ‘You can slide the chopping board over it and work there. It means the hob becomes part of one big work space,’ says Paul.

Hob and oven, Gaggenau. Bulthaup extractor fan, Kitchen Architecture.

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To keep the wall of units looking neat and unobtrusive, Paul used the same chalky-toned laminate that the units are made of for the splashback and worktop. A door between the island and units slides across to reveal a utility room, with washing machine, larder storage and small appliances, including the kettle and toaster.

Bulthaup taps, Kitchen Architecture.

bulthaup by Kitchen Architecture

By positioning the kitchen and dining space in the new extension, the rest of the ground floor could be devoted to reception space. Wide openings ensure this whole area flows and feels connected, and oak flooring throughout provides cohesion.

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