This is a great example of a new family kitchen extension with character.
We thought it’d be interesting to look at the details that give this kitchen extension personality, as well as what makes this space work brilliantly for a family of five and for entertaining friends.
Family kitchen extension with character - how did we add personality to this kitchen extension?
The cabinetry was designed for country house kitchen extension near Guildford, Surrey. The original house and outbuildings have plenty of charm with a Tudor architectural influence. The house is made of classic red bricks with handsome timber framing details, the roof has multiple gables, and a large chimney adds to the quaint old-world charm of the house.
The new kitchen design needed to bring character to the internals of this architecturally charming house. It needed to be traditional in design, warm and inviting, to sit comfortably in the house; and be ready to manage busy family life.
- The colour palette: A dusty pink, timeless and soft but not neutral. Combined with a deep green on the kitchen Island, and oak inside the cupboards.
- Different textures: including a ceramic sink and wooden worktop with the beautiful natural grains of oak.
- The mouldings on the mantle: traditional and pretty.
- Shaker style doors, in-frame with brass butt hinges. Clean but timeless.
- Unusual lighting using different ceiling pendants for the Island (glass star shapes) and dining area (wooden loops pendant), with a floor lamp in the snuggest of snugs.
Family kitchen extension with character - details we included to make living as a family of five easier:
The original kitchen was pretty small for a house of this size. So the space was opened up into an open plan living space with kitchen, dining, snug. Which suits family living – creating spaces within spaces. Zoning and storage are both critical to open-plan living....
· We included a breakfast cupboard with bi-fold doors and internal plug sockets so the coffee machine and toaster are plugged in and ready for busy mornings. This cupboard is placed between the breakfast bar on the Island and the dining area so it means people can help themselves to tea and toast and sit either on the bar stools or at the table.
· The huge Aga means they can easily cook for big groups, family and friends. With three teenage children this is important.
· The breakfast bar on the Island makes the kitchen a social hub; someone can be cooking, while others perch on the stools, either helping with food prep, doing homework or just being nearby to chat. Another nice touch here is the wooden worktop on the Kitchen Island; it’s soft, warm and pretty, it makes for a lovely place to rest.
· Having an open plan dining area, so one can cook, one can prep food, one can enjoy a glass of something nice, another can work, it makes the whole space a sociable space, with enough seats and places for everyone to be together even when they’re doing different things.
· The oversized sink allows for extra big family sized roasting trays.
· Our signature floor to ceiling cabinetry maximise storage, which is often critical to kitchens working well. Extra storage, means everything can have a place, which means it's easier to keep the kitchen tidy.
· Including a pantry cupboard with spice racks means all the dry foods are together, which makes it easier to see what's running low for the food shop, and it’s more likely to inspire you to cook.
· As well as zoning the kitchen - food storage, food prep, cooking and washing up. There is also the dining area and snug.
Quartz workops around the Aga and sink were used as they look crisp, and are easy to clean. A white quartz worktop brings a modern, sleek feel, while also being a non-porous material, so it is resistant to stains. Spills can be quickly wiped away with a cloth. Easy peasy.
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