Kitchen Design
A 1950s Kitchen Gets a Beautifully Sleek Update
Industrial materials, clean lines and handleless cabinets give an open-plan kitchen its contemporary look
With architect plans in place for an extended ground floor and a rejiggered layout, the owners of this 1950s home near Oxford, England, turned to the kitchen. “The original property was a small house that has since been completely remodeled and extended, more than doubling its size,” says Lindsay Anderson of Sustainable Kitchens. “We worked with the owners on the design of the kitchen, walk-in pantry [mudroom] and utility.”
Pale gray cabinetry, stainless steel appliances and concrete-effect quartz countertops create the slick look the owners desired.
“The flat-panel doors sit within a frame, and the handles are routed into the doors and drawers,” Anderson says. “The owners wanted a contemporary industrial look, so we painted the cabinets gray and built a stainless steel-wrapped appliance housing.”
The cabinet boxes and fronts are made of birch plywood, while the cabinet frames are solid oak.
Purbeck Stone cabinet paint: Farrow & Ball
Are Those Sleek Handleless Kitchen Cabinets for You?
“The flat-panel doors sit within a frame, and the handles are routed into the doors and drawers,” Anderson says. “The owners wanted a contemporary industrial look, so we painted the cabinets gray and built a stainless steel-wrapped appliance housing.”
The cabinet boxes and fronts are made of birch plywood, while the cabinet frames are solid oak.
Purbeck Stone cabinet paint: Farrow & Ball
Are Those Sleek Handleless Kitchen Cabinets for You?
A custom stainless steel box houses the built-in fridge and oven tower. “The appliance cube is clad in stainless steel, which always provides a few challenges,” Anderson says. “It’s a look clients love, but it can be very complicated to achieve.”
SF6372X oven and SF4390MCX combo oven-microwave: Smeg; refrigerator: Liebherr
SF6372X oven and SF4390MCX combo oven-microwave: Smeg; refrigerator: Liebherr
A central island was key to the flow and layout of the kitchen. It measures 58¼ by 52½ inches, with a breakfast bar along one side for casual dining.
“A lye finish was used on the oak interior of the breakfast bar, echoing the gray of the cabinets,” Anderson says. “White wood lye has a whitening effect and stops the orange tint of the wood [from] coming through. It’s often used to create a pale Scandinavian look.”
The countertops are an engineered quartz that has the look of concrete, but with a more durable finish.
Grigio Concreto quartz countertops: Arena Stone
“A lye finish was used on the oak interior of the breakfast bar, echoing the gray of the cabinets,” Anderson says. “White wood lye has a whitening effect and stops the orange tint of the wood [from] coming through. It’s often used to create a pale Scandinavian look.”
The countertops are an engineered quartz that has the look of concrete, but with a more durable finish.
Grigio Concreto quartz countertops: Arena Stone
In addition to drawer and cabinet storage, plus slots for trays and cutting boards, the multifunctional island is home to an extra-wide induction cooktop with stainless steel trim.
A large stainless steel range hood built in above the cooktop efficiently removes unwanted cooking odors.
EH975MV17E induction cooktop: Siemens; Stella range hood: Falmec
A large stainless steel range hood built in above the cooktop efficiently removes unwanted cooking odors.
EH975MV17E induction cooktop: Siemens; Stella range hood: Falmec
Apart from the tall appliance box, the cabinetry is kept at base level, creating a lighter, brighter feel to the kitchen.
The perimeter cabinets include storage, a sink, an integrated trash bin and a dishwasher. A built-in wine cabinet tucks into one side of the island.
“The utility room contains the freezer, washer-dryer and [water heater], while the walk-in pantry provides most of the food storage,” Anderson says. “This enabled the kitchen area to be fairly minimalist and without wall cabinets, which can sometimes close a room in.”
How to Lose Some of Your Upper Kitchen Cabinets
The perimeter cabinets include storage, a sink, an integrated trash bin and a dishwasher. A built-in wine cabinet tucks into one side of the island.
“The utility room contains the freezer, washer-dryer and [water heater], while the walk-in pantry provides most of the food storage,” Anderson says. “This enabled the kitchen area to be fairly minimalist and without wall cabinets, which can sometimes close a room in.”
How to Lose Some of Your Upper Kitchen Cabinets
Matte white subway tiles with dark grout enhance the modern industrial vibe.
Phoenix hot water dispenser in polished nickel: Perrin & Rowe
Phoenix hot water dispenser in polished nickel: Perrin & Rowe
Custom cutlery drawers in the island create a space for every last utensil.
The pocket door to the walk-in pantry pulls shut to hide the contents; when open, it triggers spotlights to illuminate the space.
The pocket door to the walk-in pantry pulls shut to hide the contents; when open, it triggers spotlights to illuminate the space.
Thanks to an addition and considerable remodeling work, the kitchen is part of an open cooking, eating and sitting space, and the island overlaps with the dining zone.
Large, dark gray ceramic tiles, warmed by underfloor heating, cover the ground-floor space.
Large, dark gray ceramic tiles, warmed by underfloor heating, cover the ground-floor space.
A low integrated sideboard (designed by the architect and built by the building contractor) links this area to the sitting room.
Bold yellow and blue seating adds cheerful color to the industrial design, while the central wood-burning stove creates a cozy ambiance in the colder months.
Bold yellow and blue seating adds cheerful color to the industrial design, while the central wood-burning stove creates a cozy ambiance in the colder months.
An entrance to the left of the sideboard leads to a mudroom and utility space, also designed by Sustainable Kitchens.
The mudroom provides additional storage, with cabinets, open shelving, a shoe nook, coat hooks and a storage bench.
“The cabinets match the kitchen units, while the [countertop] and coat rack are treated in the same white lye finish as the breakfast bar interior,” Anderson says.
“The cabinets match the kitchen units, while the [countertop] and coat rack are treated in the same white lye finish as the breakfast bar interior,” Anderson says.
Here’s an exterior photo of the house, which has four bedrooms and four bathrooms.
A plan of the ground floor shows the kitchen and pantry at the top, leading to the dining area and sitting room, with the mudroom and utility space to the right.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple with two children
Location: Witney, England
Size: 215 square feet (20 square meters)
Designers: Sustainable Kitchens and Woodfield Brady Architects
The new kitchen, in the ground-floor addition, is part of an open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting space at the front of the house. “The owners wanted a clean aesthetic with an industrial element to the design that echoed the contemporary, minimalist look of the rest of the house,” Anderson says.
The walk-in pantry hides behind the pocket door on the left. “It features oak open-drawer cabinets and exposed shelving, plus wraparound wall shelves and LED lights,” she adds.