Kitchen Design
An Unusual Countertop Is at the Center of This Bright Kitchen
Hand-poured terrazzo pairs well with wood cabinets in this kitchen and dining area designed for entertaining
The ground floor of this London home was dark and dingy when the homeowners moved in, and although they managed to do a great job of renovating the rest of the house, this floor was proving tricky. To help them, they called in Stephen Nash of All & Nxthing, who opened up the three existing rooms and added some surprising finishes to create a bright, inviting space for the couple and their friends to enjoy.
A huge island offers plenty of room for food preparation and is a place where guests can perch while chatting to the hosts.
Nash was keen to use a substantial material for the countertops, but gray concrete would have been too dull in the space. Instead, he went for a bold terrazzo and chose a playful white with colored stones to keep it as bright as possible.
The countertops were hand-poured on-site. “The island is double-braced inside to ensure it can hold the heavy surface,” he says.
Bar stools: Rockett St. George; steel-framed doors: Fabco Sanctuary
Nash was keen to use a substantial material for the countertops, but gray concrete would have been too dull in the space. Instead, he went for a bold terrazzo and chose a playful white with colored stones to keep it as bright as possible.
The countertops were hand-poured on-site. “The island is double-braced inside to ensure it can hold the heavy surface,” he says.
Bar stools: Rockett St. George; steel-framed doors: Fabco Sanctuary
The cabinetry was custom made with rough-sawn oak, and most of the doors feature simple finger pulls; a high cupboard above the fridge and the dishwasher are the exceptions; both have sturdy brass bar handles instead.
At the end of the island, brass rods hold oak shelves in place. “The owners were keen to have most of their things tidied away,” Nash says. “This bookshelf provided an opportunity to give them an open display area.”
At the end of the island, brass rods hold oak shelves in place. “The owners were keen to have most of their things tidied away,” Nash says. “This bookshelf provided an opportunity to give them an open display area.”
A porcelain farmhouse sink with an aged-brass faucet is located in the island. “This was the best place for it to go, as it would have been a tight squeeze along the wall,” Nash says. “It’s also a nice feature on the island.”
A hard-wearing micro-cement floor was skimmed over underfloor heating and adds another light, textured surface to the room.
A hard-wearing micro-cement floor was skimmed over underfloor heating and adds another light, textured surface to the room.
The range was the first thing to be positioned in the space, and it fits perfectly into the chimney recess. “The rest of the kitchen fell into place around it,” Nash says.
Pale blue tiles form a practical backsplash behind the stove, while the rest of the walls have been painted crisp white. To add a contrast to the natural wood units, Nash chose a dark blue stain for the base cabinets.
Backsplash tiles: Fired Earth, base cabinet stain: Railings, Farrow & Ball; wall paint: Brilliant White, Dulux
Pale blue tiles form a practical backsplash behind the stove, while the rest of the walls have been painted crisp white. To add a contrast to the natural wood units, Nash chose a dark blue stain for the base cabinets.
Backsplash tiles: Fired Earth, base cabinet stain: Railings, Farrow & Ball; wall paint: Brilliant White, Dulux
Spotlights combine with enamel pendants above the island and one large ceiling light above the dining table to provide lighting in the space.
The island faces the staircase, which was refurbished with new balustrades and an oak banister. Stephen used the space below the stairs by dividing it into cupboards.
The tallest two cupboards form a pantry with plenty of room for all the couple’s dry goods. Alongside these are two shorter cupboards for shoes.
To the right of the under-stairs pantry is a mini hallway, with a powder room to one side, that leads to a utility area with a washing machine, dryer and storage.
“We located everything in the utility room to either side to keep the view clear from the kitchen to the garden,” Nash says. “A pocket door stays open, so there’s constant light coming in from the steel-framed door at the back.”
Wall paint: Sulking Room Pink, Farrow & Ball
“We located everything in the utility room to either side to keep the view clear from the kitchen to the garden,” Nash says. “A pocket door stays open, so there’s constant light coming in from the steel-framed door at the back.”
Wall paint: Sulking Room Pink, Farrow & Ball
The dining area is positioned at the front of the house, next to a bay window. “We kept this area quite simple, as there’s so much going on in the kitchen,” Nash says. “The vintage Ercol dining table and chairs seat eight people.”
The fireplace doesn’t work, but Stephen opened it up and painted the exposed brick to turn it into a feature.
“It was a great project to work on,” Nash says. “The owners were married a week after it was finished, so when they got back from their honeymoon, they could immediately enjoy their new space.”
“It was a great project to work on,” Nash says. “The owners were married a week after it was finished, so when they got back from their honeymoon, they could immediately enjoy their new space.”
Location: A three-bedroom Victorian terraced house in Hackney, London
Room size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters)
Designer: Stephen Nash of All & Nxthing
The kitchen was originally on the second floor of the three-level Victorian row house, but it made sense to move it to the ground floor, where there’s immediate access to the garden.
To create a large, open-plan kitchen-dining area, Nash knocked through the walls that divided the floor’s three rooms, installing structural support with a steel beam.
“I kept the steel exposed, as I think it’s nice to show the bones of a property and highlight how it’s been constructed,” Nash says.
Steel-framed doors lead out to the garden and help bring light into the space.