Kitchen of the Week: Traditional Shaker Kitchen in a London Townhouse
Personalized features, solid oak cabinet frames and a custom ladder system make for an elegant and highly efficient space
Cathy Rebecca
January 8, 2016
London-based freelance journalist
It almost never happens that you move into a property and are completely satisfied with the kitchen. We all have such different habits that what works for one might be inefficient for another. So when it comes to kitchen design, sometimes the only way to achieve real satisfaction is to go custom. That’s certainly what this family of four decided for its home in west London. The previous kitchen was perfectly adequate, but it just didn’t quite fit the family’s lifestyle or taste. So kitchen designer Charlie Kingham was brought in to tailor the space exactly to the new owners’ needs.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family
Location: West London
Size: 23 by 18 feet (7 by 5.5 meters)
Designer: Charlie Kingham
The previous kitchen had already been extended, but it was still rather small. “The clients wanted a larger kitchen that fully utilized the space,” designer Charlie Kingham says. “A pillar in the center of the room was also removed and a box frame put in to make it completely open-plan, so it was quite an extensive building project.”
Who lives here: A young family
Location: West London
Size: 23 by 18 feet (7 by 5.5 meters)
Designer: Charlie Kingham
The previous kitchen had already been extended, but it was still rather small. “The clients wanted a larger kitchen that fully utilized the space,” designer Charlie Kingham says. “A pillar in the center of the room was also removed and a box frame put in to make it completely open-plan, so it was quite an extensive building project.”
Everything down to the insides of the cabinets was designed with the clients’ habits in mind. “We spent a lot of time understanding the clients’ lifestyle — how much stuff they had and how they worked in their kitchen — to be able to give them what they really wanted from the space,” Kingham says.
This food cupboard, or “tea-and-toast unit,” houses the family’s jams, cereals, spices and herbs, as well as an integrated microwave, to keep everything easily accessible yet hidden from view.
The major appliances are hidden away too, with cabinets concealing the refrigerator (to the right of the food cupboard), a dishwasher and the garbage bins.
Integrated appliances: Miele.
This food cupboard, or “tea-and-toast unit,” houses the family’s jams, cereals, spices and herbs, as well as an integrated microwave, to keep everything easily accessible yet hidden from view.
The major appliances are hidden away too, with cabinets concealing the refrigerator (to the right of the food cupboard), a dishwasher and the garbage bins.
Integrated appliances: Miele.
Even the drawer configuration is custom. “The family wanted to use traditional cabinetry elements, so the drawers run on proper beech runners,” Kingham says.
All of the cabinets are hardwood and hand-painted in pale gray. The insides of the cupboards are oak. The counters are a light granite that looks almost like marble. The parquet flooring was existing, and the pendant lights were the clients’ choice.
Cabinet paint: Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball
Cabinet paint: Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball
To the right of the sink is an integrated dishwasher; to the left are integrated trash bins.
Sink: Shaker 900, Perrin & Rowe; Phoenician faucet with matching sprayer: Perrin & Rowe; hot water tap: Quooker
Sink: Shaker 900, Perrin & Rowe; Phoenician faucet with matching sprayer: Perrin & Rowe; hot water tap: Quooker
Kingham included an island to increase the sociability of the space. “It was mainly to do with the couple having small children,” he says. “We wanted to create a space where people could interact but that was also adaptable. The kids can sit up there and do homework without being shut away from the rest of the room.”
The countertop overhangs either end of the island, meaning both sides can function as seating areas if necessary. “It was all about keeping it flexible,” Kingham says, “but we wanted to locate the bar areas at the sides of the island rather than opposite the sink, as that would have obstructed the view through to the dining area.”
Although the kitchen is large, the clients still wanted to make efficient use of the space. “Most people think having a large kitchen is a godsend, but it can be just as difficult to make a large kitchen work well as a small one,” Kingham says.
A ladder system allowed the designer to install cabinets all the way to the ceiling. When not in use, the ladder can be stored in its own box to prevent it from becoming a toy for the kids. The ladder and stools were custom made in antiqued oak for a naturally aged effect.
A ladder system allowed the designer to install cabinets all the way to the ceiling. When not in use, the ladder can be stored in its own box to prevent it from becoming a toy for the kids. The ladder and stools were custom made in antiqued oak for a naturally aged effect.
The range was the clients’ request. “They wanted to make a feature of it,” Kingham says. The exhaust hood is clad in the same hand-painted hardwood as the cabinets. An antiqued mirror backsplash adds depth to the space. “Mirrored [backsplashes] are deceptive, and they don’t constantly show signs of grease in the way the grout around tiles can,” Kingham says.
Lacanche Cluny range cooker: John Lewis
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Lacanche Cluny range cooker: John Lewis
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
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White again??!! Snooze..... Wake me up when color comes back. Doesn't have to be bold and excitable color...nature offers many options that are quiet and serene.
Lovely kitchen. Can you tell me what flooring you used? Is it a natural oak or a stain and who did you use for the parquet? Thanks.