Amelia Thorpe makes her choice of the best kitchen.
If you’re planning pushing your kitchen as far as it can go, our lists of the best interior designers in Britain and best craftspeople and builders in Britain will be invaluable — and possibly also our list of the best architects in Britain. Good luck….
Material magic
Since founding kitchen brand Smallbone some 40 years ago, Charlie Smallbone’s passion for striking design has continued apace. Now, he runs bespoke kitchen company Ledbury Studio, offering a personal approach to design and a signature combination of interesting materials.
Here, hand-painted cupboards are teamed with verre églomisé splashbacks, fluted glass door panels and a cooker hood wrapped in aged brass. Kitchen prices from £50,000.
020–7566 6794; www.ledburystudio.com
On the boil
It seems it’s not only Nigella Lawson who appreciates having boiling water on tap for cooking and making tea, given that sales of Quooker’s instant 100˚C water taps are growing by 50% per year. The Flex boiling-water tap is also equipped with a pull-out hose for hot, cold and filtered water, available in polished chrome, stainless steel and black, from £1,150.
0345 8333 555; www.quooker.co.uk
Beauty in blue
Celebrating the beauty of quiet shades, Neptune’s Chichester kitchen is shown here in Flax Blue. Kitchen prices from £8,000, with Ludlow oak stools, £375 each.
01793 934280; www.neptune.com
Sociable hub
Hand-painted in Pale Ivory with burnished brass knobs, this bespoke kitchen by Martin Moore features a gently curved island, designed so that family and friends can see each other more comfortably when sitting on the bar stools.
It also features a drop-level walnut countertop, complete with electric wine cooler and drawers that conceal charging sockets for all the family’s phones and laptops. Kitchen prices from £35,000.
0845 180 0015; www.martinmoore.com
Italian style
Officine Gullo’s impressive range cooker, the OGS 208 in white with gun-metal trim, can be seen in the new four- storey Smallbone flagship showroom, opening this spring at 197–201 Brompton Road, London, SW3. The handcrafted cooker is made in Florence, features a gas hob, electric griddle, pasta cooker and electric oven and costs £61,000.
020–7036 1632; www.officinegullo.com
High low
Adjust the height of the Conical Prismatic Glass rise and fall pendant, £245, to suit your mood. Lower the level for an intimate dinner or raise it for broader illumination, from Original BTC.
020–7351 2130; www.originalbtc.com
Top seat
Skilfully harvested hazel from Kentish woodland and English elm are used to make the Coppiced Hazel and Elm chair by Sebastian Cox. Each chair is made to order in his zero-waste, carbon-counting workshop in London and costs £880.
020–8316 5679; www.sebastiancox.co.uk
Statement look
The move towards mixed-metal finishes is highlighted in the On Tap collection, including this kitchen mixer with spray in matt nickel with wheel, ball handle and cap in brass. It costs £5,100 from Waterworks.
020–7384 4000; www.waterworks.com
Modern impact
Hand-selected oak veneer and Belgian fossil stone are combined with tinted glass panels, framed in custom metal to create the luxurious and streamlined Modernist collection from Smallbone. Designed as a modular concept, it can be used to create impact in a large-scale space or with one or two standalone pieces in a smaller room, to introduce modern elegance. Kitchen prices from £200,000.
020–7589 5998; www.smallbone.co.uk
Traditionally made
Sturdy cupboards are painted in Farrow & Ball Strong White to provide fresh contrast against a reclaimed timber work- top and original brick floor in this Suffolk cottage kitchen. British Standard by Plain English kitchens start from £8,000.
020–7870 7688; www.britishstandardcupboards.co.uk
Seats for all the family
Bespoke kitchen company ELK has launched a range of furniture pieces, including (from left to right) the Crescent Orbit chair, £1,500, Flute barstool, £1,650, and Flute chair, £1,500. Made to order by ELK’s craftsmen in Hampshire, the chairs are shown here in oak and can be made in walnut, olive, ash and other woods as you please.
01329 283123; www.elk-kitchens.com
Softly does it
Inspired by Moroccan design, these softly coloured Tangier Ivy Mix ceramic tiles posses a vintage appeal. Suitable for use on walls and floors, they cost £46.08m sq, from Mandarin Stone.
01600 715444; www.mandarinstone.com
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