Designing a multi-function kitchen: 'Don’t be tempted to cram the walls with cupboards — the biggest luxury is some free space'

Vicki McCarthy, designer at Tom Howley, on multifunctional kitchens.

Tom Howley Hartford Kitchen.
Tom Howley Hartford Kitchen.
(Image credit: Tom Howley)

Has lockdown accelerated the move towards multi-functional kitchens?

Definitely. Spending more time at home has encouraged us to consider how our spaces can be improved, especially the kitchen, where so much of our living at home takes place.

Increasingly, the kitchen is the space for working, family dining and socialising (when we can) and for relaxing, perhaps with a sofa and television.

How do you design with several functions in mind?

Begin by identifying zones for each specific task. Protect the cook-prep zone and avoid getting it mixed up with areas for socialising or a through route, because it is not a good idea to be attempting to drain a boiling pot of pasta as children are running past.

For this reason, we are seeing a shift towards double islands in larger rooms (such as in this Hartford kitchen pictured here, from £20,000). One island can be used for cooking and prepping, the other for socialising.

What other requests do you receive?

Sometimes, we’re asked to build apertures in cabinetry to house a pet bed (no more tripping over the dog by the Aga). Power and USB sockets in islands make useful charging stations for phones and laptops; wine storage, a cocktail bar or a coffee station are also popular. Some keen bakers want a dresser with bi-fold doors to house a ready-to-use mixer, ingredients and specialist equipment.

But don’t be tempted to cram the walls with cupboards — the biggest luxury is some free space to display art, which will help the room feel less claustrophobic and more like the living space we want it to be.


Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.