Pluck

Here is a sneak peek of recently photographed kitchens which will soon be featured in interiors magazines. (We hold off sharing the whole project until it has been published in the press.)

This soulful kitchen is the vision of a creative couple who have spent years collecting antiques, curiosities and other furniture from flea markets, online auction sites and even the odd skip. Kate Benton, make-up designer for film and TV, and her husband Jim, founder of Graticule Antiques, asked us to create a kitchen for their Edwardian home that didn’t feel too fitted or kitchen-y. We designed a room where our cabinetry does not dominate,  leaving space for other furniture, with soft materials and colours that harmonise with the whole scheme. Working with the shape of the room, we used an L-shaped layout, says Kate ‘The pluck kitchen is so well crafted and so simple and their plan was by far the best one that I was instantly sold.’ The different door finishes – Elm wood and Brockwell Moss – add to the sense of this not feeling like a traditional fitted kitchen and the green brings an earthy warmth to the darkest corner of the room.⁠ Elsewhere Kate introduced warm textures with a Corian worktop and splashback that has hazelnut swirls running through it. The walls are a chalk wash from Craig and Rose and have a delicious raw plaster look. A vintage typesetting table serves as an island. This kitchen is a celebration of old and new, uniting antiques with modern design and materials. When interviewed by Livingetc magazine Kate explained “Old pieces can complement current styles…It’s easy to mix the wonderful products made in the past with the new, tipping our hat to our history while sustaining the future” – a mantra we adore.
Photographer: Rachael Smith

There is soft pink, bold blue and punchy yellow in this playful family kitchen. Set in a house nestled on the edge of Epping Forest, it’s not just the colour scheme that brings a cheeky sense of fun, a double height ceiling over the dining table is a confident, dramatic statement too – signifiers that our clients wanted to create a space that stops you in your tracks. MW Architects worked their magic on the design (interior and architectural), disjointed rooms were connected and a close link between the kitchen and beautiful garden was forged. The footprint of the kitchen is actually fairly compact, but we managed to incorporate lots of storage with a wall of cupboards that arch over a doorway, utilising a wall that otherwise would be empty.  Elsewhere, a peninsula provides more work surface and enables people in the kitchen to face the dining room whilst prepping meals. Fluted glass cabinets give light wall storage and sit next to open shelves, a place to both store and display ceramics. MW Architects say ‘The project celebrates colour and fun as part of everyday living so a turquoise vinyl floor became one of the main features of the space, alongside our client’s pink kitchen of dreams from Pluck. This was paired with bespoke, handcrafted joinery, metal balustrades and a custom made terrazzo worktop from Resilica, which contains shades of turquoise, pink and amber recycled glass to match the overall colour palette’. This renovation they say ‘brings more joy to family living’, a wonderful achievement, we are delighted to have been part of!
Photographer: French + Tye 

This kitchen combines a cosy cottage style with contemporary design and despite being recently renovated, the space has the warmth of a well used and loved room, thanks to the carefully considered choices throughout. Our client was replacing her 40 year old kitchen and wanted to be bold with colour and pattern, whilst also keeping a traditional feel to the room. This creative individual who is an art lover, and a keen knitter and baker, pondered the providence of all she purchased for the project, with an emphasis on sustainability and sourcing from local companies and British designers. This room is long and narrow, so a challenge was to include the best possible storage without the space feeling hemmed in by cabinetry. We designed bespoke pieces, including a large plate rack and corner cupboard for linen and cooking kit. The checkerboard flooring has cool hues and it’s just what the scheme needs to balance the softness of the Ruskin Blossom cabinetry and floral House of Hackney wallpaper.  It’s not just the hues, the punchy geometric pattern of the floor contrasts with the busy organic floral shapes of the wallpaper. Meanwhile the recycled glass terrazzo by Resilica adds a fun speckle. Speaking to House Beautiful magazine about her kitchen’s renovation, our client said “It’s just a pleasure to be in here…when I walk into the kitchen, I smile” – a comment that has us smiling too!
Photographer: Malcolm Menzies