Granite 'slip'

Thought this might be of interest to people considering a wooden worktop for their kitchen. Putting a granite slip behind the sink can be a nice solution for those that would prefer not to have wood around their taps.

Also, drainer grooves in a wooden, corian or granite worktop can often look more pleasing than a sink drainer.

Ecosheet at Ecobuild

We went to the Ecobuild 2010 show at Earls Court last week. It is just around the corner from the office so as we enjoyed going last year we thought we would go again.

All our kitchens are made from timber which supplied from sustainable sources and generally considered to be environmentally friendly. However, we are always on the look out for options which are even more friendly to the environment.

Last year we found a product based on a waste bi-product from the palm industry. Although it looked good initially it was not produced in this country and had to be shipped over, also it could not be formed in sheets large enough for us to use.

This year EcoSheet were exhibiting at the show. Their product recycles mixed plastics into a plywood substitute. We use a lot of sheet materials and so liked the idea of offering a recycled product. It can be painted too. However, after talking with EcoSheet it became apparent it is early days as it is not yet usable for internal applications such as kitchens.

So we are encouraged in the way things are going but we have not yet found something that we can use for our furniture. We will just have to stick to the beauty of real wood for a little longer.

Wooden accessories - an alternative to wire mechanisms

Making the most of the internal space of your kitchen units is well worth considering.
These internal shelves on runners are a great way to access items stored in your units, without the need to guess what you have stored right at the back!

Simply pull out the shelf - a stylish and practical solution.

The scalloped handles and dovetailed joints highlight the workmanship that goes into each of our units and the thought taken over every feature.

Free Standing or Fitted

We make both free standing and fitted furniture and like the look of both.

The fitted kitchen allows us to maximise the use of the available space especially around the corners which are tricky to utilise properly with free standing units.

The usual issue with free standing furniture used in a kitchen is that, if you are being purist, then you cannot integrate appliances into the design.

We come across this problem time and time again and have come up with a hybrid between the fitted and free standing kitchen. The free standing kitchen shown in this blog post has pot cupboard either side of the range, but the sink cabinet is a more permanent structure.

Due to the plumbing, the sink cabinet has to be a static cupboard. We have made the worktop deeper so that the washing machine on the left hand side can be hidden away and on the right hand side the dishwasher is hidden. We always recommend using an integrated dishwasher as having to open furniture doors and then the dishwasher door whenever you are trying to put a tea cup away becomes a bore.

Over on the right hand side there is a gap between the sink elevation and the range cooker furniture to give the kitchen a proper free standing feel.

The framework on the free standing kitchens is larger than our fitted range giving it a chunky, permanent feel.

There are more photos of this kitchen in the gallery.

Bespoke larder interiors and accessories

We are very excited that our bespoke larders are becoming more and more popular as they add a bit of fun to our designs. You can cram a huge amount of storage into one unit with a little design imagination and skilled workmanship.

Accessories such as wooden storage racks on the back of doors and removable wooden boxes not only add to the handmade look and feel of the kitchen but are also extremely practical for storing oils, drinks, cereals, flour etc.

The owner of this particular larder was thrilled with it and sent us the following note:

‘I am so pleased with it, even though it is not in place yet. I have never had anything made for me before (except my wedding dress!) and I am so chuffed with it. I have just been sitting inside the larder with a glass of wine (it seemed sturdy enough to take my weight!) and have been admiring the woodwork.’

Made us smile!

A simple touch is to create a striking feature with different finishes for your larder interior to give a little burst of charm and excitement each time you open the doors. Another detail worth including is internal lighting.

They can be a great place to hide away seldom used microwaves too!

You can view some more larder interior layouts here.

Workshop Time Lapse

We have been making larger and larger kitchens recently which is great news. We still like making the smaller kitchens but as we set up all the kitchens before they leave the workshop the large ones are really impressive. We had two full kitchens set up last Saturday and the customers that visited seemed suitably impressed with them. Hopefully impressed with the size and also the quality!

We have been extraordinarily busy over the past couple of months and we have set up the workshop webcam to take pictures every hour. We have condensed just over two months of manufacturing into a one minute video. If only the guys could work this fast in real life but they tell me that making a good handmade kitchen takes time! Enjoy.

Wimbledon contemporary take on a traditional kitchen

This contemporary take on a traditional style kitchen has a number of functional features which add to the aesthetics of the design. The client’s subtle use of finishes and details really enhance the understated, elegance of this kitchen.

Classy little knobs with the back plate fixed diagonally and the colour choice are some examples of this.

The painted mantle and side panels create a striking, feature and the granite shelf behind the range is handy for those items you want to hand when cooking. Easy to wipe clean too, as are the tiles in the chimney area - an alternative to standard backsplashes!

In order to create more space for the dining area the units are staggered in depth which adds an element of interest to an otherwise straight, long, run.

To see the distinctive dresser included in this kitchen or to browse through some more photos click here.