Project in focus: MAYFORD
Behind the scenes at the Blakes studio, one of the most joyful things is watching designs jump off the page and morph into life. But the thing that really unites the Blakes family is our collective pride in the fact that each and every project we design is completely different. There are no ranges. As a result, each new kitchen feels like a unique personality that we nurture then release into the world. We appreciate how grandiose and pompous this sounds, but nevertheless, if you believe as we do that the kitchen is the heart and soul of a home, it follows that the kitchen itself has a personality and soul of its very own.
If asked to describe the personality of this kitchen, we would have to say that Mayford is the life and soul of the party, ready to entertain and be seen out and about at the chicest hangouts in town. This kitchen is big and bold and unapologetically in your face. Yet, despite its contemporary appearance, this kitchen has hidden depths and somewhat unexpectedly, resides in a gorgeous traditional Victorian property in South West London.
The client came to us looking for a kitchen that would be unusual and impactful with a strong design focus.
With this brief we created a very considered design using a pallet of natural materials to create an immediate sense of luxury and drama as you walk into the space.
One such element is the ribbed island detail that is echoed on the handles of the larder and fridge doors. These proportions were carefully considered to make sure that they made sense both aesthetically and kinesthetically.
Lead designer, Magnus Neilsen, took this vertical detail one step further and incorporated a stripe into the liquid brass painted wall units, further tying the joinery together in a subtle pleasing way.
Arabescato Corchia marble worktops and backsplash were a perfect choice in this monochrome kitchen. The rich grey veining pops against the white and cream tones within the marble. When carefully sourced, the slight yellow tones that can come through offer a softening and complementary effect against the brass accents.
We love the choice of a single door oversized fridge freezer with ice maker. There is something quite opulent yet discerningly practical about opening one door rather than two to view the contents, but actually, from a design perspective, one door is a sleeker and more streamlined look. We sense we will be seeing more of this style in the future!
And we must quickly mention these iconic Gubi pendant lights. A timeless classic with the option to adjust the formation to create a new look as your mood dictates. These are just so special!
It's a bit of an indulgence, but we hope you’ll allow us a moment of self-congratulation by ending this post on a high.
We’d like to give a massive shout out to the team for making this curved detail on the ribbed island panelling look so seamless. It creates an elegantly understated balance to the strong vertical lines of the panelling, but my goodness, nailing this devilish detail was an undertaking. Well done guys; the hours screaming at the computer model and the rounds of prototypes paid off!
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