Project in focus: LILLESHALL
This kitchen holds a special place in my heart. It embodies much of what I had hoped to achieve for Blakes London when I set the business up back in 2012; more about that later.
I first met this lovely couple in 2014 when I designed them a kitchen that was ahead of its time. Back when dark blue shaker kitchens were hitting their stride as the must-have colour for kitchen cabinetry, this couple were bold enough to share my vision in venturing away from blue, signing-off on an olive green coloured kitchen. It doesn’t take an interiors virtuoso to know how much of a trend both olive kitchens and timber boards have become.
When I was asked if I would be willing to view a potential new house with them, well let’s just say it didn’t take much persuading!
As one might expect from a pair of art dealing professionals, this new kitchen replicates the success of their first Blakes kitchen, hitting the sweet spot of a number of different upcoming trends.
Understated, muted, with a touch of glamour this kitchen is a mature evolution of a number of our most loved designs.
The real show stopper in this space is the central island. Clad in Paonazzo marble this stone which was chosen for its depth of colour and deep veining. A perfect complement to the existing concrete floor within the property.
To give his kitchen a contemporary feel we simplified the styling by removing the recessed shaker detailing from the drawers entirely, giving it a fresh feel.
The cabinetry was painted in a soft grey called Oak Apple from Fired Earth which compliments the oak internals and feature drawers. Adding chunky brass handles elevated the look further.
I’ve been asked why we chose to include a pull-out larder into the scheme. It’s a fair question as it’s not something we do often given the practicalities, weight and usability of such a unit. More often then not they can look somewhat dated and the common mechanisms bought off the high street just break! But In this case, it was worth doing in order to balance the oven stack with the bulk of the oversized integrated Sub Zero fridge that sits on the other end of the hob run. In tight London terraces such as these, every cm of space needs to be maximised. Rather than have a thin space left over we created this slimline larder which the client finds incredibly practical.
In order to give this lower ground floor kitchen a light, airy and less corridor-like feeling, it was important that the cabinetry didn’t sit too heavily within the space. For this reason, we decided to limit the number of over head wall units and instead connected the space between the tall units with an objet shelf. If there’s ever a client that can make an objet shelf work, it would be an art dealer after all.
A large extractor above the shelf would have ruined the elegant look of this kitchen, so we fitted a Bora Classic, gas and Teppanyaki hob which uses state of the art downdraft extraction technology.
Our signature rough sawn timber boards were used on the island run to add warmth and texture to the scheme.
The client was keen to have a pull-out tap as well as a Zip tap for filtered, sparking and hot water. In order that these taps sat harmoniously side by side, we custom finished them in an urban brass colour to complement the scheme.
For me, this project is a perfect example of the journey that designer and client go on together when looking to achieve a special space. As trite as it sounds, it represents the trust, the faith, the vision and ultimately the relationship that forms when a unique design is crafted and brought to fruition. It was the value that I placed on the importance of this journey within the design process that made feel the need to start my own business. A business that prides itself on clients becoming part of the Blakes family by the time the project is delivered.
Suffice to say, when your American client is kind enough to open up their home to your photographer the morning after celebrating thanksgiving, you know they have become a part of the Blakes family.
