British Institute of Interior Design

As a resident of Edinburgh, this client purchased two adjoining seaside cottages in the East Neuk of Fife with a view to converting and extending to create a large holiday home fit for modern family living.

The open plan kitchen space is the central hub of the home where all other areas of the house are reached from & with direct access to the beach.  The layout had to be conducive to the many thoroughfares throughout the space without looking too disjointed.  The island unit was designed in the shape of a speech mark or as some describe it like the Nike swoosh.  The gentle curved back panel follows the natural path from the entrance to the informal snug area, protecting the working areas of the kitchen from the rest of the room. 

The brief was also to create a kitchen that lent itself to the large, tranquil, light filled space with many of the kitchen appliances and functions hidden from view in an effort to retain a minimalist aesthetic.  This was achieved by stacking the Gaggenau cooking appliances on top of one another & hiding them from view behind the structural nib outside the utility room door.  To the left of the fridge freezer sits a breakfast cupboard with gull wing style doors which cleverly conceal the coffee machine, kettle, toaster & milk frother.  The flush mounted glass hob is set down on the lower level of the island out of immediate view with a Guttman retractable wave shaped down draft extractor behind.

The colours, materials & finishes were to compliment the seaside feel without looking too contrived.  The bespoke cabinetry was crafted from olive ash due to its pale colour & distinctive rippled lines.  This was finished with a white wax to create a limed, driftwood type effect which also helped differentiate it from the pale limestone floor.  Atlantic Blue limestone with it’s watery like pattern & mixture of muted bluey green tones made it an ideal choice for the countertops.  In sharp contrast the breakfast bar counter top was made from Pyro Lave which is Volcanic lava rock sourced from the Volvic region of France.  The precise colour was matched to the interior of the glazed cabinets above the sink area to retain coherency of accent throughout.  A simple Carrara marble back splash behind the sink helps to retain the feeling of light & space below the floating glazed wall cabinets above.

The conception of the project began as far back as 2007, but due to the lengthy planning process & extensive building work involved it was January 2009 before the kitchen was finally installed.