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Room Tour: Contemporary Materials Transform an Open-plan Layout
A kitchen in birch ply and Valchromat with matching storage in the living space integrated this extension beautifully
Building out at the back gained the couple who own this period home the extra room they were after. But with the resulting open-plan layout now running throughout the ground floor of their semi, the next goal was to furnish the space to create continuity. Key to the brief for designer Ross Girdler were a bespoke kitchen and sleek, modern materials.
When the project began, the steel for the opening between the hall and the new room was already in place, and the couple had already laid a modern, microscreed floor, which has the look of polished concrete.
The kitchen cabinetry was designed using grey Valchromat (coloured wood-fibre panels) and birch ply. “The borders tie it in with the hardware that was already there,” Ross says.
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Opting for a mixture of handleless cabinet doors and drawers with finger pulls kept the look of the new room streamlined. There are cupboards under the sink, but much of the storage is in the sleek drawers. “They’re user-friendly,” Ross says.
The view from the living area to the garden was kept open, with the breakfast bar dividing the two zones without blocking sightlines. “You can be part of both rooms sitting here,” Ross says.
On the opposite side of the kitchen to the breakfast bar, a blackboard and shelving, together with the side of the fridge-freezer, create an area for the children to enjoy.
The view from the living area to the garden was kept open, with the breakfast bar dividing the two zones without blocking sightlines. “You can be part of both rooms sitting here,” Ross says.
On the opposite side of the kitchen to the breakfast bar, a blackboard and shelving, together with the side of the fridge-freezer, create an area for the children to enjoy.
The breakfast bar was designed using ash, which echoes the pale tones of the birch ply cabinetry. It’s supported by a stand in Corten steel with a rusted finish, which gives the open-plan space an industrial twist.
The bar stools continue the light wood and metal details of the room.
The bar stools continue the light wood and metal details of the room.
The wall cabinetry and shelving either side of the extractor fan has a symmetrical layout that maintains the crisp lines of the kitchen design.
The wall-hung units, designed for tableware, have transparent, reeded glass doors that allow the full width of the room to be seen. “It’s a lean-to roof, and if the wall was boxed off, the space would have felt enclosed,” Ross says.
See more ways to use reeded glass.
The wall-hung units, designed for tableware, have transparent, reeded glass doors that allow the full width of the room to be seen. “It’s a lean-to roof, and if the wall was boxed off, the space would have felt enclosed,” Ross says.
See more ways to use reeded glass.
Open shelving leaves crockery and dry ingredients easy to grab. The shelves are mounted on metal brackets that extend the room’s industrial details and are made from ply to match the cabinets.
The homeowners chose a white granite for the worktop, which, along with the other pale and reflective surfaces, keeps the kitchen feeling light-filled and expansive.
They opted for a simple upstand at the back. “It maximises the feeling of height,” Ross says. “A splashback would have been too imposing.”
Find the best worktop material for your kitchen style.
They opted for a simple upstand at the back. “It maximises the feeling of height,” Ross says. “A splashback would have been too imposing.”
Find the best worktop material for your kitchen style.
Sliding doors lead from the garden into the kitchen and the framing finds its echo in the design of the cabinets.
An undermounted sink and drainer grooves routed into the worktop keep the look uncluttered and contemporary.
Ross designed shelving for the living area in the same materials as the kitchen to give the separate zones a pulled-together feel.
“The owners wanted to make this a feature wall to give the room character, but they needed functionality as well,” he says.
Accommodating both books and decorative pieces, they can be adapted as needs change. “It’s modular – you can take shelves away or add them,” Ross explains.
“The owners wanted to make this a feature wall to give the room character, but they needed functionality as well,” he says.
Accommodating both books and decorative pieces, they can be adapted as needs change. “It’s modular – you can take shelves away or add them,” Ross explains.
The open shelves are teamed with cabinetry alongside and below. Rather than go for floating shelves, Ross opted for metal fixings that act as a link to the base cabinets, so all of the storage looks like a single feature. The metal poles also repeat the strong vertical lines of the cabinetry design.
Just like in the kitchen area, the mix of birch ply and Valchromat surfaces creates strong lines and a clean, minimalist effect, while metal brings in industrial contrast.
Tell us…
What do you like about the materials mix in this open-plan space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Tell us…
What do you like about the materials mix in this open-plan space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A couple and their two children
Location Bristol
Property A semi-detached Georgian house
Room dimensions Around 42 sq m
Designer Ross Girdler of Integrate Design and Build
Photos by Neil Speakman of Maple Photo
The new extension was destined to be the home of a bespoke kitchen open to the living area. “It needed to have a contemporary theme,” Ross says. Also vital was continuity of materials across the zones within the new open-plan layout.