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Shaped like a cartwheel, the Giotto Round Bookcase is a playful interpretation of the humble bookshelf. Made of lacquered zebrawood MDF, its sloping shelves can be adorned with favourite books or CDs. Italian interior designer Villa Home adapts techniques used by its sister company Villa Drums, incorporating bentwood in the design of their contemporary furniture and home accessories.
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Anastasia Heywood Interior Design Matt white units Enduringly popular, easy to redecorate around and pleasing to potential future house buyers, white kitchens are a safe choice. So, what’s the benefit of matt over gloss? Well, matt is subtler, (very slightly) easier to keep looking clean, and a touch less likely to date than gloss.
x and match two-tone units The dining furniture in this part-glossy, part-matt kitchen is as modern as the cabinetry, which suits it just fine. Why does this room hit the right note? The chairs are upholstered rather than hard-edged and shiny, which chimes with the matt peninsula cabinetry. The contrasting matt finish on these units is also a pleasing foil for the shine of the rest of the units, providing solid colour where the wall cupboards also add reflection and bounce light around. The muted tones of the palette also contribute to an overall softness in this kitchen.
An organised undersink cupboard It’s not only cooking items we store in the kitchen, of course. Cleaning products are another essential, and we usually tuck them away under the sink. The back of the low cabinet tends to be hard to access, which often leads to a mass of half-used cleaning products lurking at the rear. This dream solution avoids that, as the pull-out wire racks and door-hung shelves make it easy to grab products and put them back. The brilliantly useful tilt-out drawer at the top, meanwhile, is perfect for washing-up brushes and sponges.
cosy corner While some homeowners like to conceal their storage, others prefer theirs on show. Not convinced? Check out this beautiful pantry corner for an idea of how to do open storage in style. The key is to choose jars, baskets and tins that look visually pleasing, and display them in a uniform pattern. This dream space is made even more gorgeous by the cosy undershelf lighting and the wooden-fronted drawers, which differentiate them from the rest of the room.
Slots for awkward items Anyone who bakes will probably add a place for bun tins and chopping boards to their list of dream storage solutions. This cupboard ticks that box perfectly. By dividing the cabinet into four sections, the kitchen designers have created distinct areas to store items upright. The smaller areas allow the trays and boards to sit vertically without falling over, and each one can be removed easily without disturbing neighbouring items.
A pan-tastic insert If you have room to stack your pans with their lids on top, you might not appreciate this one. But if you’re constantly balancing pan lids in a precarious pile on a shelf, feast your eyes on the simple solution inside this drawer. A single piece of wood is enough to divide the pan drawer into one area for cooking vessels and another for lids.
A splendidly tidy tech drawer Has your streamlined kitchen worktop been taken over by a tangle of cables, phones and tablets? The ideal solution for storing and charging your devices might be one of these bespoke drawers. A tray at the top has enough cut-out inserts for all the household’s phones and tablets to be neatly stored away to charge. Holes in the top tray lead the cables to a charging point in the drawer cavity below. Ingenious.
uck-away tablet storage Many of us find our recipes online nowadays, and consequently spend much of our cooking time moving our tablets around the worktop to avoid splashes. The dream? A dedicated spot. This pop-up tablet niche is the perfect solution. The vertical dock slots into the island and rises up to keep the screen on show, without taking up space on the worksurface.
A double-whammy drawer OK, so not all of us have two sets of cutlery, but this idea could be adapted for other utensils. The goal here is to make use of all vertical space in a drawer by adding an extra layer. The kitchen designers have custom-made two wooden cutlery shelves, with a lip that allows the top one to slide back and lift out. A magnetic front panel keeps the shelf in place when it’s fully forwards.
A picture-perfect pantry When someone mentions ‘dream kitchen storage’, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Pantry cupboard? It’s certainly something a lot of us would love in our kitchens, and if we’re going for our dream model, we might as well fit everything in. This one has plenty of clever ideas to steal, including neat, door-mounted racks for spices and small ingredients, and enough shelving for larger items. The breakfast station at worktop level features plug sockets for a toaster, coffee-maker and kettle, and there are beautifully labelled drawers below for easy-access essentials. What else? A useful space for a microwave oven to keep it off the worktop and out of sight completes the set-up.
Hide your treasures If it’s not possible to build a recessed cupboard, you can still make a shallow storage cabinet on a spare wall. This simple design has been created with a timber frame, which is just deep enough for some necklace hooks. A gold mirror has been attached to one side with a hinge, creating a secret opening and a fun storage solution.
J Korsbon Designs Insert a recessed cupboard As jewellery items are fairly small, you can store them in a relatively shallow cupboard. Make the most of an area of unused wall by hiring a carpenter to build a recessed storage cabinet. This one has hooks for necklaces and sloped shelves for smaller pieces. There’s even a mirror in the door to make it easy to check your reflection.
colour tones. Contemporary Kitchen by Copper by Design Copper by Design Coat it in copper The earthy tones of copper have been at home in our interiors for a while. Its antibacterial properties make it perfect for a kitchen, particularly as a splashback. Go for a smooth, gleaming finish, or a patinated version like the one used here. A copper surface adds texture to walls and its beauty will intensify with age. Want to add a metallic touch to your kitchen? Check out these clever ways to mix metals
MATT architecture LLP Mix things up Rather than ditching tiles altogether, mix things up by adding another material to the wall above a sink or cooker. Here, plain square tiles have been broken up with a rectangle of marble above the basin. The marble adds a luxurious touch and helps to showcase the sink and tap. To keep the look cohesive, the tiles and marble share similar colour tones.
Give it some steel For a sleek, sophisticated look, add some steel to your kitchen walls. In this chic cookspace, the gleaming stainless steel worksurface continues vertically as a splashback. The brushed texture is smooth rather than glaring, but the reflective finish still lifts the room. Planning a new kitchen? Search for designers and fitters in your area
Reflect a little Mirrors are great for creating a feeling of light and space, and the wipeable surface is perfect for a kitchen. If you prefer a more muted finish than a standard mirror, choose antiqued glass for your splashback. This wall of patinated glass brightens up the kitchen, while the dappled texture gives it a softer feel.
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Copper has become really popular since we introduced it in our Sebastian Cox Kitchen [see next photo] a couple of years ago,” Helen says. “It appeals to people who like their interiors to have a natural feel and a unique look. “It has a beauty that changes over time: the more you use it, the more its colour deepens and becomes almost a work of art. It also has a lovely tactile quality and understated elegance that makes it very appealing to those who want something a little different but not showy.” “We’ve had lots of interest,” Dominic says. “That and Carrara marble are the current favourites.”
It’s a little like Carrara marble,” Helen agrees. “You have to embrace the imperfections over time and it will reward you with a beautiful patina, a tactile finish and a touch of luxury. “They’re pretty hardwearing and tough as worktops go, and are usually just one part of the whole kitchen, maybe on an island,” she adds. “Copper does scratch and can dent if knocked hard, but, as with all natural materials, there are compromises and benefits.”
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A cosy nature rattan curved back armchair. Bringing a rustic expression of timeless style into your home, Coon armchair by House Doctor is hand woven in a fine rattan on a robust and steady metal frame, creating a gentle curve at the back and sides. Combine the chair with the Coon sofa from the same collection.
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