Houzz Tours
Kitchen Tours
London Kitchen
Kitchen Tour: A Dark Blue City Kitchen With a Farmhouse Feel
A smart layout makes the most of an uneven floor in this cheerful, farmhouse-style kitchen
Things that seem like a challenge at first glance can often turn out to be an opportunity, which is precisely what happened when this Victorian home was extended to the rear and side. The uneven site necessitated a room on two levels, with a step leading from the original property to the new addition. Designer Eamonn Agha of Holland Street Kitchens used this seemingly awkward layout to his advantage.
To ensure the side return extension didn’t impinge on the neighbouring property, it has a pitched roof. Glazing along the slope brings plenty of light into the room.
The kitchen area is in the original building, so the ceiling here is full-height. Eamonn installed three pendant lights above the peninsula and compensated for the sloping ceiling by using a shorter flex on the right-hand side.
Bar stools, Swoon. Pendant lights, Tala.
The kitchen area is in the original building, so the ceiling here is full-height. Eamonn installed three pendant lights above the peninsula and compensated for the sloping ceiling by using a shorter flex on the right-hand side.
Bar stools, Swoon. Pendant lights, Tala.
Starting at the far end of the peninsula, there’s a dishwasher, an under-sink cabinet for cleaning products, pull-out bins, and an additional cupboard.
The base units along the wall consist of drawers for cutlery and crockery, with space for larger dishes at the bottom. “We made sure the runners were heavy duty to hold the weight of big casserole dishes,” Eamonn says.
The owners wanted a clear division between the cooking zone and the rest of the space, so the flooring is different here. “We chose these floor tiles to add some pattern,” Eamonn explains. “The colour complements the blue on the cabinets, and the tiles are easy to clean.”
Trellis Lattice floor tiles, Fired Earth. Professional Plus oven; extractor, both Rangemaster.
The base units along the wall consist of drawers for cutlery and crockery, with space for larger dishes at the bottom. “We made sure the runners were heavy duty to hold the weight of big casserole dishes,” Eamonn says.
The owners wanted a clear division between the cooking zone and the rest of the space, so the flooring is different here. “We chose these floor tiles to add some pattern,” Eamonn explains. “The colour complements the blue on the cabinets, and the tiles are easy to clean.”
Trellis Lattice floor tiles, Fired Earth. Professional Plus oven; extractor, both Rangemaster.
The couple preferred an undermounted basin to a traditional Belfast sink. “We chose a ceramic one rather than stainless-steel, as it’s more in keeping with the rest of the space,” Eamonn says.
Sink, Villeroy + Boch.
Sink, Villeroy + Boch.
A brass tap is matched by the brass plug sockets, door handles and light fittings. “The oven and extractor fan are stainless-steel, so it was important to keep everything else the same [as each other] to avoid it feeling cluttered,” Eamonn explains.
The blue cabinets are made from tulipwood and hand-painted, while the worktop is oak. “The owners didn’t want anything too funky on the wall, so we chose plain white metro tiles,” Eamonn says. “However, we laid them in a herringbone pattern to add a bit more character to the room.”
Cabinets painted in Dock Blue, Little Greene. Tap, Perrin & Rowe. Suede White wall tiles, Fired Earth. Cabinet handles, Broughtons of Leicester.
The blue cabinets are made from tulipwood and hand-painted, while the worktop is oak. “The owners didn’t want anything too funky on the wall, so we chose plain white metro tiles,” Eamonn says. “However, we laid them in a herringbone pattern to add a bit more character to the room.”
Cabinets painted in Dock Blue, Little Greene. Tap, Perrin & Rowe. Suede White wall tiles, Fired Earth. Cabinet handles, Broughtons of Leicester.
An exposed brick wall to the side of the space adds more texture and ties in with the farmhouse feel.
The couple like to cook for friends, so they were keen to incorporate a separate fridge and freezer in their kitchen. The team built a large cabinet to house these and located it to the side of the main space.
Can you guess which were 2019’s most popular kitchen tours?
The couple like to cook for friends, so they were keen to incorporate a separate fridge and freezer in their kitchen. The team built a large cabinet to house these and located it to the side of the main space.
Can you guess which were 2019’s most popular kitchen tours?
As the floor-to-ceiling fridge and freezer cabinet takes up a lot of visual space, Eamonn didn’t build the wall units right up to the ceiling. “The white walls frame the cabinets and give an airier feel,” he says.
“The owners are really pleased with the kitchen,” he adds. “The layout is neat and practical, and they can look out to the garden from the peninsula.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this dark blue kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
“The owners are really pleased with the kitchen,” he adds. “The layout is neat and practical, and they can look out to the garden from the peninsula.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this dark blue kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A newly married couple
Location South-west London
Property A Victorian house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms
Dimensions Kitchen area is approximately 5m x 4m; peninsula worktop is 3.3 x 0.9m.
Designer Eamonn Agha of Holland Street Kitchens
A typical open-plan kitchen often has the island in the centre of the space, but the owners of this extended Victorian home weren’t keen on that arrangement. “They wanted to get the most out of the kitchen, but in a fairly neat layout,” Eamonn says.
So he located the cooking zone in the corner of the space, where the original building used to end. This area is on a higher level than the extension, so Eamonn turned the height difference into a design feature by lining up the peninsula (an island butted up to the wall at one end) with the step.
“It worked out really well, as it allowed regular-height worktops in the kitchen and a taller bar area on the other side,” he says.
Are you planning a new cookspace? Find kitchen designers in your area.