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Kitchen Tour: Rich Colours and Smart Joinery Lift a Neutral Room
A plain kitchen is given an injection of personality with bold colours, well-thought-out storage and some beautiful art
When the couple who own this house first bought it seven or eight years ago, it had been done up by a property developer and was very neutral. That suited them for a while, as they had young children racing about and didn’t want to feel too precious about anything, but once the kids hit their teenage years, the couple began to think about personalising their home.
That’s when they got in touch with interior designer Yoko Kloeden and asked her to design, among other rooms, a stylish kitchen-diner that combined their favourite colours and made space for their art.
That’s when they got in touch with interior designer Yoko Kloeden and asked her to design, among other rooms, a stylish kitchen-diner that combined their favourite colours and made space for their art.
The dishwasher is in an interesting place – high up to the left of the ovens. “The developers had put the dishwasher in this position and the clients loved it,” Yoko says. It means there’s no bending for loading and unloading.
There’s plenty of storage in the kitchen, including a breakfast cupboard to the right of the ovens, which contains a worktop that matches the Belgian blue limestone on the cabinets. The owners also requested two bin drawers in the island to take care of rubbish and recycling.
A brass strip that runs around the units just under the worktop adds warmth, and Yoko has continued the theme with brass cabinet handles and a brass tap.
The zellige tile splashback adds a little texture to the contemporary scheme. “We needed something to soften the look,” Yoko says.
Kitchen, Elisa Cook. Handles, Armac Martin.
There’s plenty of storage in the kitchen, including a breakfast cupboard to the right of the ovens, which contains a worktop that matches the Belgian blue limestone on the cabinets. The owners also requested two bin drawers in the island to take care of rubbish and recycling.
A brass strip that runs around the units just under the worktop adds warmth, and Yoko has continued the theme with brass cabinet handles and a brass tap.
The zellige tile splashback adds a little texture to the contemporary scheme. “We needed something to soften the look,” Yoko says.
Kitchen, Elisa Cook. Handles, Armac Martin.
This artwork in the dining area, by Henrietta Stuart, holds the colours loved by the owners and helped to inspire the decoration in the room.
“The clients had a lot of contemporary art [throughout the house] that was just hung where they had a space, so they wanted to feature it properly,” Yoko explains. The pictures are hung more intentionally now, with illumination above and space to breathe.
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“The clients had a lot of contemporary art [throughout the house] that was just hung where they had a space, so they wanted to feature it properly,” Yoko explains. The pictures are hung more intentionally now, with illumination above and space to breathe.
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A beautiful live-edge wood table comfortably seats eight. “The owners asked for a bench on one side [not in shot here] and chairs on the other,” Yoko says.
Table, Konk. Pendant light, CTO Lighting.
Table, Konk. Pendant light, CTO Lighting.
There’s more of the husband’s favourite burnt orange on this side of the room.
To strengthen the connection to the garden, Yoko made the patio flush with the kitchen floor, which is engineered oak herringbone parquet. She then fitted very sleek, frameless doors and reduced the architrave around the opening.
“The doors before were very bulky wood ones with huge frames and architrave,” Yoko says, “so even though the opening was big, the owners didn’t really feel the connection [with the garden].” The new doors make much less impact.
“We also enlarged the patio a little, so there’s a usable space where the owners can sit out and entertain,” she adds. It’s covered with porcelain tiles.
She engaged garden company Lotus Design Studio to landscape the garden. “The lawn was already there, but not the top fencing nor the trees,” Yoko says. “It’s now designed to offer privacy and a leafy outlook as the plants grow.”
Doors, FGC. Coffee table, Gubi.
To strengthen the connection to the garden, Yoko made the patio flush with the kitchen floor, which is engineered oak herringbone parquet. She then fitted very sleek, frameless doors and reduced the architrave around the opening.
“The doors before were very bulky wood ones with huge frames and architrave,” Yoko says, “so even though the opening was big, the owners didn’t really feel the connection [with the garden].” The new doors make much less impact.
“We also enlarged the patio a little, so there’s a usable space where the owners can sit out and entertain,” she adds. It’s covered with porcelain tiles.
She engaged garden company Lotus Design Studio to landscape the garden. “The lawn was already there, but not the top fencing nor the trees,” Yoko says. “It’s now designed to offer privacy and a leafy outlook as the plants grow.”
Doors, FGC. Coffee table, Gubi.
The sofa was originally against the right-hand wall. “The couple were scared of having a big sofa in the middle of the room, so we created a 3D drawing so they could visualise it,” Yoko says. “They’re really happy now, as it zones the room without ruining the view.”
Freeing up the wall gave Yoko the opportunity to create a bespoke unit to hold the TV and showcase more artwork. It’s made from oak stained dark teak, and the brass handles and navy backing echo the kitchen cabinetry.
“This is the family area, so the brief was to create a place where the children can bring a few friends,” Yoko says. “We wanted the TV to be very discreet.” The cupboards currently hold some of the children’s things, but its use can change as the family grows.
Tell us…
What do you like about this redesigned kitchen-diner? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
“This is the family area, so the brief was to create a place where the children can bring a few friends,” Yoko says. “We wanted the TV to be very discreet.” The cupboards currently hold some of the children’s things, but its use can change as the family grows.
Tell us…
What do you like about this redesigned kitchen-diner? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple with teenage children
Location Wandsworth, south London
Property A four-storey Victorian terraced house
Room dimensions 7m x 6m
Interior designer Yoko Kloeden of Yoko Kloeden Design
Garden design Lotus Design Studio
Photos by Brent Darby
The couple like contemporary style and knew just what they wanted for their kitchen-diner. They had differing views on colours, but luckily their favourite shades were complementary.
“The wife was very clear from the start that she loves navy blue, but the husband likes burnt orange, so we just married the two, and they work together,” Yoko says.
The extension was already built, but the underfloor heating had broken. “The owners wanted to have a wet system fitted, so we excavated the floor,” Yoko says.
The extension design had cleverly left a tiny courtyard between the old and new parts of the house, which means the kitchen, the combined utility and cloakroom (which sits behind the bank of units seen here) and the middle reception room can all benefit from natural light.
Yoko sited the sink under the kitchen window so the owners get to look at greenery while they’re prepping food or washing up. She fitted two ceramic sinks and included a boiling-water tap, just seen here to the right of the main tap.
Cabinets painted in Royal Navy, Little Greene. HydroTap boiling water tap, Zip. Bespoke bar stools, Style Matters.