Matt Greaves Photography
Large classic galley open plan kitchen in West Midlands with granite worktops, an island, a built-in sink, recessed-panel cabinets, brown cabinets and white splashback.

Kitchen Architecture’s bulthaup b3 furniture in kaolin and clay laminate with olive bar and shelves.
Photo of a contemporary kitchen in Oxfordshire.

Classic kitchen in Other.

Photo of a traditional u-shaped kitchen in London with a submerged sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, wood worktops, white splashback, integrated appliances, medium hardwood flooring, a breakfast bar, brown floors and brown worktops.

The lower ground floor of the house has witnessed the greatest transformation. A series of low-ceiling rooms were knocked-together, excavated by a couple of feet, and extensions constructed to the side and rear. A large open-plan space has thus been created. The kitchen is located at one end, and overlooks an enlarged lightwell with a new stone stair accessing the front garden; the dining area is located in the centre of the space. Photographer: Nick Smith

An over-sized light pendant brings a focal point to the cooking area.
Inspiration for a large contemporary u-shaped open plan kitchen in Oxfordshire with an island, flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, wood worktops, white splashback, metro tiled splashback, stainless steel appliances, medium hardwood flooring, beige floors and beige worktops.

Teddy Edwards bespoke Silverstone kitchen range.
Inspiration for a large classic galley kitchen/diner in Oxfordshire with a submerged sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, integrated appliances and an island.

The island incorporates a wine storage unit, microwave and a combination of shallow and full-depth units, with an overhang at the end to serve as a breakfast bar

Alex Griffiths
This is an example of a traditional brick and rear extension in London with three floors and a pitched roof.

Farrow and Ball Cornforth White and London Clay compliment perfectly the natural Travertine stone floor
Photo of a country l-shaped open plan kitchen in London with a submerged sink, beaded cabinets, grey cabinets, marble worktops, brown splashback, stone slab splashback, black appliances, limestone flooring and an island.

Our brief was to create a calm, modern country kitchen that avoided cliches - and to intrinsically link to the garden. A weekend escape for a busy family who come down to escape the city, to enjoy their art collection, garden and cook together. The design springs from my neuroscience research and is based on appealing to our hard wired needs, our fundamental instincts - sociability, easy movement, art, comfort, hearth, smells, readiness for visitors, view of outdoors and a place to eat. The key design innovation was the use of soft geometry, not so much in the planning but in the three dimensionality of the furniture which grows out of the floor in an organic way. The soft geometry is in the profile of the pieces, not in their footprint. The users can stroke the furniture, lie against it and feel its softness, all of which helps the visitors to kitchen linger and chat. The fireplace is located in the middle between the cooking zone and the garden. There is plenty of room to draw up a chair and just sit around. The fold-out doors let the landscape into the space in a generous way, especially on summer days when the weather makes the indoors and outdoors come together. The sight lines from the main cooking and preparation island offer views of the garden throughout the seasons, as well as people coming into the room and those seating at the table - so it becomes a command position or what we call the sweet spot. This often results in there being a family competition to do the cooking. The woods are Canadian Maple, Australian rosewood and Eucalyptus. All appliances are Gaggenau and Fisher and Paykel.

Contemporary kitchen in London.

The design for this bespoke kitchen was inspired by the kitchen in Castle Drogo, designed by the architect Edwin Lutyens. Artichoke was involved in the design of the kitchen aswell as the interior architectural detailing of the chimney corbels and inset dish above the Aga (both details taken from other Lutyens buildings). The stone on the two islands is 30mm thick although 20mm was set into the furniture to ensure visitors are not presented with a wall of stone on entering the room. The top cabinets were inset into the wall and lacquered to colour-match the interior design, hiding them from view.

This is an example of a coastal kitchen in Devon with a submerged sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, wood worktops, stainless steel appliances, light hardwood flooring and an island.

Our client loved symmetry, balance, alignment, immaculate finish and perfect installation – the result, a really beautifully proportioned, highly detailed room of furniture that is a genuine pleasure to be in.

Photo of a rustic enclosed kitchen in Hampshire with wood worktops, white appliances and a built-in sink.

Inspiration for a small farmhouse l-shaped kitchen/diner in Devon with a belfast sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets and white appliances.

This client in East Ham wanted to maximise storage without making the room feel smaller or colder. The result is this warm taupe handleless kitchen that makes the most of the high ceilings.

Sarah Weal
Design ideas for a contemporary open plan kitchen in Sussex with an island.