The Ben Heath bespoke window seat has been painted in a colour to compliment the blinds and to distinguish it from the kitchen cabinets although the design is the same. The dresser to the left has an oak oiled top with oak door fittings to provide extra storage space - maximising the use of walls in the small kitchen/diner. Photos by James Wilson at Jaw Designs Edited at Ben Heath

View of Hidden Kitchen Sink & Picture Window To Download the Brochure For E2 Architecture and Interiors’ Award Winning Project The Pavilion Eco House, Blackheath Please Paste the Link Below Into Your Browser http://www.e2architecture.com/downloads/ Winner of the Evening Standard's New Homes Eco + Living Award 2015 and Voted the UK's Top Eco Home in the Guardian online 2014.

Design ideas for a small rural l-shaped kitchen/diner in Auckland with a belfast sink, beaded cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, metro tiled splashback, no island, multi-coloured floors and white appliances.

High-Tech Nobilia Kitchen in Horsham, West Sussex In one of our most forward-thinking projects to date, designer George Harvey has designed a vibrant and technologic kitchen space that incorporates useful innovations for this local Horsham client. Like many who visit our showrooms, this client was blown away with new technologies that can be incorporated into a kitchen space. Eventually this client’s wish of an advanced kitchen space became a reality through clever design and a bit of help from our expert installation team. As with many of our projects this kitchen makes the most of our complete installation service, opting to fill an original doorway and create a new access off the main hall whilst widening the original hall space at the same time. The main run of units features wall units, base units and full-height units to house cooking appliances, storage and sink facilities as well as decorative shelving. A key element of this projected is tailored to the now common work from home option, with a versatile peninsula island vital to the final functioning of this space – the added option of bar seating and a large volume of storage helps to achieve this project brief. The result of this ancillary and building work is a spacious kitchen which flows nicely through to a sunny family room to the rear of the property that functions perfectly for the client. Kitchen Furniture Furniture from our German supplier Nobilia’s Touch range has been used throughout this kitchen and provides a subtle silky texture. Touch furniture uses bevelled corners for a premium feel. The fact that the range itself is available in several colour options has contributed to it being one of our most popular Nobilia kitchen ranges. For this project Touch furniture has been used in the contemporary Satin Grey finish, this neutral colour choice allows accents like the glass bright blue splashback to bring vast vibrancy to the kitchen. Across the main run and island, a huge amount of storage has been incorporated, while a reduced depth sideboard style run enhances storage and worktop space further. The furniture choice has also been based around the key them of this kitchen: technology, with the handless furniture option allowing for ultra-modern LED strip lighting to be integrated in the handle wells on the island and sideboard storage. Kitchen Appliances The appliances used for this project are what really makes such a state-of-the-art kitchen. Appliances like Neff’s Slide & Hide oven are commonplace in many of our installations. This kitchen though makes use of their high-specification N90 model. Incorporating an integrated cleaning system, baking and roast assistant and Home Connect capabilities to allow control through a device or smart speaker. To accompany, a N90 combination microwave also features in this kitchen which also harnesses Home Connect capabilities as well as integrated cleaning. This combination microwave also gives the client a flexible cooking option with the appliances doubling as another oven as required. An undermounted Neff fridge gives extra cold storage in addition to this client’s own appliances. Sitting on the main run is another ultra-modern appliance, a Bora Pure venting hob. This appliance was specified by the client to increase storage space, as due to an integrated ventilation system, no extractor hood is required. Minimalistic design and a low installation height mean this appliance is integrated seamlessly into the worktops with plenty of room for cutlery and pan drawers beneath. The Bora Pure also boasts four oversized cooking zones, that use instant induction power for efficient cooking whilst a low volume extractor removes all odour and steam. Kitchen Accessories To continue the ultra-modern theme of this kitchen, a Quooker Flex boiling tap has been included which includes a pull-out nozzle and for this project a new Cube tank has been included as well. The Quooker Cube tank incorporates refreshing sparkling and filtered chilled water in addition to cold, hot and boiling water – which come as standard with any Quooker tank. The Quooker is set above an undermounted Blanco sink which in itself continues this kitchen aesthetic with a contemporary white finish. To further the futuristic dynamic George has included fantastic lighting, with well-placed LED spotlights underneath wall units and LED strip lighting under handleless rails on the island and sideboard area. This lighting not only continues the theme of the kitchen, with spotlights highlighting the of quartz worktops and vibrant blue splashback on the main run. As part of this installation Karndean flooring has also been installed across the kitchen area, with the Rose Washed Oak finish used throughout the space from the popular Knight Tile range. Our Kitchen Design & Installation Service As with most of our installations this client has taken the opportunity to completely redesign their kitchen using our complete installation service. For this project our installation team moved and created a doorway, as well as undertaking all structural work. The final result is a kitchen that is perfectly equipped for the future thanks to a new flowing layout and innovative kitchen design and appliances. If you’re looking to overhaul your kitchen space, then talk to one of our experienced designers about your project. Arrange a free consultation by calling a showroom or via our website.

Olivier Chabaud
Inspiration for a small contemporary grey and white l-shaped open plan kitchen in Paris with flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, wood worktops, a submerged sink, dark hardwood flooring, no island, brown floors, brown worktops and exposed beams.

Samuel Moore, owner of Consilium Hortus, is renowned for creating beautiful, bespoke outdoor spaces which are designed specifically to meet his client’s tastes. Taking inspiration from landscapes, architecture, art, design and nature, Samuel meets briefs and creates stunning projects in gardens and spaces of all sizes. This recent project in Colchester, Essex, had a brief to create a fully equipped outdoor entertaining area. With a desire for an extension of their home, Samuel has created a space that can be enjoyed throughout the seasons. A louvered pergola covers the full length of the back of the house. Despite being a permanent structural cover, the roof, which can turn 160 degrees, enables the sun to be chased as it moves throughout the day. Heaters and lights have been incorporated for those colder months, so those chillier days and evenings can still be spent outdoors. The slatted feature wall, not only matches the extended outdoor table but also provides a backdrop for the Outdoor Kitchen drawing out its Iroko Hardwood details. For a couple who love to entertain, it was obvious that a trio of cooking appliances needed to be incorporated into the outdoor kitchen design. Featuring our Gusto, the Bull BBQ and the Deli Vita Pizza Oven, the pair and their guests are spoilt for choice when it comes to alfresco dining. The addition of our single outdoor fridge also ensures that glasses are never empty, whatever the tipple.

Open plan kitchen and breakfast bar
This is an example of a medium sized contemporary l-shaped open plan kitchen with a single-bowl sink, recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, laminate countertops, beige splashback, stone tiled splashback, stainless steel appliances, ceramic flooring and a breakfast bar.

Living room. Use of Mirrors to extend the space. This apartment is designed by Black and Milk Interior Design. They specialise in Modern Interiors for Modern London Homes. https://blackandmilk.co.uk

In brief Location, location, location When looking for your perfect home where you can put down your grass roots and start a family there are many ‘must haves’ that we all have on our wish lists. The obvious contenders are price and location with many other niceties, like the number of bedrooms, layout and decor taking a back seat. As we all know, location can sell a home to those who strive to be in the right area, for transport links, local amenities and the all-important school catchment areas. Like many other families throughout the UK our clients chose their house for its excellent location. Just ten minutes from the centre of Stafford by car, our client’s house is in a popular and sought-after suburb of the town for couples and families alike. They have always loved the location of their house for its easy access to work, schools, leisure facilities and social connections, but they were becoming increasingly frustrated with the layout of the ground floor of their home. It’s inevitable that families will evolve and our needs from our properties will change too. Since the young family of four moved to their large four-bedroom detached house a few years ago, their property has been unable to meet their lifestyle needs and living patterns. Although their property has adequate bedroom space for them and their two children, the layout of the downstairs living area was not functional and it obstructed their everyday life, making entertaining and family gatherings difficult. Our First Meeting Upon our initial consultation with our clients it was clear from the outset why they sought to make changes to the layout of their house. The property had been extended to create extra space by the previous owners, but unfortunately the design and build hadn’t been executed well at all. The rooms and layout were awkward in size and shape and it didn’t allow the family to come together and enjoy their home. They had the floor space, but it was sectioned off into separate rooms, some without a purpose. The garden surrounds the house on all three sides and is of a good size in its entirety with different areas on each aspect. We could clearly see that the house itself didn’t address any particular aspect of the garden in any way. Moving to a new house wasn’t an option, the family were happy with the location and size of the property. What they wanted was a modern, functional, stylish space for everyday family life, with the flexibility to accommodate their large extended family when needed and to ultimately add value to their property. We were appointed by our clients to create a design solution to redesign the ground floor living area with a modern, light filled, open plan space that connects with the garden. It was clear from outset that our design intention was to break down the room barriers and to respond to the needs of the family, supporting their lifestyle now and for the future, bringing them together and creating a house they could call a home. Delivering a project on time and within our client’s budget are always a top priority for our team. The family decided to stay in their house during construction, therefore it was even more essential to minimise the level of disruption to their daily lifestyle with a young family living on site. The family needed help from our team at Croft Architecture to swiftly and successfully acquire Building Control Approval for their project to progress rapidly, ensuring project completion on time and to their determined budget. Our Approach Surveying the site The client’s home is located on the entrance to a quiet cul-de-sac on a mature, leafy, suburban housing estate. Their home nestles into its well-established site, with ample space between the neighbouring properties and has considerable garden space to the rear and both sides. During our initial visit we spent a long time with the family observing the existing layout, talking about how they currently live in the property, their annoyances with the house in its current form, how they would like to be able to live in their family home and how they aspired it to feel, look and live. We walked through the house and it was clear that the existing layout didn’t work downstairs. The house had been extended onto before they had bought the property and the space hadn’t been well thought through in terms of how it would be used effectively. The rooms directly to the left off the hallway, didn’t really have a proper function. The previously extended space had resulted in the house with too many rooms and subsequently this had led to a series of impractical spaces. The long and narrow extension was home to a small U-shaped kitchen at the front of the house, which led onto the dining area and then onto a small room at the back of the extension. For the size of the house the kitchen and dining room in a much smaller and narrower area, leaving larger living areas to the rear of property with copious amounts of dead space. The small kitchen was tucked away at the front of the property which made life difficult for our clients to observe their children playing safely in the garden whilst preparing food and carrying out work in the kitchen. On the opposite side of the property there was another old extension which had a step down into it. This living area had a tiled floor and large glazed windows on all sides which made it feel almost like a conservatory.This area was rarely used by the family as it had no real function, plus it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It had become an under utilised space. We walked around the property and it was clear that the house itself didn’t address their private garden space to any particular aspect in any way, meaning that the garden space was under used because of the poor connections. The family wanted a combined kitchen, dining, lounge space for daily life and also for entertaining their family. Design Approach The size of the property presented the opportunity to substantially reconfigure the family home to create a series of dynamic living spaces oriented towards the large, south-facing garden. Our team suggested removing the little kitchen from the front of the property and re positioning it within the unused glazed space at the back of the house. The glazed room had internal French doors with a step down into the space separating it from the lounge. We proposed to remove the French doors, level the floor and make it into one room with the existing lounge. To connect the new open plan kitchen and living space to the rear and side garden sliding and folding doors were the solution, extending the family’s usable living space by creating a seamless indoor-outdoor flow. There was already a patio area there and it made sense for the kitchen to move to the rear of the house to be close to the patio for easy outside dining. It was therefore logical to retain the existing living space in it's current location next to the new kitchen, maintaining the natural flow of the house for the family after eating and entertaining in the kitchen. When making decisions regarding the kitchen design, we worked closely with the family. They thoroughly enjoy spending time cooking and entertaining with their large extended family. To assist with their culinary preparations our clients had aspired to have an induction hob within their new kitchen. As they were working through the design with us, they weren’t sure about an induction hob because of different cooking methods required for certain meals that they like to produce. They particularly like making chapatis which require a round pan and a gas hob. We didn’t see this as a problem and suggested having a single gas burner for purely this purpose whilst still installing an induction hob. They decided to go ahead with our idea, choosing a single gas burner and an induction hob, and it looks great! The existing lounge space had a corner aspect at the rear property that protruded into the garden. Positioned next to the kitchen and dining space it seemed logical to us for the living area to also open out onto the patio, thus connecting the garden to the house on a wider aspect. To enhance the connection between the garden and the living room we thought that a corner door would work extremely well to really open up this space. The clients really liked the design concept to create a feature of the corner with glazed sliding doors that would completely open the house up to the garden. They were excited about the prospect of the allowing huge amounts of natural light into their home and the flexible access it would provide to the garden. Once the new kitchen, dining and living space had been concluded, we then had to consider what the previous kitchen and dining area was going to be used for within the small, long side extension. We talked with our clients about a few possible uses. We noticed that the family have a piano and few other musical instruments. It made sense for this space to become a quiet part of the house for them to escape to, play music, read and generally relax in a snug area. To shorten the length of the new music room and make an additional feature in the newly created open plan kitchen, dining and living area, we reclaimed some of the space from the back of the side extension and opened it up to the main open-plan space, thus creating another new snug. We added an additional design feature within the snug by creating a timber window seat. Not only does it provide extra seating, but it’s also created a snug within a snug, a haven for reading, napping and gazing out into the garden. As part of their brief our clients also wanted a to incorporate a log burner into their newly remodelled home. To connect the new music room and snug to the living space we proposed to position a two-way log burner where the existing gas fire was located. By retaining a fire in the original location it would minimise the disruption and work required to install the wood burner. However, the theory didn’t turn into reality and the new fire resulted in being quite a task to get it to work. When the contractor began to strip back the existing fireplace, they discovered that fitting the pipe within the building was going to be more challenging than they anticipated because of the poorly constructed extension. It was difficult to execute but it was ultimately achieved. What lies beneath? It’s not until you uncover the fabric of the building that you fully understand what’s going on underneath. When the contractor exposed the structure of the house, we found out that the property had been poorly constructed, and they uncovered a lot of poor workmanship from the original builders. As the build progressed the inner skin of the extended structure was exposed, we found that it wasn’t actually strong enough and we needed to make it safe in order to proceed. Going forwards we ensured that the structure was safe, and all issues were identified and immediately rectified. The previous extensions to the house also presented further challenges as the build progressed. We found that the floors between rooms were not level. We wanted to create the appearance of one space rather than lots of chopped up areas. To do so we needed to alter the floor and ceilings to ensure that they were flush right through the new open plan living space. Also, after removing the internal French doors, the down-stand beam where the doors had previously been were subsequently left prominent down from the ceiling. The design required careful planning and attention to detail to achieve the best looking finished results for the client. For us, in principle our clients’ scheme at the outset was quite a simple project but when the strip out commenced there was actually a more going on underneath that needed attention before the project could start to take shape. A lot of things needed to be considered to make it work structurally and properly for the family. When the carpet was initially lifted, we found a parquet floor underneath. The family and our team were extremely excited at the prospect of having a traditional parquet floor that could be sanded down and made good. However, when ‘all’ of the carpet was removed only half of the living room had been covered in parquet flooring and the other half was actually a solid concrete floor. Unfortunately, we couldn’t proceed with the flooring and our clients chose another floor finish. Making connections Our team at Croft Architecture have created a new, sleek, spacious family ‘hub’ that’s light with clean lines. The open plan space unites the family of four whilst providing the ability to gather the wider family and seamlessly connecting their home with the garden through the new full length sliding doors. Although they now have plenty of space to gather with the family, they also have areas of seclusion to spread out and escape to when needed. A strong working relationship between our team, the client and Building Control enabled us to gain the necessary permissions promptly. We enjoyed working with the project team and we’re extremely pleased to successfully deliver the completed project. Although it wasn't in accordance with our client’s timescales with the discovery of hidden structural challenges, we spent the time carefully resolving the issues to unsure that our clients home was not only safe, but also looks great and functions perfectly.

Small modern u-shaped kitchen/diner in Canberra - Queanbeyan with a double-bowl sink, green splashback, glass tiled splashback, stainless steel appliances and medium hardwood flooring.

Photographed by Megan Taylor
Medium sized contemporary u-shaped enclosed kitchen in Sussex with a built-in sink, composite countertops, white splashback, black appliances, an island, white worktops and blue cabinets.

Medium sized contemporary living room in London with concrete flooring and grey floors.

High-Tech Nobilia Kitchen in Horsham, West Sussex In one of our most forward-thinking projects to date, designer George Harvey has designed a vibrant and technologic kitchen space that incorporates useful innovations for this local Horsham client. Like many who visit our showrooms, this client was blown away with new technologies that can be incorporated into a kitchen space. Eventually this client’s wish of an advanced kitchen space became a reality through clever design and a bit of help from our expert installation team. As with many of our projects this kitchen makes the most of our complete installation service, opting to fill an original doorway and create a new access off the main hall whilst widening the original hall space at the same time. The main run of units features wall units, base units and full-height units to house cooking appliances, storage and sink facilities as well as decorative shelving. A key element of this projected is tailored to the now common work from home option, with a versatile peninsula island vital to the final functioning of this space – the added option of bar seating and a large volume of storage helps to achieve this project brief. The result of this ancillary and building work is a spacious kitchen which flows nicely through to a sunny family room to the rear of the property that functions perfectly for the client. Kitchen Furniture Furniture from our German supplier Nobilia’s Touch range has been used throughout this kitchen and provides a subtle silky texture. Touch furniture uses bevelled corners for a premium feel. The fact that the range itself is available in several colour options has contributed to it being one of our most popular Nobilia kitchen ranges. For this project Touch furniture has been used in the contemporary Satin Grey finish, this neutral colour choice allows accents like the glass bright blue splashback to bring vast vibrancy to the kitchen. Across the main run and island, a huge amount of storage has been incorporated, while a reduced depth sideboard style run enhances storage and worktop space further. The furniture choice has also been based around the key them of this kitchen: technology, with the handless furniture option allowing for ultra-modern LED strip lighting to be integrated in the handle wells on the island and sideboard storage. Kitchen Appliances The appliances used for this project are what really makes such a state-of-the-art kitchen. Appliances like Neff’s Slide & Hide oven are commonplace in many of our installations. This kitchen though makes use of their high-specification N90 model. Incorporating an integrated cleaning system, baking and roast assistant and Home Connect capabilities to allow control through a device or smart speaker. To accompany, a N90 combination microwave also features in this kitchen which also harnesses Home Connect capabilities as well as integrated cleaning. This combination microwave also gives the client a flexible cooking option with the appliances doubling as another oven as required. An undermounted Neff fridge gives extra cold storage in addition to this client’s own appliances. Sitting on the main run is another ultra-modern appliance, a Bora Pure venting hob. This appliance was specified by the client to increase storage space, as due to an integrated ventilation system, no extractor hood is required. Minimalistic design and a low installation height mean this appliance is integrated seamlessly into the worktops with plenty of room for cutlery and pan drawers beneath. The Bora Pure also boasts four oversized cooking zones, that use instant induction power for efficient cooking whilst a low volume extractor removes all odour and steam. Kitchen Accessories To continue the ultra-modern theme of this kitchen, a Quooker Flex boiling tap has been included which includes a pull-out nozzle and for this project a new Cube tank has been included as well. The Quooker Cube tank incorporates refreshing sparkling and filtered chilled water in addition to cold, hot and boiling water – which come as standard with any Quooker tank. The Quooker is set above an undermounted Blanco sink which in itself continues this kitchen aesthetic with a contemporary white finish. To further the futuristic dynamic George has included fantastic lighting, with well-placed LED spotlights underneath wall units and LED strip lighting under handleless rails on the island and sideboard area. This lighting not only continues the theme of the kitchen, with spotlights highlighting the of quartz worktops and vibrant blue splashback on the main run. As part of this installation Karndean flooring has also been installed across the kitchen area, with the Rose Washed Oak finish used throughout the space from the popular Knight Tile range. Our Kitchen Design & Installation Service As with most of our installations this client has taken the opportunity to completely redesign their kitchen using our complete installation service. For this project our installation team moved and created a doorway, as well as undertaking all structural work. The final result is a kitchen that is perfectly equipped for the future thanks to a new flowing layout and innovative kitchen design and appliances. If you’re looking to overhaul your kitchen space, then talk to one of our experienced designers about your project. Arrange a free consultation by calling a showroom or via our website.

This is an example of a medium sized contemporary single-wall kitchen/diner in Other with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, an island, grey floors and grey worktops.

Flat panel kitchen with double oven and large island with induction hob. The perimeter cabinetry is painted in Farrow & Ball Cornforth White while the island is painted in Farrow & Ball Stone Blue. The worktop and splashback is Concretto Biscotti. The pendant light is weathered bronze. Charlie O'Beirne

Lind & Cummings Photography
This is an example of a medium sized bohemian galley kitchen in London.

Photo of a small modern u-shaped kitchen/diner in Canberra - Queanbeyan with a double-bowl sink, laminate countertops, green splashback, glass tiled splashback, stainless steel appliances and medium hardwood flooring.

This is an example of a medium sized modern open plan living room in Hobart with white walls, carpet and grey floors.

Our clients wanted a fresh approach to make their compact kitchen work better for them. They also wanted it to integrate well with their dining space alongside, creating a better flow between the two rooms and the access from the hallway. On a small footprint, the original kitchen layout didn’t make the most of the available space. Our clients desperately wanted more storage as well as more worktop space. We designed a new kitchen space for our clients, which made use of the footprint they had, as well as improving the functionality. By changing the doorway into the room, we changed the flow through the kitchen and dining spaces and created a deep alcove on the righthand-side of the dining room chimney breast. Freeing up this alcove was a massive space gain, allowing us to increase kitchen storage. We designed a full height storage unit to match the existing cupboards on the other wide of the chimney breast. This new, super deep cupboard space is almost 80cm deep. We divided the internal space between cupboard space above and four considerable drawer pull-outs below. Each drawer holds up to 70kg of contents and pulls right out to give our clients an instant overview of their dry goods and supplies – a fantastic kitchen larder. We painted the new full height cupboard to match and gave them both new matching oak knob handles. The old kitchen had two shorter worktop runs and there was a freestanding cupboard in the space between the cooking and dining zones. We created a compact kitchen peninsula to replace the freestanding unit and united it with the sink run, creating a slim worktop run between the two. This adds to the flow of the kitchen, making the space more of a defined u-shaped kitchen. By adding this new stretch of kitchen worktop to the design, we could include even more kitchen storage. The new kitchen incorporates shallow storage between the peninsula and the sink run. We built in open shelving at a low level and a useful mug and tea cupboard at eye level. We made all the kitchen cabinets from our special eco board, which is produced from 100% recycled timber. The flat panel doors add to the sleek, unfussy style. The light colour cabinetry lends the kitchen a feeling of light and space. The kitchen worktops and upstands are made from recycled paper – created from many, many layers of recycled paper, set in resin to bond it. A really unique material, it is incredibly tactile and develops a lovely patina over time. The pale-coloured kitchen cabinetry is paired with “barely there” toughened glass elements which all help to give the kitchen area a feeling of light and space. The subtle glass splashback behind the hob reflects light into the room as well as protecting the wall surface. The window sills are all made to match and also bounce natural light into the room. The new kitchen is a lovely new functional space which flows well and is integrated with the dining space alongside.