The clients for this project came to KCA after being recommended by a builder. A fun and outgoing family with two children, the clients wanted a new open-plan kitchen that would work well for them daily and on the occasions when they host friends and family.
The clients had a good steer on their wish list for the space, what they wanted to achieve and their preferred style. One of the essential elements of the brief was a dedicated bar area to offer a comfortable space for guests to perch and converse while our clients served drinks from the integrated bar area. It was important that the bar didn’t interrupt the main role of the kitchen, which was to be a highly functional and well-designed kitchen for family living and food preparation, so we designed a raised bar that intersects with the standard height worktop. The full suite of cooking appliances gives plenty of flexibility and cooking options, whether cooking for the family or catering to friends.
In terms of the style and look of the kitchen, the clients liked modern, handleless designs with dark rich colours. As a kitchen that needed to transition from day to night seamlessly, we needed to find the right balance between a sophisticated bar and a warm, family space. The wraparound wall unit detail flows from the bar area to the tall bank of units, subtly tying the kitchen and bar together in one cohesive design.
We designed the island to be the hub for entertaining with seating on the island. On the seating side of the island, we created a raised bar area at full height finished in a stunning, stave-patterned oak. In keeping with the client’s style brief, we opted for a Woca Black oil finish to add plenty of warm texture.
On the bar serving side, we dropped the island to standard height, finishing the worktops in a hardwearing Silestone White Arabesque quartz with a polished finish and double bevel edge detail. The space needed to work as a fully functional bar, so the design incorporates two open wine racks, open shelving for glassware and spirits, two wine coolers and even a plumbed-in champagne trough.
Identifying different zones in a space designed for entertaining and cooking is essential. The appliances and main prep area are positioned away from the bar to ensure no overlap between the two functions. To create a fluid cooking zone, we positioned the hob adjacent to the sink and Quooker Pro 3 Flex tap in the prep and cooking areas.
Listening to our client’s cooking requirements, we specified a full-height integrated fridge & full-height integrated no-frost freezer, combined with a suite of Siemens cooking appliances, including an IQ700 flex induction hob, IQ700 full-height oven and combination, and two IQ700 warming drawers.
For additional sustainability, the kitchen features an InSinkErator Evolution 250 waste disposal unit, helping to reduce greenhouse gases and the household’s carbon footprint. When designing the extraction for the space, we specified an external motor extractor to guarantee optimum performance whilst reducing internal noise that might otherwise disrupt entertaining guests.
The kitchen colour palette meets the brief by bracing cool and warm tones together, and the dark graphite doors pair well with the wood and bronze mirror, creating a chic industrial bar feel without feeling clinical. The Silestone quartz white veined worktops lift the darker colour palette and brighten the space by reflecting the light from the glass doors and windows.
This kitchen also had to function as a laundry space, so the design incorporates a double-width larder cupboard to the right of the ovens which houses the client’s stacked laundry appliances. The larder also provides plenty of additional storage space for the laundry baskets, mop and hoover, keeping practical daily items accessible but neatly hidden away.
