Cambridge Property Edition April

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APRIL 2016

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FIND YOUR DREAM HOME

PROPERTY NEWS INTERIORS

TURN OVER FOR

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CONTENTS

ON THE COVER…

The products on this month's cover are available from Debenhams, the Cambridge branch of which is located at The Grafton Centre. www.debenhams.com

EDITORIAL For editorial enquiries, contact Editor Nicola Foley 01223 499459 nicolafoley@bright-publishing.com

ADVERTISING For commercial enquiries, contact Key accounts Maria Francis 01223 499461 mariafrancis@bright-publishing.com Senior sales executive Natalie Robinson 01223 499451 natalierobinson@bright-publishing.com

THIS MONTH… • 18-20 • PROPERTY NEWS The latest from the buzzing Cambridge property market • 23 • BOOMTOWN BULLETIN News from the latest local developments • 25 • PLATE IT UP Cute and colourful tableware • 27 • INTERIORS Serious kitchen inspiration from top local interiors companies

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

THE SMART HOTEL ALTERNATIVE Things have never been busier for Your Space Apartments. Since 2003, the company has been offering “the smart alternative to hotels in Cambridge” – luxury apartments that business and leisure visitors book like a hotel. Now Your Space is preparing for its biggest challenge yet in opening up its newest location.

Your Space co-founder, Suzanne Emerson explains: “Nelson Court is the largest number of apartments in one block that we have ever taken on!” With 16 separate apartments, from studios to three-bedrooms, the site is both hugely exciting and a massive logistical challenge.

If a supplier messes up a delivery date and suddenly we have 15 dining tables to house – where do we put them?! We put nearly 250 separate items into each apartment and it is about the practical logistics of getting everything at the right time and in the right order, so we are not swamped with 16 kettles and 56,000 teaspoons!”

Then there is design. “One of the pleasures of this job is translating plans of an apartment into workable, attractive, living space. This starts with things like which ways doors open, through to giving each apartment its own personality so as to avoid that anonymous hotel feel”.

For each room, we need to match cushions, rugs, lamps… We end up walking around John Lewis for hours holding

NELSON COURT IS HUGELY EXCITING AND A MASSIVE LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE things up against each other. They know us there now and we can tend to take over – spreading piles of cushions, throws, etc. across the floor, bringing rugs and lamps over while we make decisions.

Matching pictures has historically been difficult to coordinate so vibrant paintings are commissioned to enhance the shades of the colourful cushions and rugs. “People are not staying with us for long so we want a designed look that is slightly ‘out there’ – both fun and relaxing.”

Practicality is key and the three things Your Space feels are fundamental to their service, setting them apart from hotels and other serviced apartment providers, is “a good night’s sleep”, high-speed fibre

broadband and a fully equipped kitchen.

“Although not everyone wants to do a lot of cooking, if they want to bake a cake they can… For us, it’s the details like a fully stocked herb and spice rack.” Suzanne was gratified to hear from a guest who arrived with a backache and left without one.

“We use Hypnos beds – they have a royal charter – and we are just about to upgrade all our bedding to The White Company’s.”

Like all Your Space premises, Nelson Court is highly central. “It is just off one of the most desirable residential locations in Cambridge with superb local amenities including Midsummer House, ranked second favourite restaurant in the world

by TripAdvisor in 2014. It’s one-minute’s walk from the river and just five minutes to Jesus College.”

It’s all a far cry from Your Space’s beginnings when it had three apartments.

“This new development will take us to just under 90, all in central Cambridge. It was always my dream to run my own company and it’s been exciting to set up a service that genuinely works for our guests… We call it the smart hotel alternative because we’re offering smart-looking apartments but also because using Your Space is the smart choice, particularly for businesses.”

T: 01223 313383 E: info@yourspaceapartments.com www.yourspaceapartments.com

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PROPERTY

PROPERTY Edition takes a look at the latest happenings in the buzzing local property market

NORTHSTOWE TO BE NHS ‘HEALTHY TOWN’ Northstowe, located on the site of the former RAF Oakington base, is set to provide 10,000 new homes to an anticipated population of around 24,400 people upon completion. It is significant in many respects – not only in terms of local interest (it’s going to mean a town the size of Huntingdon on our doorstep), but it’s also the first planned new town in many years, and will become one of the UK’s largest developments.

It has recently been announced that Northstowe will be unique for another reason, too: it has been named as one of ten new ‘healthy towns’. An NHS initiative, the status has been awarded to Northstowe as a result of a partnership between Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), the Homes and Community Agency, and South Cambridgeshire District Council. Northstowe is one of only ten UK towns that are part of the innovative programme, which is targeted at new neighbourhoods and towns across the country.

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The Healthy Towns scheme puts health and well-being at the heart of these new communities, meaning that doctors’ surgeries, sports parks and play areas are integrated into the design from the start, and an active lifestyle will be encouraged for residents through the building of cycleways.

“We are delighted that our bid to make Northstowe a community where health and well-being is intertwined with the design of housing, infrastructure and facilities has been successful”, says Lawrence Ashelford, director of strategy, policy and planning at CUH. “Northstowe will be a community which encourages healthy living, helping to prevent future health problems like obesity. It will provide accommodation and facilities that cater for frail elderly people, many of whom suffer dementia and other cognitive problems, helping them to live independently for longer and allowing their medical conditions to be treated locally.” northstowe.com

BUILDING ON THE CAMBRIDGE GREEN BELT

– the facts

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PROPERTY

The hot debate continues to rage on: should the city’s surrounding green belt be repurposed to combat the city’s housing shortage? There are many arguments for and against, but do you know the facts?

In recent years, Cambridge has been undergoing what’s been called a ‘bioboom’. The city has become the most established and powerful biotech cluster in Europe, attracting inward investment and hugely boosting the local economy.

This has, in turn, has put much strain on the residential sector, leading Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to draft new local plans in an attempt to combat the deficit. Part of the solution put forward involves repurposing small portions of the city’s surrounding green belt for housing.

The plans state that approximately 33,000 new homes will be provided over the next 15 years, however at present, it is estimated that around 43,000 affordable homes could be required by 2031 to sustain our growing economy.

This prospective gap in supply has triggered interest from private consortia and organisations to join the debate.

Mark Wood (left), partner and head of residential sales and new homes at Carter Jonas Bradshaws, says: “People have been understandably fervent to defend the city’s surrounding green space.

However, what they tend not to realise is that a lot of the land that surrounds Cambridge is actually quite low-quality agricultural land and largely inaccessible to the general public.

“There have been a number of recent developments where low-quality green belt land has been utilised for housing, each with an emphasis on creating meaningful, and most importantly accessible, green space – Trumpington Meadows and Great Kneighton are two prime examples. Therefore, repurposing some of this land for housing will actually increase the availability of green space.”

Colin Brown (top), partner and head of planning and development in the East of England for Carter Jonas, is encouraging the release of appropriate green belt sites.

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He’s been working closely on a scheme put forward by a consortium of colleges and Cambridge University. The scheme comprises a major development of 1,400 homes and a new country park on green belt land next to the M11. The plan also looks to provide 40% affordable housing, a primary school and community facilities.

“By implementing a sensitive design, key views of the city need not be tarnished,” says Brown. “Therefore, it is irrational to push development away from the city given these factors. We already know there isn’t enough provision as it stands, and the projected future shortage demonstrates that we cannot keep up with demand.”

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PROPERTY

Dream homes WITH CHARACTER

£6 35 ,0 00

If you dream of a home which is filled with history and bursting with character, this stunning converted Victorian schoolhouse is likely to make you swoon. Located in the village of Stuntney (between Ely and Soham), the property dates back to 1865 and has been sympathetically converted to create a unique living space which offers over 2,600ft of flexible accommodation.

Peek inside and you’re greeted with a light-filled space, with lots of interesting original features including the herringbone flooring, cast-iron fireplaces, exposed timbers and brickwork, and even the old school bell. The vaulted sitting room area, with a galleried room above, is a particular highlight, and the property also benefits from a smart onebedroom garden annexe.

There are three to four bedrooms in total, and the master bedroom suite boasts a dressing room and French windows which open out on to a decked terrace, perfect for relaxing and admiring the views across the neighbouring fields.

This property is on the market with Strutt & Parker for £695,000. Call 01223 459503 to arrange a viewing. www.struttandparker.com

£6 95 ,0 00

SCHOOLHOUSE, STUNTNEY

OLD VICARAGE, WISBECH Located on the edge of the historic town of Wisbech, between St Augustine’s Church and the Park, this substantial family home offers classic charm in abundance. Spacious and elegant throughout, the property dates back to 1869 and is Grade II listed, boasting over 4,000ft of accommodation. There are plenty of desirable period features including fireplaces, sash windows, decorative cornices and high ceilings, as well as an impressive sweeping gravel drive, and around half an acre of pretty gardens.

Downstairs you’ll find four reception rooms and a kitchen/breakfast room with a contemporary feel, offering bespoke cabinets, DuPont quartz work surfaces, Italian marble flooring, and a Mercury range cooker. The wide staircase takes you upstairs, leading to the first floor which homes a spacious master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and views over the garden.

There are five further bedrooms and two family bathrooms arranged over the first and second floors, with views across the gardens, St Augustine’s Church and the Park.

This property is on the market with Savills at £635,000. Call 01780 484696 to arrange a viewing. www.savills.co.uk

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PROPERTY

BOOMTOWN

The latest from Cambridge’s new property developments

Bulletin THE MARKETING SUITE AT HALO IS NOW OPEN

THE HARDY LAUNCHES AT HALO Located on Long Road, Crest Nicholson’s Halo development offers a range of stylish, contemporary apartments and houses. Just a short hop from the city centre, and in close proximity to some of Cambridge’s best schools, the homes are already proving popular with both families and young professionals.

Sure to pique the interest of those currently in the market for a Cambridge home is news of the release of the latest house type: The Hardy. This luxurious new three-bedroom house has been designed with modern living in mind, with large windows that allow natural light to flood into the property throughout the year. The bright and airy living room opens out onto a terrace garden, which offers plenty of space for entertaining guests in the summer months. Elsewhere in the property, you’ll find three generously sized bedrooms and a sleek, high-spec kitchen.

The marketing suite at Halo is now open; visit the Crest Nicholson website for more information. www.crestnicholson.com

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INTERIORS

IT

P

BEATRIX SET OF FOUR SIDE PLATES £24 OLIVER BONAS

TE A L

UP

PERKY DINNER PLATE £30 WOLF & BADGER

UL AUTIF E B & O BOLD ARE T AL W E L B ME TA EN UP T H G I BR TIMES

JOULES DINNER PLATE £5.95 JOHN LEWIS

POLKA DOT TEA STORY PLATE 15CM SET OF 4 £75 WEDGWOOD

CEREMONY GEO DINNERWARE FROM £7 LINEA CEREMONY, HOUSE OF FRASER

NAUTICAL DINNER PLATES SET OF 4 £17.50 M&S

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MATTHEW WILLIAMSON DINNER PLATE £4.50 DEBENHAMS

MOROCCAN BLUE SIDE PLATE £3.50 SAINSBURY’S

PIP STUDIO DINNER PLATE £15.50 JOHN LEWIS

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INTERIORS WORDS ANGELINA VILLA-CLARKE

H O T

T R E N D S

F O R

Achieve the ultimate dream kitchen by taking note of some of the latest trends that are emerging. We talk to the experts to find out what’s new when it comes to creating the heart of our homes

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INTERIORS

The kitchen is probably the biggest investment you’ll make in your home.

As well as being a practical cooking and eating space, the room has evolved over recent years to also be somewhere for all the family to meet, talk, do homework, watch TV or just hang out. Getting the cabinetry, colours and convenience-factor spot on is essential. That way you will have a kitchen that will stand the test of time – continuing to look fresh and contemporary as the years pass by.

Simplicity is the new luxury when it comes to the latest cabinet design.

Handleless models, a streamlined look and new hydraulic-opening functions mean that even the smallest spaces can look uncluttered and modern.

A trend leader is Italian kitchen company Rossana Kitchens, now available in the UK. Creatively led by top architects, Massimo Castagna and Vincenzo De Cotiis, Rossana produces timeless, contemporary kitchens with professional functions and a strong emphasis on unusual, luxurious materials.

It was one of the first companies to develop the stand-alone island concept, as well as being the first to propose the allwhite kitchen in the 1970s.

The company’s Atelier System allows customers to personalise their material and finishes preferences. The architectural range has an emphasis on natural materials treated in innovative ways. There is a selection of heat-treated timbers, for example, which retain their natural colours and characteristics without staining, thus giving a matte effect. There is marble with a tactile, leather finish and portland cement finishes, which can be used on doors and worktops. Elegant treated metals, such as the flawed “pewter” finish steel, also give a striking appearance.

For something closer to home, look to Cambridge-based Tomas Kitchen Living, which specialises in modern yet classic kitchens. Founder Tomas Hinton says: “Not everyone is looking to be fashion forward with an item as large and permanent as a fitted kitchen. With that in mind, our emphasis is on offering modern functional design, simple clean lines, quality of materials and a reasonable price tag.”

Tony Jones, owner of Langtry Fitted Furniture, also based in Cambridge, agrees that a pared-back design will last the test of time: “The modern kitchen has to suit a variety of needs – from cooking to spending time with the family. Sleek, plain cabinets work well and handleless models are very popular – it gives a clean aesthetic and stops the room from looking too fussy. Muted colours – think stone, grey and cream – are on-trend for this year. These shades also give longevity, and they also work well if you wanted to add a splash of colour elsewhere in the room, in the form of accessories or a statement wall perhaps. Our units are fairly unique as the insides of the cabinets actually match the doors, which give a contemporary and sophisticated look. To add the wow-factor, is all in the lighting. We like to advise putting LED lights along the

Super slick: PREVIOUS PAGE Cambridge-based Kitchenology can help you achieve the ultimate modern kitchen, such as this ALNOsign model from ALNO Premier, POA. Stylish storage: TOP High-end Rossana Kitchens give the wow factor to a space, POA. TOP RIGHT David Hall’s Accordia Kitchen, from £15,000, is the ideal match for technology lovers. ABOVE Modern, functional design is the ethos at Cambridge’s Tomas Kitchens, seen in this NaturalSHEER range, from £28,000. RIGHT The handleless cabinets at Langtry Fitted Furniture give a sleek look, from £5,000.

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TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES TO DRIVE INNOVATION bottom of units and insetting them on top of breakfast bars and worktops. We can also put in lights inside cupboards, which is great on corner units and hard to reach spaces. From clever lighting features to hands-free taps, technology is a growing area for kitchens, resulting in intelligent spaces that aim to take some of the hard work out of cooking.

“Technology continues to drive innovation,” confirms David Hall, director of David Hall Kitchen and Furniture Makers, based in Cambridge. “From wireless charging and connectivity for smartphones and tablets to induction hobs, worktop extractors, or a boiling water tap, now available in a four-way configuration – no designer can afford to be left behind. However, we are also noticing a demand for more traditional features, such as walk-in pantries that can be enveloping spaces to store ingredients.”

It’s this blending of advanced technology with practical ideas from the past (such as the return of the larder) that inject a touch of personality in the modernday kitchen. One way to achieve this is to adopt a mix-and-match style. Commit to sleek fitted cabinetry but then add in a few stand-alone pieces of furniture for instance, such as the French-style painted cupboards available at Shabby Store and Pastel Lane or the rustic consoles at Shimu. A two-tone look – where floor models are in one colour and wall units are in a contrasting shade – can also be effective. While glass-fronted cabinets, mixed countertop materials and open shelving – just one long shelf along a wall is particularly eye-catching – can all give added interest to a scheme.

“We are finding that clients are requesting a clean design with warm

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touches and points of interest to stop the room being sterile and generic,” David Hall agrees. “This can be achieved through mixing materials, introducing wood and veneers, stainless steel and glass, copper and brass, stone and acrylic, as well as through lighting, composition and detail.

“We aim to achieve timeless design in our kitchens, which lies in knowing where a design should stop – not just in its components, but in the overall architecture of the space. As designers we consider kitchen furniture to be an integral part of the architecture, blending seamlessly into the spatial scheme, and including handselected focal points – it is designing the kitchen in the context of a whole interior space that excites us.”

Jennifer Shaw, director at Kitchenology, luxury kitchen design experts, gives her view: “Kitchen design has come on in leaps and bounds over the past few years.

Kitchenology specialises in contemporary kitchens and so it is important to be ahead of the curve. But importantly, we work with all our clients to ensure their kitchen reflects their personality, lifestyle and that it sits comfortably within the ambience of their home. As an ALNO Premier dealer, a leading German kitchen manufacturer, it means we can offer the latest looks and trends. ALNO Kitchens are available in a wide range of colours and finishes. One of our favourite kitchens at the moment is the ALNOsign light grey model with ALNOclass carbon oak. It’s very on-trend as it mixes up textures and materials – think high-gloss surfaces which are beautifully contrasted against wood.”

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For full impact, continue this blended look by layering in carefully-chosen accessories – it is often the finishing touches that make the room look it’s best. Sainsbury’s Arabian Nights collection of textiles and crockery, for instance, includes copper-finish cutlery and stylish black and white kitchenware.

“Atmospheric and bohemian, this collection has a glamorous edge. Copper accent pieces really shine when paired with monochrome. Geometric graphics give way to sophisticated ethnic-influenced mark making. Update your everyday essentials with hand-decorated dinnerware, chic copper-finish cutlery, co-ordinating table runners, place mats and napkins all in Spice Trail shades,” says Andrew Tanner, head of home design at Sainsbury’s.

Nicely contrasting against a glossy, modern-style kitchen are rustic Scandi textiles, like the Bedeck Murmur range, or Hamptons-inspired stripes, denims and checks at the Lexington Company.

Meanwhile brightly hued mugs from Scion and the new English Heritage-coloured Dualit Toasters (a result of a collaboration with Little Greene, and available at John Lewis) bring a stylish edge.

“This year for the kitchen it’s all about blending contemporary and rustic elements to create that relaxed yet sophisticated aesthetic with a hint of Scandinavian chic,” says Julie Hall, head of design at Murmur. “I recommend using subdued shades, from indigos and linen to grey and charcoal, so that you can mix in small geometrics and graphic patterns that lend a unique, personalised look that works for both summer and winter.”

Lighting is another way to bring in a quirky touch to an otherwise clean design ethos. Source unusual jar pendants, birdcage and feather shades and giant lightbulbs at Mineheart. While Fritz Fryer is a one-stop shop for glamorous illumination – stand-outs include the glass Hereford Globe Chandelier, industrial pendants and the Laboratory Vessel Pendant. VITA Cophenhagen’s brushed copper pendants are also particularly chic.

“All kitchens need to feel inviting and inspiring – kitchens are often used not only for practical reasons, but also as a hub for social interactions, entertaining friends and family,” comments Soren Ravn Christensen from VITA Copenhagen. “Each situation

needs different lighting – functional or ambient. Functional for obvious reasons – to enable completing the tasks at hand in the kitchen, but the most important is the ambience that a more decorative, accent lighting can create.”

Remember that while the kitchen is packed full of appliances and practical items, you can still ‘furnish’ the room like any other in the house.

Jess Broadhead, B&Q’s content stylist reveals: “Gone are the days when everyone’s kitchen looked the same. With new innovations in colour, design and functionality, modern kitchens can be as distinctive and individual as every other room in the house. You should reflect the style of your kitchen in your accessories.

Maybe you’d like to add the flavour of a certain era or a particular place – think French colonial with ornate decorations or American log cabin with a focus on wood. The style scale is so wide-ranging that there are plenty of options along the way. You can go full-on with one style for a very coordinated look or mix and match elements to create something more quirky and eclectic”.

Finishing touches: ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT American-style plaid on this oven glove from Lexington Company, £19, adds rustic style. Light up your space with Fritz Fryer’s Hereford Globe Chandelier, POA. Mineheart’s Birdcage Pendant, £1,150, adds a whimsical touch.

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INTERIORS

Once you have decided on the essential look and style of your kitchen, you can add another layer of flair in the worktops and flooring that you choose.

Eadonstone, based in Cambridge, is renowned for its handmade kitchens, crafted by artisans, and offers a completely bespoke service. Fiona Phillips, director, gives her advice on what’s available: “The surfaces you choose are just as important as the cabinets. Most of all, they need to be hard-wearing yet stylish as these give the finishing touch to a kitchen.

Granite, for instance, is extremely durable.

It gives a timeless aesthetic and works well with shaker-style kitchens. There are a wide range of finishes available – from polished to Anticato, which has a volcanic texture. Leathered and textured granites are now an extremely popular

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option, giving the worktops a softer, more tactile finish. Marble, meanwhile, is very dramatic and comes in a range of soft chalky muted tones, as well as punchy, bold hues. With distinctive veining and directional structure, Carrara and Arabascato marbles are growing massively in popularity; they work extremely well in both traditional and contemporary settings. Silestone quartz is available in a massive array of colours and textures and, best of all, we can even colour-match to a provided swatch. Our newest engineered surface is Dekton, which is scratch resistant and withstands high temperatures without burning, scorching or cracking.”

Corian is another good all-rounder – ideal for kitchens that will see a lot of use.

Available at Cambridgeshire-based Law & Lewis, it gives a seamless finish and is a non-porous material, meaning it is hygienic and easy to clean. It is also available in a variety of colours – from brilliant white to canary yellow.

On the subject of colours, black granite has been the staple go-to for a sleek worktop finish. But leading supplier Granite Transformations now reveals that white granite is now the most popular surface.

“Traditionally, UK kitchen customers always plumped for black granite worktops, whereas the US and Canada had a preference for dark browns and a more colonial look,” says Granite Transformations’s UK general manager,

Hayley Fenn. “Only Australia and New Zealand favoured white, possibly due to the sunshine effect. Perhaps now we’re adopting a more summery outlook from down under and that’s reflected in the way that we style our kitchens. After all, the kitchen is recognised as the hub of the home and closely reflects the family lifestyle and aspirations.”

Looking ahead, Granite Transformations also anticipates rising consumer demand for patterned worktops and splashbacks, like its Trend Trascenda dye sublimated collection. Offering the look and classic appeal of marble finishes, without the cost and impracticalities, as well as distinctive graphic and fluid patterns, these designs will lend a whole new dimension to kitchen decor, says the company.

Renowned for its uber-stylish tiles, Fired Earth’s creative director, Rob Whitaker agrees that pattern is making a comeback.

“There’s an ongoing trend for using pattern throughout the home, and geometric designs have a crisp, clean finish that’s ideal for kitchens. As an alternative to decorative tiles, create your own patterns by mixing one-colour base tiles in a variety of shades and by using eye-catching layouts such as chevrons and parallelograms for added visual interest. Fired Earth’s Futurism tiles are perfect for creating a host of geometric effects. Available in seven versatile colours, as well as in left and right formats, these deceptively simple tiles offer endless

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potential to design stunning kitchen walls and splashbacks.”

When it comes to underfoot, parquet is back in vogue as a stylish flooring option.

Urbane Living’s Parquet Panel Walnut adds a glamorous touch while at The Stone & Ceramic Warehouse (SACW) porcelain boardwalk tiles, which have a fabulous wood-effect grain texture, are a practical alternative to the real thing.

“Porcelain floor tiles are available in a vast range of colours, textures and tile sizes so you can achieve any look you desire,” says SACW’s director Stuart Wisbey. “One recent trend is to achieve a continuous flow from the indoors out and porcelain is a great choice for this: it’s virtually indestructible. For smaller, darker rooms choosing light-coloured porcelain will help to encourage the light and using a largeformat tile will create the illusion of space.”

Luxury finish: LEFT IMAGES Eadonstone Kitchens, POA, offer bespoke options. ABOVE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Kitchen with Corian work surface, prices vary, by Law & Lewis. Callerton Kitchens, starting at £15k, available from Cambridge Kitchens & Bathrooms (01223 213266; www. cambridgekitchens.co.uk). White Star granite worktops, prices vary, from Granite Transformations.

BELOW Larch Brushed Circa White flooring from Urbane Living, from £105.71/m2.

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Forget bright accent walls and saturated hues, the latest paint colours for kitchens have become more muted and ‘drier’ – think pastel blues, charcoal, pale pink and tinted whites.

David Mottershead, managing director of Little Greene confirms the shift in shades: “Muted colours in a kitchen are the perfect answer for the most hardworking room in the house. A place to cook, socialise and discuss the day’s events – a calming tone on the walls and cupboards soothes the day away and helps the room’s transition into evening calm and nurturing tranquillity.”

Colour experts Farrow and Ball agree that it is these muted neutrals and a range of new ‘drabs’ that will bring a contemporary touch to your kitchen makeover. “Green hues help to bring some of nature back into the home, especially if you have a kitchen that looks out onto your garden,” says Josephine Rance, marketing director at Farrow and Ball.

“Cromarty is inspired by sea mist, which is part of the fabric of British coastal life.

It is a lighter version of Mizzle and is a beautiful muted pastel that could be used on your cupboards to complement a neutral shade on the wall, such as Shadow White, one of our new nine colours introduced for 2016.”

Off the wall: Little Greene’s Herbes Cocktail Wallpaper, £52.50 per roll.

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INTERIORS

Of course the pièce de résistance of a home is a large kitchen-diner, which encompasses all the needs of busy family life. In fact many of us are knocking down walls or extending existing rooms to achieve a large, open-plan design.

Dreamy kitchens are large enough to house extendable tables, such as the Bianco Dining Table from Adventures in Furniture, stylish chairs and perhaps even a cosy corner with a sofa and TV. “Not just practical, the kitchen is a colourful social space, the ideal setting for casual chatting and catching up with family and friends,” says textile designer, Vanessa Arbuthnott. “Also, food can be equated with warmth, meaning the kitchen is primarily a place of warmth – the heart of any house. As a result, it represents a creative space in the centre of the house, in terms of energy. Cooking has become a relaxing hobby for many of us, so a space to sit and enjoy the process has become important. A large table instantly becomes an art table or work space; and if you have the good luck to have room for an old sofa and open fire there is no need to move to any other room!”

This changing premise of the kitchen means an increase in streamlined kitchen design and integrated, hidden appliances, as well as a nod towards less fussy key elements in the design.

“Open plan kitchen-diners are increasingly the most utilised room of the home, simply because they are so versatile and work from a day-to-day angle,” agrees John Stephens, director at Rencraft, specialists in handmade kitchens.

“When the kids come home from school with homework and you need to prepare the dinner, everyone can be in the same space. You can create a comfortable, bright and airy room that becomes the hub of family life during the week and is stylish yet practical for entertaining friends at the weekends. The chef is no longer banished

to the kitchen and can be sociable as family and friends enjoy the relaxing space around them.”

Lastly, Susie Watson, owner of Cambridge-based Susie Watson Designs, advises on making your kitchen as beautiful as it is practical. “Make it a space that works just as well for Monday breakfast, as it does for an elegant dinner with friends on a Friday night.”

Heart of the home: FROM TOP Source charming kitchen crockery, such as the Honey Bees collection, from £8.75, from Susie Watson Designs. The Bianco Table from Adventures in Furniture, from £595. Rencraft’s walnut and hand-painted kitchen, from £18,000.

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ADVENTURES IN FURNITURE 020 7359 5909 www.aif.london B&Q 0333 014 3357 www.diy.com DAVID HALL KITCHEN AND FURNITURE MAKERS 01763 261010 www.davidhallfurniture.co.uk DUALIT www.dualit.com EADONSTONE 01223 811 111 www.eadonstone.co.uk

GRANITE TRANSFORMATIONS 01223 843333 www.granitetransformations. co.uk

© Sainsbury's

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JOHN LEWIS 01223 361 292 www.johnlewis.com KITCHENOLOGY 01284 724 723 www.kitchenologyltd.co.uk LANGTRY FITTED FURNITURE 01353 725380 www.langtryfurniture.co.uk LAW & LEWIS 01954 260575 www.lawandlewis.co.uk LEXINGTON COMPANY www.lexingtoncompany.com

FIRED EARTH 01223 300941 www.firedearth.com

LITTLE GREENE 020 7935 8844 www.littlegreene.com

FRITZ FRYER 01989 567416 www.fritzfryer.co.uk

MINEHEART 0845 467 4580 www.mineheart.com

© Fired Earth

FARROW AND BALL 01223 367771 www.farrow-ball.com

MURMUR 0333 200 7331 www.bedeckhome.com

SHIMU 0800 088 6800 www.shimu.co.uk

PASTEL LANE 07949 339416 www.pastellane.co.uk

STONE & CERAMIC WAREHOUSE 020 8993 5545 www.sacw.co.uk

RENCRAFT 01892 520 730 www.rencraft.co.uk ROSSANA KITCHENS 020 7167 4717 www.rossana.uk.com SAINSBURY’S 0800 636262 www.sainsburys.co.uk SCION 0845 123 6805 www.scion.uk.com SHABBY STORE 01509 323102 www.shabbystore.co.uk

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SUSIE WATSON DESIGNS 01223 362166 www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk TOMAS KITCHEN LIVING 0800 772 0640 www.tomas-kitchen-living.co.uk URBANE LIVING 020 7138 3838 www.urbaneliving.co.uk VANESSA ARBUTHNOTT 01285 831 437 www.vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk VITA COPENHAGEN www.vitacopenhagen.com

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