Bedford Park Home
Bedford Park Home
Joining forces Spurred on by the results of their beautiful kitchen, the owners of this extended home have set up a successful design business together Report: Linda Parker
120  kitchens bedrooms
bathrooms
www.kbbmagazine.com  121
Bedford Park Home
Bedford Park Home
Joining forces Spurred on by the results of their beautiful kitchen, the owners of this extended home have set up a successful design business together Report: Linda Parker
120  kitchens bedrooms
bathrooms
www.kbbmagazine.com  121
Bedford Park Home
Bedford Park Home
Previous pages (p120-121): The symmetry of the full-height cabinets is a huge success, with the base of the ovens lined up with the work surface, and the cubbyholes having the same height as the ovens.
Below: The bank of drawers provides masses of storage for pans, utensils, cutlery and crockery, all within easy reach and an integral part of the very effective working triangle. Bottom: The glossy white laminate drawer fronts provide an attractive contrast to the plywood in terms of tone and texture.
Left: Open display shelves to the left of the kitchen window introduce a decorative element, and include integral lighting. Right: Jon is thrilled with his new kitchen, which he designed with his wife Gail. Below left: Hamilton-King can tailor internal drawer fittings to each customer’s requirements, depending on numbers and types of utensils and gadgets that have to be housed.
T
he second phase of a complete overhaul to Jon King and Gail Hamilton-King’s four-bedroom house in Bedford Park in West London, this stunning kitchen-orangery is the result of the couple’s impressive combined design prowess. Built in 1878, the house has appropriately elegant period lines, but it has also been updated and looks thoroughly modern with a very slight retro edge. When Jon and Gail bought the house, the existing kitchen and bathroom dated from the 1960s and all the plumbing and electrics needed updating. Thus they moved walls at the rear, reconfigured the space, added an extension and redecorated every inch of the house. A serious undertaking, to say the least, the project was spread over two-and-a-half years as they lived on-site throughout. At the time, Jon was running a company that designed the interiors of retail stores for clients such as Radley handbags and Tower of London, as well as creating train-style seating arrangements for children’s shoe shop Trotters. “After designing the extension itself, we couldn’t resist creating and building our own kitchen,” explains Jon. “I’d used plywood for several projects and liked the idea of a plywood kitchen. It’s a material that possesses a very honest structure – unlike many kitchen units, which are MDF wrapped in a layer of plastic.” Another attraction of the material is its strength and stability, which is very important in a busy family kitchen; the couple have an energetic four-yearold, George, and a recent addition, Grace, who’s nearly one. “Furniture designers have often made a feature of the layered structure of plywood, and I wanted to use that idea in our kitchen,” he explains. In fact, the success of their kitchen prompted the couple to form a new company, Hamilton-King Projects, which is now their main business, focusing on bespoke kitchens and living spaces. Thanks to the extension, which runs the full width of the house, the couple had a large, L-shaped space to work with. The kitchen sits in the smaller section of the ‘L’, while a sunny dining area and dayroom occupy the longer strip that connects with the garden, ensuring there is plenty of space for George to race around in. u
122 kitchens bedrooms
bathrooms
www.kbbmagazine.com 123
Bedford Park Home
Bedford Park Home
Previous pages (p120-121): The symmetry of the full-height cabinets is a huge success, with the base of the ovens lined up with the work surface, and the cubbyholes having the same height as the ovens.
Below: The bank of drawers provides masses of storage for pans, utensils, cutlery and crockery, all within easy reach and an integral part of the very effective working triangle. Bottom: The glossy white laminate drawer fronts provide an attractive contrast to the plywood in terms of tone and texture.
Left: Open display shelves to the left of the kitchen window introduce a decorative element, and include integral lighting. Right: Jon is thrilled with his new kitchen, which he designed with his wife Gail. Below left: Hamilton-King can tailor internal drawer fittings to each customer’s requirements, depending on numbers and types of utensils and gadgets that have to be housed.
T
he second phase of a complete overhaul to Jon King and Gail Hamilton-King’s four-bedroom house in Bedford Park in West London, this stunning kitchen-orangery is the result of the couple’s impressive combined design prowess. Built in 1878, the house has appropriately elegant period lines, but it has also been updated and looks thoroughly modern with a very slight retro edge. When Jon and Gail bought the house, the existing kitchen and bathroom dated from the 1960s and all the plumbing and electrics needed updating. Thus they moved walls at the rear, reconfigured the space, added an extension and redecorated every inch of the house. A serious undertaking, to say the least, the project was spread over two-and-a-half years as they lived on-site throughout. At the time, Jon was running a company that designed the interiors of retail stores for clients such as Radley handbags and Tower of London, as well as creating train-style seating arrangements for children’s shoe shop Trotters. “After designing the extension itself, we couldn’t resist creating and building our own kitchen,” explains Jon. “I’d used plywood for several projects and liked the idea of a plywood kitchen. It’s a material that possesses a very honest structure – unlike many kitchen units, which are MDF wrapped in a layer of plastic.” Another attraction of the material is its strength and stability, which is very important in a busy family kitchen; the couple have an energetic four-yearold, George, and a recent addition, Grace, who’s nearly one. “Furniture designers have often made a feature of the layered structure of plywood, and I wanted to use that idea in our kitchen,” he explains. In fact, the success of their kitchen prompted the couple to form a new company, Hamilton-King Projects, which is now their main business, focusing on bespoke kitchens and living spaces. Thanks to the extension, which runs the full width of the house, the couple had a large, L-shaped space to work with. The kitchen sits in the smaller section of the ‘L’, while a sunny dining area and dayroom occupy the longer strip that connects with the garden, ensuring there is plenty of space for George to race around in. u
122 kitchens bedrooms
bathrooms
www.kbbmagazine.com 123
Bedford Park Home
Bedford Park Home
“We wanted to create a space for living that is the main communication area of the home – a room for cooking, eating and relaxing,” explains Jon. “We also tried to lift the beams as high as possible to ensure the ceilings were on one level, allowing the space to feel streamlined,” he says. Thus, the room is always filled with light, even on winter days. Moreover, the local planning department insisted on a solid, brick structure, rather than a conservatory-style addition so, as Jon says, “the structure we’ve created adds to the integrity of the house, rather than looking like an afterthought.” The overall colour scheme is beautifully simple – natural tones of wood and brick with glossy white. It’s a look that’s timeless and comprises striking, contrasting textures. The floor cabinets are faced with solid-core, high-gloss white laminate over plywood panels, while the full-height feature wall is constructed from plywood cabinetry finished with European oak veneer. “We worked hard to ensure that the look of the grain came through and it has been finished with a satin lacquer,” says Jon. “We wanted the full-height wooden façade, as it’s adjacent to the exposed brick wall and we loved the contrast that this created.” The relatively modest area allocated to the kitchen itself (2.8 x 4m) meant that Jon and Gail had to devote a lot of thought to the amount of storage they could fit in, which led to the wall of full-height cabinets, with the higher-level units used for things like party crockery and Christmas tableware rather than everyday items. The layout includes a peninsula unit with wide but narrow induction hob – chosen so that there was still enough space to make it a workable two-person breakfast bar. “There wasn’t enough room to include an island unit and still have a good flow through the room,” explains Jon. Hence, the dishwasher and recycling bins are positioned beneath the hob, within easy reach of the sink, and all the crockery and utensils are tidily organised in drawers. Both Jon and Gail love their kitchen – the result of their combined efforts – and are continually developing and refining the use of plywood. They have since built several similar kitchens using the same concept. “The use of plywood is always a warm surprise when the drawer is opened, in the same way a funky lining in a smart suit pleases the wearer,” says Jon. He believes they got the mix of materials and layout just right for the space available and that thanks to the materials used, the kitchen will look good for the next 20 years. His advice to anyone embarking on a new kitchen project is to spend time with a designer at your home, rather than in an office or studio. “If possible, mark out potential layouts on the floor with masking tape too, to test their functionality and how much space you have left for traffic flow. A well-built kitchen will last for decades if KBB hardwearing and fit-for-purpose materials are used.” 124 kitchens bedrooms
bathrooms
Above: The work surface continues into the two built-in cubbyholes that accommodate the coffee machine and wine rack, making efficient use of potentially awkward corner space.
SourceBook DESIGN Architecture and kitchen design Hamilton-King Projects (020 8995 3608 or www.hamiltonking.com) KITCHEN Cabinetry Plywood and laminate European oak units designed and made to order, Hamilton-King Projects, as before Worktops Cygnus Pearl by Zodiaq (0800 962116 or www.zodiaq.co.uk) Sink Blanco Zerox sink, Blanco (0844 912 0100 or www.blanco.co.uk) Tap Gessi Just monobloc tap from Sinks-Taps.com (0845 680 8028 or www.sinks-taps.com) Appliances Oven, combi-microwave oven, warming drawer, dishwasher, fridge-freezer and touch-control induction hob, all by Siemens (0844 892 9044 or www.siemens-home.co.uk) Dining table Oak table from Chest of Drawers (0845 164 9062 or www.chestofdrawers.co.uk) Dining chairs DSR by Vitra (020 7608 6200 or www.vitra.com) Pendant light PH 5 pendant lamp by Louis Poulsen (020 8397 4400 or www.louispoulsen.com) Barstools Bombo by Magis (www.magisdesign.com), available from Atlantic Shopping (0121 230 1644 or www.atlanticshopping.co.uk) COST A similar kitchen including appliances and installation would cost around £37,000
The exposed brick wall inside was originally the exterior house wall. The planning department was keen for this and the original glazed French windows to be retained, hence they now help demarcate the sitting area within the open-plan space.
www.kbbmagazine.com 125
Bedford Park Home
Bedford Park Home
“We wanted to create a space for living that is the main communication area of the home – a room for cooking, eating and relaxing,” explains Jon. “We also tried to lift the beams as high as possible to ensure the ceilings were on one level, allowing the space to feel streamlined,” he says. Thus, the room is always filled with light, even on winter days. Moreover, the local planning department insisted on a solid, brick structure, rather than a conservatory-style addition so, as Jon says, “the structure we’ve created adds to the integrity of the house, rather than looking like an afterthought.” The overall colour scheme is beautifully simple – natural tones of wood and brick with glossy white. It’s a look that’s timeless and comprises striking, contrasting textures. The floor cabinets are faced with solid-core, high-gloss white laminate over plywood panels, while the full-height feature wall is constructed from plywood cabinetry finished with European oak veneer. “We worked hard to ensure that the look of the grain came through and it has been finished with a satin lacquer,” says Jon. “We wanted the full-height wooden façade, as it’s adjacent to the exposed brick wall and we loved the contrast that this created.” The relatively modest area allocated to the kitchen itself (2.8 x 4m) meant that Jon and Gail had to devote a lot of thought to the amount of storage they could fit in, which led to the wall of full-height cabinets, with the higher-level units used for things like party crockery and Christmas tableware rather than everyday items. The layout includes a peninsula unit with wide but narrow induction hob – chosen so that there was still enough space to make it a workable two-person breakfast bar. “There wasn’t enough room to include an island unit and still have a good flow through the room,” explains Jon. Hence, the dishwasher and recycling bins are positioned beneath the hob, within easy reach of the sink, and all the crockery and utensils are tidily organised in drawers. Both Jon and Gail love their kitchen – the result of their combined efforts – and are continually developing and refining the use of plywood. They have since built several similar kitchens using the same concept. “The use of plywood is always a warm surprise when the drawer is opened, in the same way a funky lining in a smart suit pleases the wearer,” says Jon. He believes they got the mix of materials and layout just right for the space available and that thanks to the materials used, the kitchen will look good for the next 20 years. His advice to anyone embarking on a new kitchen project is to spend time with a designer at your home, rather than in an office or studio. “If possible, mark out potential layouts on the floor with masking tape too, to test their functionality and how much space you have left for traffic flow. A well-built kitchen will last for decades if KBB hardwearing and fit-for-purpose materials are used.” 124 kitchens bedrooms
bathrooms
Above: The work surface continues into the two built-in cubbyholes that accommodate the coffee machine and wine rack, making efficient use of potentially awkward corner space.
SourceBook DESIGN Architecture and kitchen design Hamilton-King Projects (020 8995 3608 or www.hamiltonking.com) KITCHEN Cabinetry Plywood and laminate European oak units designed and made to order, Hamilton-King Projects, as before Worktops Cygnus Pearl by Zodiaq (0800 962116 or www.zodiaq.co.uk) Sink Blanco Zerox sink, Blanco (0844 912 0100 or www.blanco.co.uk) Tap Gessi Just monobloc tap from Sinks-Taps.com (0845 680 8028 or www.sinks-taps.com) Appliances Oven, combi-microwave oven, warming drawer, dishwasher, fridge-freezer and touch-control induction hob, all by Siemens (0844 892 9044 or www.siemens-home.co.uk) Dining table Oak table from Chest of Drawers (0845 164 9062 or www.chestofdrawers.co.uk) Dining chairs DSR by Vitra (020 7608 6200 or www.vitra.com) Pendant light PH 5 pendant lamp by Louis Poulsen (020 8397 4400 or www.louispoulsen.com) Barstools Bombo by Magis (www.magisdesign.com), available from Atlantic Shopping (0121 230 1644 or www.atlanticshopping.co.uk) COST A similar kitchen including appliances and installation would cost around £37,000
The exposed brick wall inside was originally the exterior house wall. The planning department was keen for this and the original glazed French windows to be retained, hence they now help demarcate the sitting area within the open-plan space.
www.kbbmagazine.com 125