AN
original mix
Past meets present in Mette and Chris Lowe’s kitchen, which successfully combines elegant modern simplicity with a historic setting PICTURES DARREN CHUNG I WORDS AMELIA THORPE
24 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens
PERFECT PLANNING An easy turn from the induction hob tucked into the original chimney breast, the island offers the main preparation surface in the room complete with sink, mixer tap with filtered water, dishwasher, bins and drawers for utensils and pans
EKBB March 2017 25
WHAT LIES BENEATH
The Spiral cellar from Liebherr is built from engineered concrete and designed to store up to 1,900 bottles of wine in optimum conditions
26 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens
A
fter returning from a spell living in Singapore, Mette and Chris Lowe decided to give their home in Wiltshire a complete overhaul. Having renovated nearly every room in the house, it was time for one last, but very important, project. ‘The kitchen was looking especially tired, and in real need of an update,’ recalls Mette. Given that their home is a listed Jacobean manor house with the kitchen in a late Victorian extension, the project had its fair share of challenges, involving planning permissions, plumbing, heating, lighting and electrical work. As well as improving the insulation, adding new underfloor heating and flooring, they also took down an internal wall in the adjacent utility to create a larger laundry room, removed a bulky water tank suspended from the kitchen ceiling and added an underfloor wine cellar. Although probably the most significant challenge was a design one, as Mette explains: ‘I’m Danish and like Scandinavian sleek minimalism, so we were very focussed on how to create a modern kitchen which could fit comfortably into such an old house,’ she says. The solution came in the form of bulthaup b3 furniture from Hobsons Choice. ‘Once we had seen the crisp look of bulthaup, it was very difficult to look at anything else,’ says Mette. ‘The natural colours combine with clean lines to such a beautiful effect and in a way that we felt would blend harmoniously with the original stone windows and old timber beams of the room.’ Working with Hobsons Choice design consultant Laura Warren, Mette and Chris, have created a space designed for cooking and entertaining. It works well when friends are expected for a casual dinner or when the couple’s adult daughters come to visit, just as it does when Mette wants to catch up on her laptop at the kitchen table or watch the news on television. With a dining table and chairs designed by Hans J. Wegner and a contemporary-classic pendant light designed in 1968 by Bonderup and Thorup – ‘I am like an ambassador for Danish design,’ laughs Mette – the room feels gently warm and welcoming. ‘I spend a lot of time in this room and it always has a very good feel,’ she says. eKBB
HOMELY MIX
Bridged on to the Alpine White island top, the natural oak finish of the breakfast bar offers warm contrast
Kitchen prof ile In a matt laminate Alpine White and Flint, the bulthaup b3 furniture features a laser edge detail for a perfectly crisp finish. Slender worktops of matching Alpine White echo the clean look, while a chunky oak breakfast bar adds warmth, an effect complemented by Oak Soap dining table, chairs and bar stools designed by Hans J. Wegner. The latest sleek appliances by Miele are in keeping with the linear furniture and the overall simplicity of the room’s design is the result of carefully considered detailing.
HOBSONS CHOICE
Gloucester House, County Park, Shrivenham Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 2NR. Tel 01793 490685. Also in Winchester and Bath. hobsonschoice.uk.com Kitchen prices start from £35,000.
FLUSH FINISH
The sink and draining board are welded into the work surface for a streamlined look
EKBB March 2017 27
BELLS ON
Mette and Chris restored the original servants’ call box, complete with ringing bells, seen on the wall above the Bang & Olufsen speaker
28 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens
‘With dining table and chairs by Hans J. Wegner and lights by Bonderup and Thorup, I am like an ambassador for Danish design’
EKBB March 2017 29
GREAT DANES
The Carl Hansen 338 table was designed by Hans J. Wegner in 1962, and his Wishbone chairs have been in continuous production since 1950 30 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens
ALL IS CALM
Porcelain floor tiles look like limestone, but are easier to maintain, and the colour was chosen to echo the natural tones of the room, including the original stone frames of the windows
‘The original chimney breast acts as a dividing line between cooking and dining areas. Natural oak ties the look together’
LAURA WARREN DESIGN CONSULTANT, HOBSONS CHOICE
Qa &
How did you begin the project? Initially we were asked to supply and install the kitchen, but as the project evolved we took on more work, seeking relevant planning permissions and completing building, plumbing, heating, lighting and electrical work as part of our full ‘turn-key’ service. This level of control allowed us to deliver a complete service which ultimately saves a lot of time and money. Can you tell us about the layout? The original chimney breast acts as the dividing line between cooking and dining areas, with appliances, storage and worktop on one side and dining table and chairs on the other. The central position of the island alleviates the potential ‘corridor’
appearance, and creates a surface for food preparation and an area around which to socialise. And the furniture itself ? The 4mm shadow gaps between every single door and drawer front are something of a bulthaup signature. The precision of the detailing is immaculate and coupled with the beautiful matt finishes, the furniture has a very modern, yet simple, elegance. We used Flint for the tall units to provide warm contrast against the Alpine White, and added wall panelling in the same colour on the other side of the chimney breast to balance the design. And to tie the look together, we chose natural oak for the breakfast bar, dining furniture and door frames.
EKBB March 2017 31
ESSENTIAL kitchens
Stockists APPLIANCES H 6660 BP oven, £2,749; DGC 6600 XL steam combination oven, £3,549; KM 6322 induction hob, £1,449; K37472 iD integrated fridge, £2,199; FNS 37402 i integrated freezer, £2,179; G6770 SCVi fully integrated dishwasher, £1,549, all Miele. Cache 800 built-in extractor with remote control and internal motor, £748, Westin. WKEes 553 Grand Cru built-in wine cabinet, £1,199, Liebherr.
FIXTURES AND FURNISHINGS
UTILITY RULES
Rght An internal wall was removed to enlarge the utility room, and clean white Schüller units supplied by Hobsons Choice
PICTURE PERFECT
Below The Lowe’s beautiful listed manor house in Wiltshire dates all the way back to 1622
‘We were very focussed on how to create a modern kitchen that could fit comfortably into such an old house’
32 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
Triana Aquifier mixer and filtered water tap, £399, Abode. bulthaup Alpine White 10mm solid core laminate worktops with integrated bulthaup sink and drainer; Back-painted glass splashbacks; Utility room furniture in Schüller Crystal White matt laser edge laminate with matching Schüller 16mm laminate worktops, all priced to order, Hobsons Choice. In utility: Linus tap, £274; Claron 550-IF sink, £529, both Blanco. Faro Shell porcelain floor tiles, £52.48 per sq. m, Mandarin Stone. Wine cellar, from £19,500, Spiral Cellars. Gubi Semi pendant light large, £429, Holloways of Ludlow. Carl Hansen CH58 Oak Soap bar stools, £611 each; CH24 Oak Soap Wishbone chairs, £647 each; CH338 Oak Soap table with extension leaf, £3,375.60; all Hobsons Choice. Kare Design Like Umbrella Balls wall clock, £69.95, LionsHome. Classic radiator, from £320, Bisque. FOR STOCKISTS, SEE PAGE 150
hobsons|choice SWINDON
B AT H
WINCHESTER
KITCHENS | BATHROOMS | INTERIORS www.hobsonschoice.uk.com London Road, Bath BA1 6AJ | Customer Parking behind showroom 01225 433511
bulthaup