PERIOD CHARM
A statement chandelier, grand piano (Frank’s grandmother’s), dresser and tapestry rug on the mezzanine level help to cement the relationship between the old and new sections of the house
40 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens
OPENING UP
The kitchen sits in a space of architectural beauty, with floor-toceiling glass completely reinventing the room at the back of the house
Warm
LIGHT
A sympathetic extension featuring clean lines, glass surfaces and walnut cabinetry has transformed the kitchen in this Victorian terrace, turning it into an airy and welcoming space PICTURES DARREN CHUNG I WORDS MOLLY FORBES
EKBB May 2017 41
‘W
hen people visit the house, they often say it’s like a Tardis,’ laughs Vanessa Walter, who lives in the end of terrace Bristol property with her husband Frank and their two young children. ‘They come in and find this incredible space at the back.’ It’s not surprising to hear of the awe the space inspires. Its mixture of polished glass walls and engineered walnut cabinetry is an exercise in how to blend contemporary design without compromising the period character of the four storey building, and Vanessa says it’s completely transformed the way the family uses their home. ‘It’s not an exaggeration to say the new kitchen has changed our lives. We live in here, entertain in here a lot and the children play in here – despite the fact we have a playroom underneath the kitchen!’ Vanessa and Frank knew the project was going to be an ambitious one, so they enlisted the help of architect firm Paul Archer Design, a company specialising in old to new. ‘The old kitchen was just a little space at the back which would originally have been the drawing room,’ explains Vanessa. ‘It was quite small compared to the size of the house.’ And so, a major conversion began. The back of the house was completely removed in order to build an entirely new space. With such an investment the couple knew the kitchen they put in the room would have to live up to the space surrounding it. ‘We’d fallen in love with the engineered walnut of the bulthaup kitchen when we saw it in a showroom in Germany,’ says Vanessa. ‘We looked at other options but decided that if we were going to be creating this space we needed to put the most fabulous kitchen in there.’ Designer Richard Keyes of UK company Hobsons Choice joined the project after Vanessa and Frank made the decision to go with a bulthaup system. ‘Our brief was quite straightforward. We’re both keen cooks and wanted to be able to operate in the kitchen at the same time,’ explains Vanessa. ‘With two young children we knew we also needed space to gather. Plus, we like everything to be neat and tidy, so storage was really important.’ The outcome is a contemporary space filled with light which still retains the warmth of a traditional period kitchen. The engineered walnut cabinets contrast with the gloss finish on the bar island countertop and the polished glass, bringing effortless style to the new space and breathing a new lease of life into the Victorian building. Meanwhile a chance encounter with celebrity chef Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quat Saison persuaded the couple to invest in a bank of top-spec ovens from Gaggenau. With a four-year build schedule – including a period of two years when the family had to move out of the home – this was no small project. So was it all worth it? ‘We’re planning to live with this for a long time and there’s no question in our mind that it’s our dream kitchen,’ says Vanessa. ‘So the conclusion is yes, it was definitely worth it.’ eKBB
42 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens WALNUT WONDER
The hero material in this kitchen is engineered walnut. ‘It’s sliced really thinly and laminated with metal in the middle, so you see an incredible detail down the edge of the wood,’ explains Vanessa
EKBB May 2017 43
FAMILY GATHERING
The island bar area not only houses storage and offers room for preparation, but creates a sociable feel to the space, allowing a hub for the family to congregate and chat
44 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens
TOP SPEC
The keen cooking couple opted for a bank of premium Gaggenau ovens after a chat with chef Raymond Blanc when they were staying at his hotel
‘A chance encounter with celebrity chef Raymond Blanc persuaded us to invest in a bank of top-spec ovens and we haven’t regretted it once’
RICHARD KEYES HEAD OF DESIGN, HOBSONS CHOICE
Qa &
What was your initial brief ? We were tasked with developing a design that would offer plenty of storage, working as a social space for a busy family, yet provide a simple, beautiful and elegant kitchen in which to live and work. The configuration of the property effectively pre-determined the location of the kitchen. In this instance, our task was to ensure we fully met our client’s requirements without resulting in a kitchen which overpowered the space as a whole. In short, we had to strike the right balance between form and function. What features of the kitchen are you most proud of as the designer? The kitchen has been designed as a space which seeks to promote social interaction between family and friends – to that end, the hob and main preparation space for the cooking process has been located on the island. By doing so, the owners spends the majority of their time facing out into the house,
promoting an immediate visual connection to the dining table, as well as a secondary (direct) connection to the living area and out to the garden. The island also has a bar seating area in walnut. In everyday use, this becomes a wonderfully informal space for the children and friends to sit at and chat. It also works nicely as a staging area for the summertime when dining in the garden. What were some of the challenges you faced when designing the space? It was important for me to reference the dynamic architectural space. While it sounds obvious, it’s key that every kitchen we design feels immediately as if it was made for the space it occupies. That can be more challenging when you’re working with a space like this. We also had to pay a great deal of attention to circulation space, both in the kitchen and around the dining table. It was important to ensure the kitchen didn’t dominate at the expense of the rest of the space.
EKBB May 2017 45
FEELING GIFTED
The dining table and the light above both came from Frank’s home country of Germany. ‘The table was bought as a surprise for us by Frank’s mum – it just turned up one day!’ says Vanessa
46 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
ESSENTIAL kitchens
Kitchen prof ile Engineered walnut is the hero material in this kitchen, bringing warmth to the space via the tall cabinetry and island bar. The sleek wood contrasts with Silestone quartz worktops and ceramic tiled flooring with underfloor heating, in a natural white finish. Clever storage solutions mean the space is clutterfree, while personal touches like the blackboard sliding door create a welcoming family atmosphere.
HOBSONS CHOICE
Gloucester House, County Park, Shrivenham Road, Swindon, SN1 2NR. Tel 01793 490685. hobsonschoice.uk.com Kitchen prices start from ÂŁ35,000.
COOK’S PARADISE
Above The main Gaggenau oven features a built-in temperature probe and self-cleaning function, much loved for the couple who are cooking enthusiasts
HIDDEN STORAGE
Left An innovative prism drawer system allows the owner to reconfigure as needs change EKBB May 2017 47
ESSENTIAL kitchens
Stockists OPEN ASPECT
Above The glass doors at the back of the kitchen completely open out, creating an extra space in the summer that incorporates the patio area
OUTSIDE IN
Right With a view onto the garden, the space blends with the outside area all year round, offering a real opportunity to bring the outdoors in
APPLIANCES BO 451-111 oven; BS 451-110 combination oven/steam oven; BM 455-110 combination oven/microwave; WS 462-110 warming drawer; CG 280-210 gas hob, all Gaggenau. G 6260 SCVi dishwasher, Miele. IKB 3550 larder refrigerator; UWTES 1672 wine cooler, both Liebherr. LF91BA582B island extractor hood, Siemens. E200 waste disposal unit, InSinkErator. KBX 160 55-20 sink, Franke. Pro3 Fusion boiling water tap, Quooker. Total price for appliances: £16,500.
FIXTURES AND FURNISHINGS Bulthaup b3 kitchen system: Sink run (including wall units) and island furniture in Greige laminate; Wall panel (backsplash) to sink run in natural aluminium; Tall cabinet run in solid walnut; Pocket door interior in Kaolin with stainless steel worktop; Island bar in walnut veneer. Total price: £46,000. 12mm thick Silestone Crema Stellar quartz worktops, £3,500. Architettura floor tiles (1200x600mm), Natural White finish, £3,500, Hobsons Choice. Cap chrome bar stools, £41.50, Atlantic Shopping. Edge dining table, Rodam, £4,000; Pendant light above dining table, both from Germany. For similar, try Original BTC for lighting and Calligaris for the dining table. ARCHITECT Paul Archer Design 020 3668 2668 paularcherdesign.co.uk FOR STOCKISTS, SEE PAGE 180
48 ekbbmagazine.co.uk
hobsons|choice CELEBRATING 40 YEARS 1977 - 2017 BATH
SWINDON
WINCHESTER
KITCHENS | BATHROOMS | INTERIORS www.hobsonschoice.uk.com Shrivenham Road, Swindon SN1 2NR | Customer Parking at Showroom 01793 490685
bulthaup