Celebrating
years
25
All the ingredients you need for a perfect kitchen
Meet the team Debra Smith - Director Martin’s wife Debra looks after the accounts of the company as well as being a director. Her part-time role used to be supplemented by her other role of primary school teaching assistant, but now her spare time is filled with her first grandchild.
Martin Smith - Director Martin set up the company almost 25 years ago, having trained in cabinetry before designing kitchens. He is hands-on when he has to be but also encourages each designer with their own projects. He enjoys photography, so don’t be surprised if he visits your finished kitchen to capture some amazing images.
Sue Speechley - Administrator Sue is our administrator and has been with Kitchensmiths for 13 years. Previously working in IT, she is super-organised and keeps us all in check. She’s a keen knitter and loves looking after her grandchildren.
Clare Chapman - Designer Clare has been designing for Kitchensmiths for 16 years following a complete career change from coastal research. Her creativity also extends into watercolour painting, singing and a bit of sewing.
Alex Baldwin - Designer Alex came to Kitchensmiths with a design degree 16 years ago and has had fun designing ever since. He was shortlisted as Young Kitchen Designer back in 2002. He enjoys cooking, especially in his combi-steam oven.
Hélène Nègre - Designer Helene brings her French design flair from the fashion industry. She has worked in kitchens for 15 years, the last 10 (bar a little French sabbatical) with Kitchensmiths. She has a passion for pottery and makes an amazing galette des rois.
Simon Hollinshead - Electrician/Fitter Simon is Kitchensmiths’ qualified electrician as well as a homegrown kitchen fitter. In a previous life he worked in hospitality but now thrives on the daily customer contact whilst on site. He enjoys cycling in his spare time as well as fuelling his passion for classic cars.
Dave Young - Fitter/Plumber Dave has been fitting kitchens for 10 years, having come from a joinery background. Never one for standing around, he spends his free time windsurfing, surfing or, on a lazy day, fishing.
Andy Edwards - Fitter The most recent fitter to join the team, Andy has been with us for just over a year, having worked for a bespoke joinery firm for 9 years. He has just moved house, so his spare time is filled with home improvements – which means no rest for his tools!
2 | Kitchensmiths
Welcome
Picture: Keith Heppell
With our 25 years’ experience in the kitchen industry, we at Kitchensmiths have gained immense knowledge of what makes a great kitchen. Form and function, style and simplicity, practicality and showmanship are all elements that we call upon as we tailor-make each kitchen for you, our client. So if you are embarking on the minefield that can be kitchen purchasing, come to Kitchensmiths, as we have already
taken the hard work out of the process. We are passionate about what we do and our enthusiasm never wanes, so we make the process fun and exciting as we introduce you to new products, gadgets and materials. Our success, measured by satisfied client referrals, speaks for itself. We look forward to welcoming you to our showroom.
all at Kitche n sm
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Contents 25 years at the heart of our homes Staying on trend rational kitchens We all love gadgets Stoneham kitchens Miele appliances StĂśrmer kitchens Ideal accessories Work it with worktops
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Our clients: The ideal choice Our clients: Serving the community Bax kitchens Appliance technology Gaggenau appliances Managing your project Siemens appliances Neff appliances
22 24 26 28 30 32 34 35
KITCHENSMITHS LTD 4 STATION ROAD HISTON CAMBRIDGE CB24 9LQ 01223 236456 info@kitchensmiths.co.uk www.kitchensmiths.co.uk Designed and published by Iliffe Media Ltd, publisher of the Cambridge Independent, for Kitchensmiths
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“It’s a people business,” says co-founder Martin Smith. It all began with this ethos in 1992 when Martin and his business partner, Tony Smith, started the company. Kitchensmiths is a close-knit team of talented designers and skilled fitters who handle every aspect of creating a new kitchen. This has been the Kitchensmiths way since the early days 25 years ago, when ‘start to finish’ was its motto. A personal touch and complete project management have prompted every single customer for the past decade to say they would recommend Kitchensmiths to their best friend. “We try to promote the fact that if you have anything in your kitchen that needs doing then come to us and we’ll sort it for you,” says Martin. A fine craftsman by trade, Martin took an apprenticeship with a bespoke cabinet maker when he was 16. In 1982 he shifted his focus to kitchens, spending 11 years with Cambridge-based Kitchen Consultants. It was there that he became a designer and met Tony Smith, who a decade later would become his partner in the Kitchensmiths venture. After much consideration, it was Martin’s father-in-law who came up with the name that to this day is synonymous with quality kitchens in Cambridgeshire and beyond. “We were in a very strong position when we started out, with Tony doing the fitting and me having experience from both sides,” 4 | Kitchensmiths
of our
heart homes at the
Picture: Cambridge News
years
25
Kitchensmiths co-founders Martin Smith and Tony Smith
Kitchens have always been the heart of the home; a place to congregate for family and friends. For 25 years, Kitchensmiths has been creating beautiful kitchens that bring people together, as well as crafting a reputation for the highest quality, founded on the experience and knowledge of its team.
said Martin. “I was running the showroom on my own, selling kitchens, and he was fitting them. “Tony worked for Kitchen Consultants for about 15 years, and because he had contact with every single customer they all knew him really well. He was an absolute gentleman – nothing was too much trouble and he would always go the extra mile for people.” In their first year, Martin and Tony sold almost double the amount of kitchens they had projected, and a year later they won their first award. Sadly, Tony passed away in 2003, but his trademark care and consideration have become the keystones of Kitchensmiths’ continued success. “One of the first customers we worked with remembered us from Kitchen Consultants,” Martin recalled. “They wanted a new kitchen. Last year that same customer came back and they asked us to modify it a bit. I saw the old kitchen we’d worked on back in ’93 and it was still perfect. We just put new worktops on for them, tiled it and it looked brilliant again.” The company grows now on recommendations, which account for over half of its new business. With the designers managing each project, it’s no wonder that the customer experience is so
Kitchensmiths co-founder Martin Smith, below, started working life as a 16-year-old apprentice cabinetmaker before moving into kitchens
Kitchensmiths’ showroom is regularly updated to display the latest state-of-the-art styles and appliances
pleasant, and when it comes to something as important as a new kitchen, that experience and care assure customers that they are in the right hands. Martin said: “Coming to the showroom and spending time with our designers starts that relationship, and that designer will follow them through the whole process. “They will go to the house, measure up, discuss what they’d like, put the design together, tweak it as many times as they need, then accept the order, talk to fitters and visit during fitting. It’s the whole job. “We have a plumber, electrician and fitters on our team – you need to get that mix of the right people. They’re fitting our products every day and they work with the designer very closely. They know how they work. “Any trades outside of that, such as plastering or tiling, get done by contractors,
“
We try to promote the fact that if you have anything in your kitchen that needs doing then come to us and we’ll sort it for you
Pictures: Keith Heppell
but even our contractors have worked with us for more years than I can remember and our designers oversee the job.” Quality and reliability have been the foundations of the business since its beginnings and have enabled Kitchensmiths to establish long-standing partnerships with some of the best manufacturers in Europe. The award-winning showroom is regularly updated to display the latest styles and appliances from carefully selected, top-ofthe-line suppliers. “We’ve changed 70% of the showroom displays in the last year. That’s not a common occurrence, I have to say, it’s certainly more than the average, but you have to move with the times,” said Martin. Along with the team, he’s built a portfolio of three German brands and one bespoke English manufacturer that leaves customers spoilt for choice. “I look back now and think ‘How did I do this?’” said Martin. “I had no business training when I started out – that’s why I began working with my hands. That’s what I enjoyed, and I hated the paperwork. “I still hate the paperwork, though it’s a necessary evil. The thing I now enjoy is making sure we get the right product, the right quality and the right price for our customers. “And, of course, when you take a kitchen and transform it into a dream kitchen that someone’s over the moon with, that’s my favourite thing.” Kitchensmiths | 5
Staying on
trend You have made the decision to grace your home with a new kitchen – a huge decision – so you want to make sure you get exactly what you want. But what to look for? Where to start? Choosing Kitchensmiths is your first decision made, but then what? Hélène, one of Kitchensmiths’ three designers, can help with those big decisions.
Textured wood units show the beauty of natural, traditional materials used in a contemporary style Picture: Bax
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Long, steel bar handles have been in vogue for the past few years, often paired with Shaker style, but trends are changing. “This year we are seeing feature walls of floor-to-ceiling units, with handleless units and flush appliances,” says Hélène. Drawers are released with the gentlest of touches and tall doors open then slide into a pocket, revealing a hidden kitchen, maintaining the illusion of a flat, wall-like bank. Colours continue the theme of ‘urban chic’, especially for contemporary kitchens with muted greys and natural whites as well as the cappuccino–latte tones. Mixed with textured wood – be it solid, veneer or even repro – the trend for two-tone kitchens continues. But Kitchensmiths’ two brand new displays show the newest moves for kitchen elegance. Deep wine smooth lacquer mixed with bookmatched laminate wood highlights some of the unique features of a Bax kitchen. “On our last trip to Germany we all fell in love with the new vibrant teal and blue tones on offer at Störmer Kitchens. So our new front display features an amazing curved island in just that,” says Hélène.
Units accommodating a cosy fire draw the kitchen into the home and everyone into the kitchen Picture: Störmer
Teamed with the new ceramic-look doors, the same display highlights another major trend coming through. The ceramic style gives your kitchen an earthy look and reproduces the textures, colours and patterns of solid ceramic, which can also feature as a worktop material. Kitchensmiths offers a range of bespoke options for unit fronts. Choose your kitchen in bog oak or book-matched precious veneers, feature an area in real slate or choose amazingly durable doors in Parapan, which is a solid acrylic panel. Split oak, with deep graining and knot detail, is being used for emphasis to create interesting texture and contrast, with tinted oils being used to wash the wood along the grain. Bookmatching veneers allow continuous graining from one door to the next, offering a sleek, harmonised look. Open-plan living is popular, but the kitchen can still feel detached from the living area. With this in mind, Kitchensmiths’ designers blur the lines between rooms, streamlining designs between cooking zone and living space, ensuring the kitchen remains the
centre of the home, whilst matching units used in dining and living spaces link the look. Kitchensmiths has taken the hard work out of choosing the brand of kitchen for you. Specially selected brands, chosen for their quality and style, include: rational – a long-established German kitchen supplier with design flair from its Italian parent company Snaidero; Bax – a small, German kitchen manufacturer offering the utmost bespoke service. It specialises in bookmatched laminates and veneers, bespoke units and its matching handleless rail system. Störmer is a good all-rounder when it comes to German quality. It offers contemporary and traditional at a variety of price points and offers niche products such as integrated ethanol fireplaces – another way to link the kitchen to the living space. Stoneham, our English brand, is more than 150 years old, with a royal warrant and based in Kent. It creates a beautiful hand-made look, as well as more contemporary offerings, and specialises in traditional woods and painted finishes. So much choice made clear with the guidance of one of our designers.
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Our designers will talk through your likes and dislikes, your dreams and aspirations, your wants and desires and will transform them into your dream kitchen Kitchensmiths | 7
w
arm oods
rational showcases two of its contemporary looks, highlighting strong bookmatching and softer curves.
Warm woods are the ideal partners for pairing up with stainless steel fronts. The exquisite-looking bookmatched walnut veneer and the real stainless steel front ino(x) characterise the look of this high-end design. When combined with wood, especially bookmatched veneer, kitchen fronts in stainless steel create timeless classics. They bring together wood, the material traditionally used for cabinet doors, with modern, easy-care stainless steel. Combining the materials of steel and wood conveys a sense of high quality, durability and elegance, creating a look that is both natural and sophisticated at the same time. The wood exudes warmth, which perfectly complements the cooler character of stainless steel. As far as absolute functionality is concerned, the kitchen planning scores top marks. Behind flexible, inwards-sliding pocket doors, various tall units feature the passe|par|tout organisation system, developed exclusively by rational, provide added value. Elegant, walnut-framed glass shelves, storage trays, textile pockets and wine racks create warm organisational accents. The wall unit area is framed either side by a custom-built panel shelving system in walnut, creating an exciting mix of open and closed compartments in doing so.
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& steel
With its finely curved fronts, onda ranks as a true classic among rational’s broad range of kitchen styles. As if mimicking the motion of a wave, the furniture fronts gently taper off towards the top and bottom. Here, white and copper harmonise superbly to create a homely ambience. The warm, lustrous shimmer of the appropriately apportioned copper lends the elegant, timeless colour white a hint of glamour. The reflections of the precious metal perfectly counterbalance the coolness of the white. This lifestyle kitchen combines design and function in a superb fashion. The softly contoured, tall units and the base units in the cooking island all offer plenty of storage space. Dynamic curves soften the flow while complimenting the vertical curves of the door. Everything is ergonomically shaped and totally user-friendly; even the fleetwood graphite breakfast bar is discreetly rounded. The wall-mounted base units of the sideboard take up onda’s dynamic lines, elegantly continuing them into the living area in a virtually seamless transition.
Curve&
shine
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In recent years, there has been a surge of automated products designed to make our busy lives easier. The kitchen is the heart of the home, so it’s no surprise that a whole range of gadgets and advances in home technology revolve around the things we enjoy most — cooking, eating and spending time with family and friends. One of the most popular innovations has been the boiling tap. With a supply of water simmering just under boiling point instantly available, making a hot drink is so simple. The use is not confined to hot drinks – sterilising babies’ bottles, filling saucepans, rinsing pasta, skinning tomatoes and topping up your flask just became easier with boiling water on tap. Another innovation is the entertainment tap, which can be set in a worktop or an island. Choose boiling, chilled, sparkling or ambient water at the push of a button. Both options save water and energy, as there is no need to run a hot tap or bring water to the boil – it’s efficiency with style!
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I love the versatility of the 4 in 1 Pronteau tap from Abode, with its boiling and filtered drinking water
– Hélène, Kitchensmiths designer
Coffee machines look great built into a tall unit, while warming drawers can not only heat your cups, plates and bowls, but can also be used for keeping food warm and even for slow or low-temperature cooking. Waste disposal units are a convenient way to deal with your organic kitchen refuse. There are no more grim compost bins to clean out – and remember, the final product still ends up making fertiliser. For technology buffs, why not introduce a pull-up socket, even with USB ports? These work great on an island, just where you need more power sockets, as well as offering the ability to charge your tablet or laptop. When it comes to phone charging, a clever solution is offered by DuPont – a wireless phone charger seamlessly built into a Corian work surface. A resonant charge sends energy through the worktop surface, enabling the user simply to place their phone on the worktop ‘hotspot’ to power it up. That’s one advance in kitchen technology which is a great call.
We all love gadgets From boiling taps to wireless chargers built into work surfaces, there is a host of clever products designed to make life easier - and just a bit more fun.
Picture: Keith Heppell
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The one thing everyone wants from their kitchen is to make the most of the available space they have, be it large or small, so storage solutions in the furniture are so important. There’s a balance between using every inch of space and making it accessible – and the Le Mans corner unit seems to have made that awkward corner one of the most favoured units in any kitchen. With its wide door and pivoting supports, the Le Mans trays bring everything out of the cupboard. Pull-out larders, swing-out pantries and a tall series of internal deep drawers are great options for food storage, while the crockery pegboard is a must for any dinner service. Pull-out bins in a dedicated unit have got recycling just where we want it – hidden and contained. But in a Kitchensmiths’ kitchen, the possibilities are endless.
Picture: Quooker
Picture: Adobe
Picture: Zip Water
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Beautifully crafted, bespoke kitchens Stoneham Kitchens is one of the UK’s longestestablished furniture manufacturers, with more than 150 years’ experience in creating stylish, bespoke kitchens. Family-owned for five generations, Stoneham is proud to deliver consistent craftsmanship and unfailing attention to detail. When you choose a Stoneham kitchen, you get a commitment to quality, the most rigorous standards of workmanship and a responsible approach to kitchen design and supply. Working in beautiful timbers and lacquered finishes, Stoneham creates stunning heritage kitchens, steeped in traditional in-frame features. Over-painted, brushed oak emphasises the wood grain, while lacquering in standard or bespoke colours creates infinite options. Its contemporary offerings include sleek, flat, door styles in wood veneers, lacquers and laminates, and the inclusion of Parapan brings a great range of solid acrylic doors which are completely waterproof and easy to maintain. Thinking completely outside the box, Stoneham has developed its own range of curved units, perfect for islands and the end of runs. Stylish and smooth, they are the most desired unit in any Stoneham kitchen, be it contemporary or traditional. Its bespoke service allows for special one-off pieces to be created for any space, as well as the finishing touches to personalised engraving on chopping boards and treats drawers. 12 | Kitchensmiths
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Hand-built using the finest materials, a Stoneham kitchen can be exactly what you want it to be
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Saving space
without compromise
Space-saving combi units for the kitchen, but without compromises in convenience or performance: This is what Miele offers more than any other manufacturer. Now the Gütersloh company is augmenting its line-up of products with the TwoInOne, an induction hob with an integrated extractor. The elegant and high-performance newcomer, which will be introduced in April, opens up whole new approaches to design in modern kitchens. On the 80cm wide hob unit, the centred extractor is recognisable only by its grille; technical components allowing recirculation or vented extraction are discreetly hidden in a kitchen cabinet below. The TwoInOne extracts vapours and odours
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“
The elegant and high-performance newcomer opens up whole new approaches to design in modern kitchens
reliably and precisely where they originate. There is no need for consumers to change their habits as pots and frying pans with a variety of diameters can be used. PowerFlex technology allows two rings to join up automatically when large pots or pans are placed on the surface. In TwinBooster mode, a large volume of water can be brought to the boil in next to no time. The food-warming and Stop & Go functions ensure additional convenience. The touch controls for the rings take the shape of runs of numbers with yellow indicators. A similar set of controls below the vent grille operates the extractor. Automatic controls adjust the extractor’s power output to what is cooking. At the end of cooking and after a brief fan run-on period, the extractor automatically switches itself off. A 10-ply, stainless steel grease filter housed in a box can be removed easily and cleaned in a dishwasher. And there’s no need to cry over spilled milk as spillovers are contained by a tray below the extractor grille.
Go
Where kitchens and living rooms merge, a clear design statement is needed – and Miele addresses this with its new ArtLine series of built-in appliances. The entire collection dispenses with handles, blends in seamlessly with the flush furniture fronts and interprets the concept of full appliance integration in a whole new way – optionally in graphite grey, brilliant white or obsidian black. ArtLine design encompasses a variety of products and allows entire kitchens to be designed without a single handle. The portfolio includes various ovens, hob units, warmer and heat-sealing drawers, a coffee machine, a wine conditioning unit, refrigeration products as well as dishwashers – all handleless versions from the Miele range. Cooker hood models which disappear behind furniture fronts when switched off round off the line-up. Miele customers can design their kitchens around their own preferences. ArtLine models are based on current built-in appliances from Miele’s Generation 6000 – with one significant difference. The function of the handle on a
handleless
conventional model is assumed by a sensor integrated into the fascia panel. Gently touching this sensor opens the motor-assisted door, damping its action as it reaches the fully open position. An oven can hardly be started with greater effect! Customers can choose between two ArtLine models: Price-entry models feature Miele’s DirectSensor controls whilst top-of-the-range offerings boast an M Touch display which is reminiscent of a smartphone in the way it interacts with its user and also offers a practical search function for automatic programmes. Both versions are without knobs and controls.
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Störmer – designed for modern living Störmer is a leading German kitchen manufacturer and for over 50 years has been creating a stunning mix of high-quality contemporary and modern classic styles. Designed for modern living, the Störmer collection combines form and function to ensure customers have access to over 300 kitchen choices and the latest interior storage solutions to achieve a super-sleek look. Whatever your style, Störmer offers a versatile palette of colours and finishes, including the opportunity to personalise your kitchen with 22,000 special colour options. It’s easy to create the finishing touches, whether it’s the new luxury Gocciadoro lighting system, complementary work surfaces or our exclusive Ebios fire centrepieces – Störmer likes to set the style standard.
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It’s the
little things...
Want some ideas on how to accessorise your kitchen? Look no further. So often in life it’s the little things that count. The detailing which makes you stand out from the crowd. A life less ordinary. If you are investing in a beautiful new kitchen, more often now showcased in family-friendly, open-plan layouts, why not include some accessories to wow your guests and, more importantly, create a beautiful working space and part of your home? Clever lighting can make the difference between a practical space and somewhere where it is an absolute delight to spend leisure time. Mood lighting can change the ambience of the kitchen from a practical preparation zone to an entertaining space. LED strip lights around an island unit or breakfast bar – or, more fashionably, on the top of units – can transform a room. Open-plan kitchens require a combination of lighting – bright, task-style for preparation, more intimate light for dining and a softer feel for after-dinner conversation. The ability to control the light is key – to be able to switch from the bright lights of the kitchen area to a sophisticated mood setting from overhead pendants in the dining space. Controls which enables you to set up your lighting moods – parties, cooking, even cleaning – can transform your living space. But as well as what is going on above your head, it is just as important to consider what is happening underfoot… natural stones or real wood look stunning but are not always the most practical materials for a kitchen. Manufacturers such as Amtico reproduce
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herringbone and basket-weave designs in a practical vinyl material and recreate very popular wood-look and stone-effect floors. Ceramic flooring is a timeless choice, in neutral, natural shades, and is often fitted with underfloor heating to avoid chilly toes when making the first coffee of the day. On your walls, try Marlborough ceramic tiles. They create beautiful handcrafted tiles even with bespoke images. Urban chic is currently a strong look which can be brought into the kitchen by using rear-embossed glass wall panels in patterns such as natural brick-coloured glass in gloss, matt or metallic shades. Decokiln from Decoglaze gives the illusion of brick but remains smooth on the outside for easy cleaning. So you’ve considered everything but the kitchen sink... stainless steel is still the material of choice, but Blanco also offers ceramic sinks in a variety of colours both sitting on the worktop and under-mounted, as well as its own special composite material, Silgranit, offering a matt stone appearance. Single large bowls are very popular, big enough to bath the baby! Even the humble tap can have a pull-out spray. It’s those little things, you see...
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Decokiln conveys great texture but is smooth for easy cleaning
– Clare, Kitchensmiths designer
Picture: Amtico
Picture: Decoglaze
Picture: Blanco
Picture: Keith Heppell
Picture: Blanco
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So, you have chosen the style of kitchen you like and may be considering some of the technology you want to include – but what about worktops? For a long time, the quality of a kitchen has been measured by the worktop that sits on the units, and granite was often used as an indicator of quality. Granite is by nature a unique material, with no two slabs being the same, so you are guaranteed that your neighbour cannot recreate the kitchen you proudly researched and had designed. The beauty of natural stone cannot be underestimated and the trend towards dramatic striated pieces is growing. Large, swirly patterned granites are being used as statement island pieces as well as dramatic wall panelling, but, of course, the sophisticated plains are still going strong. Polished granite adds drama to any kitchen and offers resistance to staining, while honed and flame-textured surfaces offer a softer, matt appearance. Reconstituted quartz is a man-made alternative to traditional stone worktops – mixing natural quartz with resin. Silestone is a superb example of a quartz worktop brand and comes in a huge range of colours and patterns. Because it is 94% quartz it is tough and durable as well as offering stain resistance, and delivers distinctive depth, brilliant clarity, glimmering radiance and the cool solid feel of natural stone. The newest worktop material on the block is Dekton. The sister product to Silestone, it is made under great heat and pressure in a sintering process - a bit like a man-made metamorphic rock. This produces an extremely tough, scratch-resistant and
heat-resistant material. This is the one worktop material that doesn’t need a trivet or chopping board – just don’t blunt your knife. Originally created as a building cladding, Dekton is supplied in 20mm thick slabs and works amazingly as a contemporary worktop. The most scratch-resistant colours have a matt finish and many have added texture pressed into their surface. One of the oldest and most proven manmade worktop materials is Corian. Invented by Du Pont, it celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Very different to granite and quartz materials, Corian is made from bauxite ore and acrylic. The acrylic content gives its amazing capability to be joined virtually invisibly, offering a near seamless worktop that can curve up the wall in a dramatic hygienic form. Everyday scuffs can be buffed out and the whole worktop can be rejuvenated with a sanding every few years. The Corian joining method means that any damage to your worktop can be repaired, so it offers great longevity – an amazing feature to future-proof your worktop. Corian sinks are seamlessly set into the worktop and offer the choice of plain white integral sinks or colour-matched, steel-based bowls. Coved upstands smoothly take the worktop up the wall to upstand to full wall cladding height. Integrated phone charging stations can be built into the worktop, shooting this worktop technology into the 21st century. Wooden worktops have been very popular in recent years and come in a wide range of hard wood and engineered timbers. Protected by a blend of natural oils applied a couple of times a year, they create a soft and Picture: Keith Heppell
“
Dekton couples practicality with beauty, being heat and scratchproof, and looks fabulous
Picture: Dekton by Cosentino
Sleek Dekton worktops offer textured drama 20 | Kitchensmiths
Virtually seamless Corian worktops flow into sinks
– Alex, Kitchensmiths designer
worktops
Work it with
Quality worktops can make a huge difference to your finished kitchen. Here’s some help on picking the right one for you.
Dramatic, swirling natural stone takes centre stage Picture: rational
warm form of worktop with natural character. Kitchensmiths supplier Spekva, from Denmark, buys timbers from only sustainably managed forests and produces beautifully finished timber worktops as well as unusually textured breakfast bars and accessory pieces. Only the best-quality laminate worktops are used by Kitchensmiths. They are easy to
maintain, and can be co-ordinated with door fronts and textures elsewhere in the kitchen. There is a wide variety of colours, finishes, thicknesses and edge profiles. Whichever worktop you choose, it is vital to choose a style you love, as well as a surface that will suit your lifestyle, as it is sure to last you a long time. Kitchensmiths | 21
Katrina’s new kitchen. Below, it features sleek modern lines Pictures: Keith Heppell
The ideal choice for our kitchen We catch up with a couple who knew exactly who to turn to for the perfect kitchen in the home they were building.
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Katrina’s first kitchen from Kitchensmiths
“
There is such attention to detail. The tradesmen are very good and very tidy and the quality is wonderful. – Katrina, customer
When Katrina and husband David decided to build their own home, there was one decision that had pretty much been made before the architect had put pencil to paper. Having been so delighted with the kitchen that had been installed by Kitchensmiths in her former property – pictured on this page – there was one choice for Katrina when it came to acquiring a gorgeous kitchen for her equally gorgeous new home in Swaffham Prior. “Clare was extremely professional when she designed my last kitchen,” explained Katrina. “And so knowledgeable. “I wasn’t an easy customer – there was a certain cooker hood I wanted and I wanted a double pull-out larder,” said Katrina, who chose a white gloss, handleless kitchen by rational with granite work surfaces and a customised cupboard. “When we put our house on the market, the agent thought the kitchen had just been put in, but it was 13 years old. I chose a
Katrina’s 13-year-old kitchen had a timeless quality
23 | Kitchensmiths
timeless design and it still looks really good. “This time, I had an idea of a horseshoeshaped island which I could stand in to cook at, but when Clare and I planned the kitchen, we decided it was not right for the shape of the room and it needed to be longer and narrower.” Instead, Katrina chose a river-washed timber seating area on her island – a stunning contrast to the dark grey Silestone work surface. The island also has a prep sink with a hot water tap and waste disposal, so Katrina can prepare lunch or supper and cook as she chats with friends, while the main sink is by the feature glass back panel. “There is such attention to detail,” said Katrina. “The tradesmen are very good and very tidy and the quality is wonderful. “A lot of people can get intimidated when they see independent showrooms, but the prices are actually very competitive and Kitchensmiths provide great service.”
Katrina’s first kitchen
Kitchensmiths | 23
Serving the
community A Cambridge church building its multi-million-pound facility approached Kitchensmiths for all of its kitchen and café requirements. It’s not just homes which have beautiful Kitchensmiths kitchens – a Cambridge church now has a great new facility. The C3 Centre in Coldhams Lane aims to reach the community around the church, as well as provide refreshments for its 700-plus congregation, so it turned to Kitchensmiths for help. Kitchensmiths recommended using the Unitec door style from Bax Kitchens, which offers the most robust finish suitable for multi-use spaces. Project director Chris Webster said: “The original brief for this new-build project had only a tea point, but the church needed kitchen facilities to support its current and future catering needs, such as lunch clubs, training events, plus day-to-day church activities and functions.” In addition to the new kitchen facilities, the church now has a chic café, designed by Kitchensmiths, which has a complex, stepped Corian worksurface with matching worktop and wall panelling. “For example, one such activity is the Friday Make Lunch. We can have upwards of 60 people in need attending a free two-course lunch. “There is also Men’s Breakfast and Wednesday Lunch Club, plus other users and bookings from outside the church. “C3 can now offer a kitchen that can meet the many and varied demands for catering facilities.” Chris continued: “I decided on the maximum space we should have without 24 | Kitchensmiths
detriment to overall functions of the building, and Kitchensmiths designer Clare Chapman had a good grasp of the C3 requirements and interpreted them clearly, resulting in a scheme that met the needs of the brief. “The kitchen is a significant asset to the life of the church. In an ideal world, we would have an even bigger kitchen. “C3 is a church, but its goal is to reach the community around it.”
Pictures: Keith Heppell
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Timeless
classic designs Bax has been manufacturing kitchens since 1890. Every kitchen is planned individually and lovingly made by hand. Exclusive materials, traditional craftsmanship, modern innovations and a passion to ensure that every single one of our kitchens is unique to fulfil your needs. Pure. Clear. Functional. The modern Bax kitchen. Timelessly beautiful, which means that in 20 years’ time it will still be as topical as it is today. We do not follow short-lived fads and fashions, but focus on classic design, clear lines and proven materials. Our craftsmanship and attention to detail are second to none, with bookmatched veneers and sleek, handless rails. Our generous storage solutions ensure optimum utilisation of your available space with ergonomic design features – pull-out larders, floating drawers and clever corners. Once you’ve bought a Bax kitchen you’ll never buy anything else. 26 | Kitchensmiths
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Traditional craftsmanship, exclusive materials and lots and lots of love
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Innovations in appliances
for your home
Want to cook like a pro? Then you need the right equipment. Serious home cooks like to produce restaurantstyle food and our kitchens are becoming increasingly equipped with professional-level appliances. How we prepare our food also determines the level of vitamins, minerals and nutrients retained – and a combi-steam oven, combined with a vacuum drawer, is the way forward for health-conscious foodies. Producing better-looking and tastier food, the gentle heat action of steaming not only preserves the flavour, colour and aroma of the food, but also allows it to maintain form and texture. Food retains its natural juices and remains moist; even reheating is termed regeneration. Perfect for vegetables, fish, pasta and rice, the steam-only oven can almost make your hob redundant. Meat cooks beautifully and stays succulent, and bread has that perfect crust when combining an oven function with the moisture of the steam in a combi-steam oven. The original sous vide style of cooking involved slow-cooking, in vacuum pouches, via a temperature-controlled water bath – now, with the aid of a built-in vacuum drawer, the steam oven can recreate this method, resulting in more tender textures and intense flavours. For those who love to entertain, a teppanyaki griddle can be integrated into your worktop. Based on the free-standing, iron hotplate used for Japanese grilling, it is perfect for centrepiece cooking whilst entertaining – to prepare barbecue-style meals, stir-fries or even a full English on a Sunday morning! Whilst the trend is for flush ceiling extractors offering discreet, effective ventilation, a hob-based extractor can be installed to take cooking steam and smells out of the room 28 | Kitchensmiths
through the floor – ideal for kitchens with extra-high or vaulted ceilings, when the hob is located centrally on an island. Bora produces three versions of its hobextractor combo and it’s fascinating to see the arc of steam as it disappears down through the vent. The Basic includes a central circular extractor whilst the Classic and Professional allow the combinations of separate induction, ceramic, gas, tepan or wok hobs. Using new technologies, Siemens has introduced a suite of wifi-enabled appliances that offer some really cool innovations. How many times have you been to the
Home Connect appliances are available from Siemens
supermarket without a shopping list (because you’ll remember what you need, of course) and returned without a crucial ingredient? Or forgotten to switch on the washing machine or dishwasher – and now you’re out for the day? Your life is about to be transformed – by technology which allows you to control your kitchen from your smartphone. The free Home Connect app allows your smartphone or tablet to connect to appliances which have the integrated chip and you can then access or remotely control them. So in the supermarket you can call up photos of the interior of your fridge, taken every time you shut
Pictures: Keith Heppell
the fridge door, just to see if you need to buy milk. The Home Connect app even has an integrated recipe book which can create the shopping list as well as tell you how to cook it with the right oven function. Home Connect is also available on Siemens’ built-in coffee machine, allowing you to take the order for your dinner party guests at the table, then the coffee machine can get on with the job. It’s the perfect addition for those with busy lifestyles: dinner can be ready when you come through the door... but you will still have to serve – although some day soon there may well be an app for that too! Kitchensmiths | 29
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A vacuuming drawer...
perfect partner
for your combi-steam oven
Gaggenau, the pioneer of steam cooking technology and healthy food preparation creates the perfect conditions for gentle sous-vide cooking. The new handleless vacuuming drawer 400 series enables food to be quickly and conveniently sealed, ideal for the precise practice of sous-vide cooking. Ingredients are ‘vacuumed’ with no loss of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Cooked at a consistently low temperature, the natural flavour of each ingredient is retained and an unrivalled texture is achieved. The vacuuming drawer can be integrated underneath the Gaggenau combi-steam ovens
400 series. The ovens, capable of steaming, baking, cooking and grilling, are also equipped with a sous-vide cooking function. This allows for accurate temperature regulation in one degree increments through the 50 to 95 degree range. In addition, the combi-steam ovens 400 series, with an integrated water supply, incorporates the world’s first fully automatic cleaning system. By simply inserting the cleaning cartridge into the oven ceiling and pushing a button, the oven is effortlessly cleaned, leaving the interior shining and hygienically clean after every use and within just four hours. Kitchensmiths | 31
Relax and let the experts help you Bewildered by the options? Or clear on what you would like? Either way, Kitchensmiths designers will guide you every step of the way.
Left, designer Alex presents his kitchen ideas to his client. Above, fitter Andy Edwards at work Pictures: Keith Heppell
Choosing Kitchensmiths to design and install your new kitchen is one of the wisest choices you can make. You will be guided and supported through the whole process – from your initial thoughts through to the final sweep of the floor by the installers. And, as you are valued clients, Kitchensmiths will always be available as you get used to your fabulous new kitchen. When you decide it is the time for change, pop in and see one of our highly-experienced designers – better still, make an appointment so that we can be sure to see you if it is busy in the showroom. 32 | Kitchensmiths
Your designer will show you around the styles and features of all Kitchensmiths’ kitchens and will start to focus on which styles please you. An appointment will then be made for a home visit. Your home meeting will be a relaxed, informal chat about you, your kitchen and your requirements. After taking detailed measurements, your designer will return to the showroom to translate all the information into a vision of your dream kitchen. Our walk-through visualisation and photographic CAD images will make your new kitchen come to life in front of your eyes.
A finished kitchen from the team at Kitchensmiths
This is supplied along with a detailed quotation package – which includes all aspects of the work involved – and presented by your designer at our showroom. Hopefully you will see your dream kitchen emerging, but our designers appreciate that kitchen designing is very personal, so we are more than happy to tweak a design so that you get exactly the kitchen you want. Your designer does not leave you there. Each designer is responsible for their projects from start to finish and project-manage the whole job for you with excellent administrative support. Our installation team members are all employed by us, so we know how wonderfully reliable they are. We recognise the qualities of great craftsmen and the importance of being clean and tidy, polite and helpful, friendly and approachable – as well as having the skill to do a great job. Our installers have all the relevant qualifications to carry out their work, be that electrics, plumbing, tiling or flooring, so you can be assured that the quality of their tradesmanship will complement the beauty of your stunning new Kitchensmiths kitchen. And once their work is done and your kitchen has been left in immaculate condition, it’s over to you to get creative in the kitchen.
“
We want you to have the kitchen that you dreamed of - this is all part of the Kitchensmiths’ service
– Alex, Kitchensmiths designer
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Experience the elite studioLine from Siemens. Designed for those who value the ultimate in design, innovation and intelligent features. The characteristic design of the studioLine range balances clean lines with intuitive controls and state-of-the-art technology for an unparalleled experience. Wi-fi enabled Siemens home appliances with Home Connect functionality, co-ordinated design, stainless steel handles, stainless steel disc control and bigger, brighter TFT touchDisplays combine to create the ultimate compliment to your kitchen.
Cooking with steam. fullSteam The fullSteam studioLine oven combines all the heating modes of a full-featured oven with those of a steam cooker, in one single appliance. Ideal for fish and vegetables, nutrients are retained and food is left beautifully flavoursome. It’s easy to operate and also simple to refill the concealed one litre water container – press a button to open the front panel, remove the container, fill it and you’re ready to steam ahead.
activeClean Heating the cavity up to 480°C, activeClean® burns away all dirt and grime to save time. The self-cleaning feature can also be used with pyrolytic proof telescopic rails and bars.
pulseSteam Prepare perfectly juicy and crispy dishes with pulseSteam and other cooking functions like hot air to create a wider variety of meals that make the appliance more flexible.
Siemens. The future moving in. 34 | Kitchensmiths
Try something new with NEFF How do you like to cook your favourite meals? From your own tried and tested creations to experiments with new flavours and textures, our ovens are designed to help enhance the dishes you love to cook. With innovations in steam, settings for prime meat joints and helpful suggestions at every step of the way, we’re confident that our ovens will inspire you to try something new. Or try the slide and hide ovens unique to NEFF. Of course, no matter what setting you choose, CircoTherm® will always be on hand to ensure an even temperature is reached and maintained as quickly as possible. NEFF Steam Cooking – the perfect choice for adventurous cooks With two dedicated steam cooking systems available, creating dishes with added moisture, flavour and nutrients is easy with a NEFF oven. Our FullSteam 100% pure steam cooking is a wonderful way to cook fresh vegetables and incorporate healthier eating practices into your diet. If fresh bread and roast meats are a regular show-stopper at your table, our VarioSteam® added moisture function is perfect for succulent meat and boulangerie-worthy baguettes.
Slide and hide ovens unique to NEFF ComfortFlex telescopic rails
Kitchensmiths | 35
Celebrating
years
25
KITCHENSMITHS LTD 4 STATION ROAD HISTON CAMBRIDGE CB24 9LQ 01223 236456 info@kitchensmiths.co.uk www.kitchensmiths.co.uk
36 | Kitchensmiths
Celebrating
years
25
KITCHENSMITHS LTD 4 STATION ROAD HISTON CAMBRIDGE CB24 9LQ 01223 236456 info@kitchensmiths.co.uk www.kitchensmiths.co.uk
36 | Kitchensmiths