MULTIFUNCTIONAL STYLE After over a year of living with lockdowns, flexibility and work-life balance have become key for most of us Now more aware than ever of the need for multifunctional spaces for working, schooling, exercising and relaxing, we see the kitchen not just as the heart of the home, but also as an ‘everything space’, doubling up as an office, classroom, gym and even a bar. Finished just before the pandemic hit, this Arbor kitchen in South London has been a blessing for the homeowners, a family with young children. “We use it pretty much for everything - cooking, studying, reading, playing, dining 18 - www.refurbandrestore.co.uk
and sometimes working”, the owner confirms. Previously four cramped rooms, including a garage, a laundry room, a dining room and the existing kitchen, the space was opened up to create a light-filled open-plan layout with easy access to the outdoors. On top of the homeowners’ wish list was storage, so the Harvey Jones designer planned lots of cupboard space through dressers mounted on either end of the worktop
that runs along the back wall and a pantry concealed behind panelled double doors. The central island also allows for pan drawers and a double cupboard, as well as bar seating, while a large wooden table for more formal dining is set a small distance apart from all the action. Colour has been used expertly to offset the inky cabinetry, painted in ‘Keep the Peace’ by Valspar and the Calacatta Bluette marble worktops. Wooden
