An Unforgettable Space
Utopia Magazine
With six storeys and 7,500 square foot, this new build townhouse in Hampstead, north London required an extra special interior design. Award-winning architect Mark Ruthven designed this semi-detached property and then called upon fitted furniture specialist Artichoke, to carry out the design, production and installation of the luxurious interior, including the bespoke kitchen and bathroom. Artichoke worked with the architect to create an unforgettable space with the highest quality furniture and fittings.
Clients nowadays are looking to the kitchen as the primary living space, the focus of the house. It is now a space for living and entertaining and somewhere for the family. This project falls into this category. It is open-plan, with the kitchen opening on to the formal dining area, Mark says of this exquisite kitchen design
This seamless space is an internal landscape in itself with areas that blend into one another. The open-plan, double height kitchen comprises two main areas: The run and the island…
A vast panelled wall was erected to one side of the dining area to provide height and contemporary detail. This catches the eye and leads its gaze up 4.5m to the first floor mezzanine above. This impressive panelled wall was created by Artichoke and is made of large American Quarter Sawn oak panels, which flow all the way down the wall and sweep into the kitchen area.
This sleek wall harbours an integrated mini office, complete with removable trays and filing facilities, a fridge freezer, built-in ovens and generous larder storage. All of these integrated features lead towards the main run of the kitchen, which is also formed from American oak. This area includes a sink and hob as well as plenty of timber drawers for pots and pans.
The kitchen’s
distinct island
is “finished
in a high gloss
pigmented lacquer,
which is built
up in layers,
cut back and
then hand burnished
by Artichoke’s
cabinet-makers
to ensure the
flattest possible
finish and
deepest shine.
To create the
feeling that
the top of
the island
is one large
piece of composite
stone, a number
of stone panels
were mitred
at each edge
and fixed,”
says Andrew
Petherick,
director at
Artichoke.
The island
has a sink,
microwave,
cutlery drawer,
open storage
and a bin built
into it…
The glamorous and decadent main bathroom in this home is part of a 1,000 sq ft master suite. The brief to the architect and design team was to provide an open-plan shower, separate bath, vanity space, storage and separate WC. “Colours and materials are of a palette of simple, neutral tones that run through the rest of the house, such as light stained oak,” says the architect. This colour is set against a neutral white background and a back lit onyx plate.
“Design ideas were prepared from concepts initially prepared by the architect and then drawn up for cabinet-making purposes by Artichoke’s creative and technical design teams. Cabinetry shelves are oak finished in Oswax with hand applied pigmented lacquer,” Andrew explains. The backlit onyx plate in this room is a striking and complimentary addition to the stark white of the roaming limestone floor and luxurious bathtub.
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