Artichoke was asked to meet the owners of this listed stucco-fronted Victorian Villa in Holland Park by interior design and architecture specialists Studio Indigo.
A bespoke, painted kitchen was to be created into a room which was once a formal drawing room with high ceilings. The existing ceiling beams and frieze were to be retained and a kitchen design was required to complement the scale of the room and its ornate plaster work.
The key design challenge was how to work with the room’s tall ceilings; it was important to design furniture which worked at scale with the room but was, at the same time, practical for the client. Coupled with this, the kitchen was to be used by the family and their staff, so it was a busy room.
A large Wolf gas hob was specified, which could be used by all family members of the busy household, as well as outside caterers.
The outside wall behind the hob allowed us to specify an externally located extraction motor to keep motor noise levels to a minimum. A pair of Wolf ovens were also designed into a tall stack, allowing one person to work at the hob while another operates the ovens.
Use of a large Sub Zero fridge freezer on the opposite side of the room allowed our design team to create balance and proportion with a large double door larder cabinet. In between this, we created a glazed crockery display dresser on bespoke period sliding door tracks.
The mouldings used in the kitchen furniture were designed and scaled to match and compete with the mouldings found in the ornate, plasterwork ceiling. The furniture was made using a solid hardwood frame with oak veneered birch ply carcasses for stability.
The drawers, which were hand-dovetailed, are lined in cork to dampen sound as items are placed into them. The marble for the island and backsplash is Calacatta Oro, which has beautiful veining ranging from gold to inky blue.
Together with Studio Indigo we created a light space which works both aesthetically with the interior and also resonates well with the exterior stucco architecture.
The kitchen now fulfils its robust and practical design requirements needed for both family living and entertaining.
