Cooking up a storm

There are so many elements to designing a kitchen that I’d need a few pages to do it justice. So, I’m fast forwarding to the exciting bit – choosing your cabinetry.

Grey colour ways have been around for a while now and nothing looks nicer than a grey kitchen. Anthracite, dove grey, platinum, cobble grey and many other shades in between take you from a light colour, through to darker hues. Grey works well in both a modern kitchen and a classic shaker design. The most popular choice of handle colour is chrome, but to add a bit more of a statement, choose copper or gold. If you’re a total minimalist, go handle less.

Navy and indigo colours look amazing in a kitchen. A friend of mine chose a contemporary navy/white kitchen and it looks fabulous (with Stonebridge you can have 2 x colours if your house type has an island). White Silestone worktops and navy glass splash backs complete the look. For a more traditional, yet slightly edgy look, choose a navy shaker cabinet, complemented with white worktops and gold handles.

The new trend coming through is for green cabinets. Again, this would look great with chrome, gold or copper accessories.

There are some fantastic integrated appliances on the market for those who like the odd indulgence or two – wine coolers, warming drawers and barista inspired coffee machines – make your kitchen all about you.

As with every design scheme you need to consider lighting, flooring and accessories. Crockery, kitchen utensils, electrical appliances and storage cannisters can bring colour into your scheme, or add some warmth with wooden options. Some people like to keep all worktops clear and hide all kitchen equipment away in cupboards – I’m a minimalist so it’s all behind doors for me – but it’s totally up to you.

Catherine, Interior Designer, Bert and Wills