Luxury US design for a big and bright family kitchen
We hear about the design process behind James Blake's luxury American-style kitchen renovation, including white panelling and a double fridge-freezer
Kitchen come living rooms are increasingly popular these days and a great option for homeowners with a talent for hosting. They bring the chef into the action and the action to the chef in an open plan space that makes for a great atmosphere.
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This is evidenced perfectly in the Deal’s luxury American style kitchen and here’s how it came about.
The project in a nutshell:
Who lives here? Ellie and James Deal, their three sons and dog
Location: Wandsworth
Designer: James Blake, Blakes London
Decade the property was originally built: Edwardian period
It was a labour of love to fix up the Edwardian property Ellie and James bought in 2016. They were lucky that the previous owner and her daughter had already drawn up plans to renovate the property – although sadly the owners hadn’t been able to make the changes – seeing the previous plans inspired the couple.
“It was seeing their plans that really inspired us to go ahead and buy. We just had to modify them slightly as we have quite a large family,” says Ellie.
A love of the East Coast informed the design. Panelling plays a central part, covering the island and the ground-level counters spanning the kitchen. “I adore the shiplap panelling of American homes”, explains Ellie, “I knew I wanted to bring it back to London and Jem was the man to do it.” Jem Clarke was the couple’s design consultant.
Adding to the ‘laid-back’ vibe of the room is a roomy American-style fridge-freezer and double pantry larder. Perfect for a large family who enjoy entertaining.
We spoke to designer James Blake about a few aspects of how the project came together.
What was your favourite part of the project?
The great rapport developed between myself and the client, Ellie, was fantastic. The more we met the more we had faith in each other’s abilities. We delivered the brief with absolute certainty.
How did you design the entrance to the room?
We considered lowering floor levels in the lounge area to create interest, but we ended up using three equally spaced Crittal door openings in the zone to create a dramatic entrance.
If chilled luxury out was the aim, it has most certainly been reached in this design.
It has the space to incorporate three main aspects which create a flowing feel to the aesthetic of the room: a luxurious island, open plan setting and an eight-seater wooden dining table.
An expanse of white marble makes a luxurious worktop choice and offers refreshing collaboration with the natural woodgrain that is bought out in the bespoke oak cabinets.
