Warm grey kitchen in Chislehurst

Over the years we’d helped James and Alison refurbish their previous home, including their kitchen, utility room, bedrooms and study. So, when they moved, it was a pleasure to work with them again to create a fabulous, open plan kitchen for their new home.

They wanted to make the most of the beautiful, lantern-roofed extension, creating a space which is perfect for family gatherings and entertaining friends.

Space to work and relax

Thanks to the large, light-filled extension, we had plenty of room to play with.

A U-shaped kitchen was clearly going to be the best use of space. We filled two of the sides with the main appliances and storage, installing a lower unit on the third side to balance the design while maintaining an airy feel.

We made the most of the expansive area by creating a substantial island in the centre of the kitchen.

The open plan design gives easy access to the sunlit dining area.

Blending modern and traditional design

James and Alison chose a traditional, shaker-style door for their cabinets. We partnered them with polished nickel cup pull handles and matching knobs from the Armac Martin ‘Queslett’ Collection.

However, they didn’t want to go too far down the ‘country cottage’ look, so the doors are built in a more modern frameless style.

We made the cupboard and drawer units from oak. The doors are in painted ash, incorporating soft-close mechanisms.

The worktops also add a contemporary touch to the kitchen. The island and sideboard tops are made from the fabulous Carrara quartz; pure white with grey marbling. The sink and adjoining countertops are in Corian Glacier White. Both are beautiful and practical worksurfaces.

Behind the countertops, the splashbacks are made from 6mm toughened glass which has been back-painted including a rainbow sparkle effect, adding a touch of magic to the room.

The warmth of a grey kitchen

Grey kitchens are in demand at the moment. But it’s important to select the right tone of grey. A cold grey is great if you want a space with an industrial, minimalistic feel. But in a cheerful family kitchen like this one, warm greys are always the way to go.

We selected Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone for the upper cabinets and full height units. This lighter grey gives the kitchen a bright, spacious feel, which is important because it doesn’t have windows to bring in natural light.

The lower cabinets, island and splashbacks are painted in Farrow & Ball Mole’s Breath. This darker grey helps to ground the design and creates an attractive contrast with the lighter paintwork and white worktops.

Paradise island

The central island is the jewel in the crown of this kitchen. The cooking area perfectly matches the cabinet and worktop design elsewhere in the kitchen. At the dining room end of the island is a beautifully curved, 40mm thick, solid oak bar.

This vibrant, eye-catching feature provides a great spot for guests to chat to the cook. Thanks to the pop-up socket in the worksurface, it’s also an ideal place for the family to relax or work, while still being together in the same room.

With drawers of varying depths on three sides of the island, it also provides a huge amount of extra storage space.

A chef’s dream kitchen

This kitchen isn’t just about relaxing and enjoying time together, it also includes all the appliances an enthusiastic home chef might need.

The central island incorporates a large Siemens induction hob with a separate gas wok burner. The integrated downdraft extractor running along the back of the hob does away with the need for an obtrusive, noisy, overhead extraction system.

Moving around the walls of the room we come to the double sink which includes twin Quooker hot water taps, delivering immediate boiling water whenever you need it.

Below the sink is an integrated Siemens dishwasher and a rubbish bin. Moving further around the room, a Siemens freezer is also integrated into the cabinetry.

At the back of the room, an array of four Miele PureLine ovens; two single ovens, a combi microwave oven and a combi steam oven. This ensures that any style of cooking, for any number of guests, is a breeze.

To the right of the ovens is an integrated Siemens fridge, providing ample cold storage space without overpowering the kitchen design. To the left is a large chef’s pantry cupboard.

Want to see how we did it?

Here’s a time lapse video showing the full refurbishment.

A happy client makes a happy home

We were delighted with this finished kitchen and hoped it would give James and Alison everything they wanted. Fortunately, it did!

This firm is a class act. Vince and his team have done an exceptional job on our kitchen and bedrooms. The quality of their craftwork is second to none and we have been very happy with every aspect of their work. They cannot be faulted.

James Heath

If you want to create your dream kitchen in grey, or any other colour, then we’d love to hear from you. You can visit our showroom or give us a call on 01959 53 22 33 to arrange a design consultation.