Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen of the Week: Cabinets Make a Bold Statement
This one-of-a-kind kitchen in a Victorian house is a testament to what can be achieved with a little bravery
When the owners of this Victorian terraced house in North London purchased the property, it was in a state of total disrepair. Their taste was traditional, but they were inspired by architect Melissa Robinson’s suggestion of a split-level reception area, with four floors over two stories (a basement, kitchen level, sitting room level and study level). “They were pretty brave and took a bit of a blind leap in trusting us,” Robinson says. The kitchen, on the second of the four floors, was to be something a little different from the rest of the traditional Victorian home.
“The kitchen cabinetry is a massive piece, with units coming up from the basement, through the kitchen and back up over into the study,” Robinson says. “We wanted it to be so big to introduce volume, because it has impact.”
The choice of gray and yellow was client-driven. “Yellow came up early in the design process,” Robinson says, “but the key for the kitchen was the exposed plywood. We recommended and worked with a company called Uncommon Projects for the kitchen.”
The choice of gray and yellow was client-driven. “Yellow came up early in the design process,” Robinson says, “but the key for the kitchen was the exposed plywood. We recommended and worked with a company called Uncommon Projects for the kitchen.”
The clients wanted to avoid the bifold doors they’d seen on additions to period properties throughout London, and instead went for a steel-framed expanse that gives a nod to more traditional design. Windows on either side of hinged doors can be opened, providing flexibility with the ventilation.
The designers went for partially open storage for the wall cabinets. “We wanted there to be continuity as it went up the wall,” Robinson says. “It starts to form more of a bookcase at the study level, and keeping that openness was a nice way of bringing it down into the kitchen, where it’s a combination of shelving and closed units.”
Robinson installed a large skylight in the side addition area to bring maximum light into the kitchen. The voids themselves act almost as skylights, as they allow light to penetrate through the connected spaces.
Robinson kept the original staircase in the rest of the house, and its form creates beautiful lines in the kitchen area that bring a soft end to the shelving units. By bringing the steps that lead down into the kitchen out of the main stairwell, it allowed the architect to create an interesting, multilevel effect, as well as carve out a passage that leads to the new basement area.
To allow the light from the kitchen to penetrate into the hallway, Robinson installed a window between the two spaces. The steel railings with an antique finish tie in with the steel-framed doors and are reminiscent of the metal banisters frequently seen in Victorian houses.
To allow the light from the kitchen to penetrate into the hallway, Robinson installed a window between the two spaces. The steel railings with an antique finish tie in with the steel-framed doors and are reminiscent of the metal banisters frequently seen in Victorian houses.
For lighting, they went for surface-mounted spotlights. “I’m not a huge fan of recessed spots,” Robinson says. “You can play with surface-mounted ones more. They give a lot more flexibility, particularly with the shelving system — you can direct them wherever you like.”
The idea was to create a kitchen island that would be multidirectional. “It’s a massive island with access on all sides,” Robinson explains. “So near the dining area, there’s a cupboard for tableware; the side that faces the kitchen is used for pots and pans; the part facing the staircase is more decorative, with open storage; and there’s a cupboard for occasional-use things on the remaining side.”
The dining table came from next door. “A neighbor was downsizing, so she gave the owners the table and chairs – they came in over the garden fence,” Robinson says.
To create a link with the exterior, she continued the dark limestone tiles out from the kitchen onto the patio.
Carnforth tiles: Fired Earth
Get pro tips for bringing the outdoors into your kitchen
To create a link with the exterior, she continued the dark limestone tiles out from the kitchen onto the patio.
Carnforth tiles: Fired Earth
Get pro tips for bringing the outdoors into your kitchen
One of the major challenges of the project was the structure. “It was quite complicated,” Robinson says. “We took out some of the main pieces of structure, and because of the split levels, we were limited in where we could put new structure in, so we had to get steel in quite cleverly. The column in the middle is key.”
A second skylight above the kitchen end of the living room, which acts as a play area, adds to the abundant light.
Wall paint: Purbeck Stone, Farrow & Ball
A second skylight above the kitchen end of the living room, which acts as a play area, adds to the abundant light.
Wall paint: Purbeck Stone, Farrow & Ball
The goal was to have a modern kitchen in a house that otherwise retains its Victorian feel. “We didn’t want to destroy the fact that it’s a Victorian home,” Robinson says. The darker wall color seen here is quite cozy, and the owners’ furniture enhances the traditional feel.
Wall paint: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball; floor paint: Railings, Farrow & Ball
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Wall paint: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball; floor paint: Railings, Farrow & Ball
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Who lives here: A couple and their two children
Location: North London
Size: 323 square feet (30 square meters); part of a house with four bedrooms and two bathrooms
Architect: Melissa Robinson of MW Architects
Kitchen designer: Uncommon Projects
This Victorian house had a 50-50 split between the front and back, meaning the front of the house was exactly half a story higher than the back of the building. Architect Melissa Robinson decided to use this opportunity to create something unusual for her clients.
“We wanted to manipulate the existing terrace in a different way to normal,” she says. As well as extending the property at the side, she carved out a basement that now houses a laundry room, powder room and extra storage.