Kitchen Design
Kitchen of the Week
Kitchen of the Week: Green, White and Wood With a Window Seat
A cozy and practical cooking-dining space provides a strong indoor-outdoor connection
The owner of this Victorian family home in London came to interior designer Jo Llogarajah for help with space planning, as well as design ideas and furnishings. An architect had created the back addition, and Llogarajah was asked to design an interior layout for it to suit the family’s needs. The owner wanted the freshly extended kitchen with dining and lounging areas and include a utility room and a powder room.
In the kitchen area, Llogarajah added plenty of storage. In addition to the lower units, there are upper cabinets, full-height cabinets on the right (partially out of shot here), a slim full-height pantry cabinet next to the refrigerator and drawers on the other side of the island.
“This made it an easy decision to add the open oak shelving,” she says. The shelves allow space for personalization, as well as giving the design room to breathe.
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“This made it an easy decision to add the open oak shelving,” she says. The shelves allow space for personalization, as well as giving the design room to breathe.
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Llogarajah’s color scheme for the kitchen took in the owner’s desire for something that would look timeless and neutral, as well as bringing a bit of the outdoors in. The earth-toned green, gray and wood sit against a crisp, pale background.
The cabinets were bought white and spray-painted this soft sage shade. The countertops are engineered quartz in a Carrara marble-look finish, and the flooring is oak parquet.
The cabinets were bought white and spray-painted this soft sage shade. The countertops are engineered quartz in a Carrara marble-look finish, and the flooring is oak parquet.
Another key storage space is under the cushioned L-shaped window seat that Llogarajah designed. Deep drawers pull out all the way around.
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“For a window seat to be comfortable, go for a [20- to 22-inch] depth,” Llogarajah says. “This one is a little deeper because of the window being a bit set in.” On the right side of the seat, Llogarajah designed an integrated table that can be used to place a drink or snacks.
The dark wood of the integrated table was chosen to tie in with this little metal side table opposite it.
The real focal point, though, is the corner fireplace, which makes this an even cozier place to sit. “We looked at a few options, but I liked how, with this one, you see it from two angles and it’s open to the whole kitchen space,” Llogarajah says.
She added lots of different options for displaying plants — hanging, wall mounted and on different surfaces. They help to further tie the scheme to the backyard beyond.
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The real focal point, though, is the corner fireplace, which makes this an even cozier place to sit. “We looked at a few options, but I liked how, with this one, you see it from two angles and it’s open to the whole kitchen space,” Llogarajah says.
She added lots of different options for displaying plants — hanging, wall mounted and on different surfaces. They help to further tie the scheme to the backyard beyond.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
A generous dining space runs parallel to the kitchen. Against the wall is a bench seat containing drawers. The tall cabinet at the far end is one of a pair that bookend the bench. This one houses a boiler, while the other (out of shot) contains a tea and coffee station.
The cushions and artwork, in shades of blue, green and orange, bring dynamic color to the space, adding personality.
Sustainability is always a key consideration in Llogarajah’s projects. “Several existing elements were carefully integrated into the new design,” she says. Along with all the kitchen appliances and the sink, her design also incorporated the owner’s existing dining table and chairs to minimize waste.
“The design is tailored to seamlessly incorporate [all] these pieces, meaning the reused items feel intentional, as though they were always part of the overall scheme,” she says.
The cushions and artwork, in shades of blue, green and orange, bring dynamic color to the space, adding personality.
Sustainability is always a key consideration in Llogarajah’s projects. “Several existing elements were carefully integrated into the new design,” she says. Along with all the kitchen appliances and the sink, her design also incorporated the owner’s existing dining table and chairs to minimize waste.
“The design is tailored to seamlessly incorporate [all] these pieces, meaning the reused items feel intentional, as though they were always part of the overall scheme,” she says.
Looking toward the back of the kitchen, you can see how it connects to the rest of the ground floor.
Llogarajah laid patterned tiles in the hallway in a subtle nod to the home’s Victorian heritage. “The owner wasn’t sure about the patterned floor when I first showed him, but said, ‘Leave it with me, it might grow on me.’ And it did,” Llogarajah says. “It’s a nice thing when a client is open to new things — things they might have been nervous to do themselves or just wouldn’t have thought of. Then you do it, and they love it.”
The large mirror reflects light from the addition into the hallway, helping to brighten the darker room. A pocket door can separate the spaces when necessary.
Beyond the righthand doorway, Llogarajah created a new home office. The slim space runs adjacent to the powder rooms and utility room (see the floor plan, below).
Llogarajah laid patterned tiles in the hallway in a subtle nod to the home’s Victorian heritage. “The owner wasn’t sure about the patterned floor when I first showed him, but said, ‘Leave it with me, it might grow on me.’ And it did,” Llogarajah says. “It’s a nice thing when a client is open to new things — things they might have been nervous to do themselves or just wouldn’t have thought of. Then you do it, and they love it.”
The large mirror reflects light from the addition into the hallway, helping to brighten the darker room. A pocket door can separate the spaces when necessary.
Beyond the righthand doorway, Llogarajah created a new home office. The slim space runs adjacent to the powder rooms and utility room (see the floor plan, below).
A plan of the ground floor shows how everything fits together.
In the hallway, a bench seat containing cubbyholes for shoes is tucked under the stairs.
One of the project’s challenges was devising a way to separate this new downstairs powder room from a utility cupboard that sits to its left as they’d originally been designed as one room. Llogarajah closed the spaces and altered access to the utility area.
Wall paneling paint: Off-Black, wall paint: Pavilion Gray, both Farrow & Ball
Wall paneling paint: Off-Black, wall paint: Pavilion Gray, both Farrow & Ball
Llogarajah created a simple, elegant palette in the hallway and added a runner on the stairs. In this photo, you get a better look at the floor tiles.
Hallway paint: Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball
Hallway paint: Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A father and his two sons, plus two dogs
Location: Southeast London
Size: 360 square feet (33 square meters); 16½ by 22 feet
Designer: Jo Llogarajah of Studio JKL
The ground floor had already been stripped out by the builders when Llogarajah joined the project. “The owner hadn’t originally thought to use an interior designer, but when he got the architect’s layout back, it wasn’t quite what he’d been thinking of, so he came to me,” she says.
“It was about what was going to go where and how best to optimize the space. The owner told me what he wanted to include and we worked on a number of options until we got to the perfect layout.”
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