Barrow Road Transitional Kitchen, London

Hawkins and his clients were keen to avoid creating a vast, nondescript space. “It had to be light and open but not feel cold or soulless,” he says. Materials including wood, ceramic and concrete were key to the characterful feel of the room. “It’s important to use natural materials that age well wherever possible,” he adds. Design details were also an important part of adding personality. The door next to the refrigerator, which leads to the pantry, is vintage, but others are new and designed to echo the architectural style. “They’re a mixture. Some are reused from the original house; some were made to match by the contractor,” Hawkins says. The exposed wall is made from bricks cut into tiles. Paint: Strong White (walls and island) and Down Pipe (perimeter cabinets), Farrow & BallFind bucket-seat bar and counter stools in the Houzz Shop

Hang pendants over furniture. If you do want to add pendant lights to a room with a low ceiling, let them hang over a kitchen table or island or over a bedside table where they can illuminate an important area and create a statement feature without the possibility of anyone walking into them.How to Get the Pendant Lights Right

Back wall cabinets lit and lights hung over furniture to balance low ceiling

Kitchen shelving no wall cabinets

Tabourets magnifiques, jaime le mur de brique avec les poutrelles blanches au plafond

large breakfast bar, with nothing on it

An example of bricks I DON’t LIKE

The big kitchen next to the sitting room