Kitchen of the Week: Bold Color and Sweeping Curves
This orange, blue and white London kitchen, breakfast bar and seating area flow in a sinuous S
“This was a very tricky project technically, but the owner had a really clear idea of how she wanted it to look,” says Maria Pennington, who designed this striking kitchen and seating space in an Edwardian home in west London.
The owner had drawn up sketches of an S-shaped configuration, incorporating a kitchen, breakfast bar and generous sofa in one continuous, flowing design. Many kitchen companies she approached would not take on the design of the sofa, but Pennington, who runs her own design business, was happy to embrace the challenge and piece together the design. “I refined her drawings and had it all made to suit the space,” she says.
The owner had drawn up sketches of an S-shaped configuration, incorporating a kitchen, breakfast bar and generous sofa in one continuous, flowing design. Many kitchen companies she approached would not take on the design of the sofa, but Pennington, who runs her own design business, was happy to embrace the challenge and piece together the design. “I refined her drawings and had it all made to suit the space,” she says.
The house was being gutted and renovated when Pennington was called in to rethink the kitchen. “When I first visited, the kitchen was bright yellow!” she says.
The owners were opening out the ground floor, with the exception of the living room at the front, and were adding on to the back of the house. “They needed a whole new design for this space,” Pennington adds.
The owners were opening out the ground floor, with the exception of the living room at the front, and were adding on to the back of the house. “They needed a whole new design for this space,” Pennington adds.
The kitchen space itself is fairly compact but designed to maximize the available room so that the owner can fit in all the essentials.
“I had to make sure there was enough space to work in, and that the cupboards can all open easily and you can move around comfortably,” Pennington says. “We didn’t fit curved cabinets, as that would have been prohibitively expensive. These are all flat-fronted designs.”
Faucet: Quooker; sink: Franke
“I had to make sure there was enough space to work in, and that the cupboards can all open easily and you can move around comfortably,” Pennington says. “We didn’t fit curved cabinets, as that would have been prohibitively expensive. These are all flat-fronted designs.”
Faucet: Quooker; sink: Franke
One of the owner’s key specifications was that the design look seamless and uniform. “She didn’t want it to be: Here’s a seating area, there’s a kitchen, there’s a breakfast bar,” Pennington says. “So we had to use a material that unified the two spaces. I suggested Corian, as it can be made [custom] so it’s seamless.”
Now a single piece of Corian in Glacier White forms the breakfast bar and sweeps around the back of the seating before becoming the windowsill. “It’s all at the same height as the breakfast bar and in the same material, creating a sense of flow between the spaces,” she says.
Now a single piece of Corian in Glacier White forms the breakfast bar and sweeps around the back of the seating before becoming the windowsill. “It’s all at the same height as the breakfast bar and in the same material, creating a sense of flow between the spaces,” she says.
The owner wanted to be able to seat eight people here. “She specifically wanted a proper sofa you could snuggle up on, rather than just a cushioned bench,” Pennington says. “I thought this might be a challenge given the space, but once we had it all made, it worked really well and is incredibly comfortable.”
The sofa, not surprisingly, had to be custom-made. “We had it templated once the curved wall had been built,” Pennington says. “The curve of the sofa follows exactly the same angles and shape as the breakfast bar, so it’s a mirror image.
“We went to the sofa showroom together and sat on lots of different models to find the most comfortable one with the right back height,” Pennington says. The custom design has storage hidden beneath the seats and is upholstered in velvet.
The lighting was designed by the client’s husband, who works in the theater. It consists of a truss, custom-made to follow the S of the sofa and breakfast bar, with theater lighting attached.
Custom sofa: The Sofa & Chair Co.
“We went to the sofa showroom together and sat on lots of different models to find the most comfortable one with the right back height,” Pennington says. The custom design has storage hidden beneath the seats and is upholstered in velvet.
The lighting was designed by the client’s husband, who works in the theater. It consists of a truss, custom-made to follow the S of the sofa and breakfast bar, with theater lighting attached.
Custom sofa: The Sofa & Chair Co.
The breakfast bar curve is slightly higher than the countertop to create a visual and physical divide between the two areas. “I used Silestone [in Lagoon] in the working part of the kitchen, as it’s more hard-wearing than Corian,” Pennington says. “It doesn’t scratch and is more heat-resistant.”
Cabinets go right up to the ceiling to make the most of the space. Although there’s a small walk-in pantry on the other side of the room (not seen), the owner is able to stash most of her essential kitchen equipment in here.
The top run of cabinets has handleless doors to keep the look streamlined and prevent this tall wall of storage from seeming weighty.
Oven: Siemens
Oven: Siemens
The cabinets were sprayed with a matte lacquer. The interiors are oak.
Cabinets: Neil Norton Design; cabinet paint: NCS S 7020-R90B, Dulux
Cabinets: Neil Norton Design; cabinet paint: NCS S 7020-R90B, Dulux
A corner cabinet with pullout shelves makes the most of an awkward recess. “There’s no wasted space here,” Pennington says.
The floor is polished concrete.
The floor is polished concrete.
The insides of the drawers are crafted from solid oak with dovetailed joints.
Cooktop: Siemens
Read more stories about colorful kitchens
Cooktop: Siemens
Read more stories about colorful kitchens
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with two children
Location: Chiswick district, west London
Size: The kitchen is about 143 square feet (13.3 meters), or 12½ by 11½ feet (3.8 by 3.5 meters); the whole room is about 397 square feet (36.9 square meters), or 22 by 18 feet (6.7 by 5.5 meters)
Designer: Maria Pennington of Maria Pennington Design
“The owner wanted this to be a very sociable space, as she and her partner like to entertain,” Pennington says. “So it had to be sociable, but without people getting in the way of her while she was cooking in the kitchen.”