Apartment · residential

A kitchen planned around daily cooking

A compact apartment kitchen reorganised for two people who cook every day: deep drawers where the shelves were, one run of tall storage and a worktop kept clear.

Property: Apartment
Scope: Kitchen, Tall storage, Breakfast shelf
Work: Kitchens

Concept render of a kitchen seen past the dining table: oak-veneer drawers, a limestone worktop, an open shelf and tall storage — Kitchen and dining — oak veneer, limestone worktop, stone-coloured tall units

The story

The brief

Two people who cook every day, in a kitchen that had been fitted for someone who didn't. They wanted to stop moving things to find other things, and a worktop that could stay clear between meals.

Constraints

One wall, one window and plumbing that could move only a short distance. The room is narrow, so doors swinging into the walkway were ruled out from the start.

Design direction

A single, quiet run: drawers low, tall storage at the end, one open shelf for what is used every day. Oak veneer against pale stone keeps the room warm and light without feeling clinical.

Selected spaces

Concept render of the kitchen run: oak-veneer drawers, a pale stone worktop, an oak shelf and tall storage — The run — oak veneer, pale stone, oiled oak shelf

Concept render of the kitchen from the side, with tall storage beside the base run — Tall storage — full-height doors beside the base run

Concept render of the dining table, looking back through the opening to the living room — Dining — the table the kitchen is planned around

Breakfast shelf — oiled oak
Sink — brushed brass tap, stone worktop
Handle — brushed brass bar

Design decisions

Concept render: deep oak-veneer drawers with slim brass pulls — Deep drawers — oak veneer, brass pulls

Drawers instead of shelves in every base unit

Pans, lids and heavy vessels live low. Deep drawers bring them to you rather than sending you on your knees into a cupboard, and they make it obvious when something has run out.

Concept render: the eased edge of the pale stone worktop above oak drawers — Worktop edge — eased profile

A worktop edge that takes daily knocks

The stone edge is eased rather than sharp, so it doesn't chip where hands and pans meet it most. It is a small detail you notice only because nothing goes wrong with it.

Materials & details

What each part is made of — including the parts behind the doors.

Base units

Carcass: Moisture-resistant plywood
Shutter: Oak veneer
Finish: Clear matte lacquer
Hardware: Soft-close runners, brushed brass pulls
Edge: Matching edge band

Tall unit

Carcass: Plywood
Shutter: Lacquered board
Finish: Matte lacquer, stone

Worktop and splash

Notes: Pale stone, eased front edge

Open shelf

Finish: Oiled oak

Design and reality

Concept render of the finished kitchen, matching the design view — The drawn run and the built run. In a real case study, this caption says what changed on site and why.

3D design view of the kitchen seen past the dining table: the same viewpoint, every surface in one pale tone — The drawn run and the built run. In a real case study, this caption says what changed on site and why.

Execution & craft

Cabinet boxes were built and finished off site, then fitted in two days so the kitchen was out of use for as short a time as possible. The worktop was templated after the base units were fixed, so it met the walls without gaps.

The outcome

Everything used daily is within one step of the hob. The counter stays clear because every appliance and jar has a place, and the tall unit swallows what used to crowd the top of the fridge.

Project team

Design lead
Name and profile to come
Site lead
Name and profile to come

Related projects

One palette for a whole apartment

Apartment

Living and dining · Kitchen · Two bedrooms · Built-in storage

Bedroom wardrobes with room to grow

Builder floor

Wardrobe wall · Lofts · Dressing bench

Tell us about your space

Any size of project is welcome. You'll speak to a person, not a sales script.

What happens next

We call you back to understand the space and what you need
We visit to measure and talk through ideas
You receive a first layout and a clear next step

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