Hey design-lovers,

This month, I wanted to share the story of Nick and Sophie, a young, stylish couple, who approached us with an intriguing project….. to design a contemporary Japanese-inspired kitchen in an unusual setting. Here's Nick and Sophie talking aobut their favourite bits....

The Brief:

Nick and Sophie live in an ancient farmhouse just north of London. It’s an important place to them, where Nick’s family has lived and farmed for decades. Nick is the latest generation to take on the farmhouse, and he and Sophie planned to renovate parts of the interior to better suit the way they wanted to live, both now and in the future, and create a space that reflected their personal sense of materiality and style.

‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ Data:

The first step in designing Nick and Sophie’s new kitchen, as it is for all our projects, was to take a thorough brief from them. All successful projects start with an good brief, and we work hard to collect both the ‘dry’ data - measurements, access issues, appliance list, services coordination, and the ‘wet’ data – ‘what do you like to cook?’, ‘Do you like to host?’, ‘How do you want the space to feel?’ The words that best described the space they were looking to create were...

‘quiet’

‘sophisticated’

‘subtle’

‘crafted’

The Design Process:

We got a sense that Nick and Sophie were up for some brave ideas, so we put together a design that responded to their desire for quiet sophistication, but we also added some bold moves and unusual lighting that we knew they'd like.

Nick and Sophie liked the idea of including more furniture-oriented details so we added a number of solid wood elements in the island construction - a double semi-circle profile to the legs, and thin lathes of Oak to clad the sides. This added richness and texture to the island - a piece we were all determinded should not feel feel like just a big lump of furniture.

Terrazzo:

When we were all agreed on the bones of the design, our thoughts moved to the finer details. For the worktops, we suggested terrazzo, as it’s got a lovely, warm, interesting grain. After trying out a few options, Nick and Sophie liked a thicker profile to the edge of the stone, so we made a ‘top-hat’ construction, with 50mm down-stands of terrazzo that made the worktop feel thick and solid. The stone itself was very beautiful - Italian off-white, grey and cream marble set into white cement. It’s a favourite here in the workshop, and was particularly nice next to the natural oak cabinetry. The space was lit with a long ceiling-mounted lightbox, diffused with Japanese washi paper - a signiture detail here at H. Miller Bros.

The Nook:

But the best bit, which became known as ‘the nook’, was a table with booth seating that nestled in an alcove at the head of the kitchen. Nick and Sophie had originally wanted seating at the island, but as we went through iterations in the design process, it became clear to them that there was a better place to sit, in what was the old boiler cupboard. This was always going to be lovely, intimate, inviting space, but the chance to create a statement lighting design was too great an opportunity to miss. We tried out a bunch of options, but there was a clear winner - the backlit oak disc with the hanging globe.

So, that’s the story of how we developed the design, but you might be wondering – what did Nick and Sophie think of it when it was all finished? Well, here it is, in their own words....

How did Nick and Sophie find the process

of working with us at H. Miller Bros. ?

...and what was the

installation process like?

Thanks so much to Nick and Sophie for sharing their experience with us, and for being such brave, enthusiastic clients. It was a real pleasure for us to create this project, and that's in no small part becasue Nick and Sophie were brilliant clients.

If you'd like to see more photos of Nick and Sophie's Japanese-inspired contemporary kitchen, click here...https://www.hmillerbros.co.uk/kitchens/photographer's-ktichen

If you'd like to talk to us about a kitchen, cabinetry, or furniture project that your planning, just get in touch. You can reach me direct on hugh@hmillerbros.co.uk, or you can book a quick chat with me on Zoom here: https://www.hmillerbros.co.uk/book-a-call

Cheers,

Hugh