Nick and Sophie, are a young, design-literate couple, who 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 wanted 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.

They’d been inspired by the interiors they’d seen on a trip to Japan, and were keen to bring in some contemporary Japanese details into their new kitchen. We combined this with their desire for more furniture-oriented details, exemplified by the solid wood elements in the island construction. A double semi-circle profile was added to the legs, and thin lathes of Oak clad the sides, adding richness and texture to this unusual kitchen island.

Nick and Sophie liked the idea of terrazzo for the worktops, as it’s got a lovely, warm, interesting grain. After trying out a few options, they decided on a thicker profile to the edge of the stone, so we designed 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 at H. Miller Bros, and was particularly lovely next to the natural oak cabinetry. The space was lit with one of our signature lightbox, diffused with Japanese washi paper.

But the best bit, which became known as ‘the nook’, was a table and 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 and options in the design process, it became clear to them that there was a better space to sit. This was always going to be a lovely, intimate, inviting space, but the chance to create a statement lighting design was too great an opportunity to miss. We got a sense that Nick and Sophie were up for some brave ideas, so we suggested a backlit circle of Oak with a hanging globe.

.....................

If you're intersted in the story behind this kitchen, including videos where Nick and Sophie talk in their own words about the design process, how they found the installation, and about their favourite bits, click here... https://www.hmillerbros.co.uk/News/a-kitchen-case-study-nick-and-sophie