Antonius Wubben

The designer: Antonius Wubben from Kaizen Furniture
(www.kaizenfurniture.com)

The story: Grosvenor Estates were looking for a company with a clear understanding of aesthetics in kitchen design and experience in doing something unique that would provide the wow factor. Kaizen is currently celebrating 20 years in business and has worked with some of the world’s leading architects and designers such as Todhunter Earle Interiors, Helen Green, Nicky Haslam and Timothy Hatton.

Designer Q&A:

Q) What was your brief from the client?

To design an impressive kitchen with a contemporary feel that would fit well in a traditional setting with high ceilings and period features.

Q) Which products did you use and why?

We used Caesarstone worktops because these properties were speculative and you can therefore never know how a future user will appreciate a particular material. This manmade stone is a safe bet. Glass splashbacks are practical, effective and you can determine the colour to make it perfectly match the rest of the colour scheme. We also chose rubber for the drawer liners for the surprise effect when you open a drawer and American black walnut for all solid drawers and carcase interiors to give a luxury effect. This was of particular interest for the speculative buyer.

Q) Was there any building/renovation work involved?

This building was previously used as office headquarters and had not had any renovation work for decades. It was completely converted to domestic dwellings, of which our kitchen was for one of the units.

Q) What elements do you think make the scheme so successful?

The combination between the chosen colours, the quality of the surface finishes and the correct lighting options.

Q) Any advice for someone who may be planning a new kitchen?

If using gloss painted finishes, use them on upper cupboards for effect and practicality. Manmade stone worktops instead of marble prevent premature staining/marking if you want to keep it looking like new. Have a drainage area, which means that water has less chance to deposit limescale on the surface. Manmade stone allows you to design much thinner worksurfaces without the risk of breaking. It can also be finished sharper due to its composition. Use LED lighting strips to the underside of wall cabinets for practicality, but spotlights to the bulkhead for atmosphere. Glass splashbacks give the idea that there is more space than there really is. Rubber removable drawer liners mean you no longer find the drawer contents moving around – it also looks striking and can easily be cleaned. A flush induction hob set into a dark worksurface makes it virtually disappear and is also easy to clean.

The details:

Blumotion hinges and bin by Blum, www.blum.com
Appliances by Gaggenau, www.gaggenau.com
Worktops by Caesarstone, www.caesarstone.co.uk
Marble surround Noir St Laurent, www.kaizenfurniture.com
Tap by TriFlow, www.triflowconcepts.com
Waste disposal by InSinkErator, www.insinkerator.co.uk
Lighting by John Cullen Lighting, www.johncullenlighting.co.uk

Hayley loves: the dramatic look of the American black walnut furniture