A Shaker Kitchen With A Modern Edge

Their architect recommended Kitchen Design Centre as they had done his kitchen, and after meeting John Crosby at the Manchester showroom, they knew they’d found the right company and designer as he immediately understood the brief and came up with fantastic initial ideas that combined the two styles. They wanted the kitchen to be suitable for everyday living for the two of them but also a sociable space that would work when they entertained larger groups.

John came up with the perfect design that had a dining area in the conservatory, the kitchen in the middle of the room and then a living area with an entertainment system at the opposite end. A large island formed the centrepiece of the kitchen and not only housed a wine cooler, dishwasher and hob, but also included a wooden breakfast bar with casual seating for four. John incorporated plenty of storage throughout, with cupboards in the island and a mixture of tall and larder wall units.

The design was based on a traditional Shaker style with contemporary elements such as a bespoke Quooker Flex tap which was specially made in a gold colour to match the handles in the kitchen. Olivia wanted to avoid the colour grey so John suggested a white and blue colour scheme for the island and wall units. Keen to build on the shaker style look, Olivia and Sam chose the Oxford door range in white and Velvet Blue.

As a keen cook, appliances were important to Olivia and she knew from the outset that she only wanted Neff. Top of her list was the slide and hide oven so John incorporated two in the design, matching them with a Neff compact oven, microwave and a warming drawer. A Neff fridge, separate Neff freezer, Neff hob and a Neff dishwasher were also chosen.

Olivia and Sam are delighted with the finished space: “The kitchen was a really important room for us to get right. It took a great deal of time and planning and with John’s help we have created our dream space that mixes contemporary and traditional styles. We were so happy with the kitchen that we also asked Kitchen Design Centre to create a cloakroom with plenty of storage and units for our office and dressing room.”