Bedford, Bedfordshire

Posted by Luke Cherry, on September 29, 2020.

The brief:

Andy and Alison found us whilst on a boating holiday travelling the local Oxfordshire canals. After stumbling across the Cherrywood Bespoke showroom, they decided to make an appointment to discuss their requirements for a new kitchen design in their Bedford home.

Completing an entire house renovation at the time, Andy and Alison were in the process of transforming their home when they got in touch. This included internal structural work, plus
additional spaces being created within a newly built extension. The new space was to house their new kitchen design with the intention of it being the very heart of their Bedford home. An open plan layout, including a dining space and adjoining sitting room was discussed, plus the inclusion of an integrated indoor and outdoor living space with full width sliding glass doors to the rear garden.

Andy and Alison were keen on a simple and practical Shaker style kitchen design that included space for all of the day-to-day necessities required in their busy home. They also wanted to include an island with enough room to seat two people and have a yellow colour pallet to keep the space light, bright and airy.

The Vision

Taking a lead from what Andy and Alison wanted, we opted to design a neat Shaker style kitchen with subtle detailing added through V-grooves in the panelling.
Looking at the plans for the house, and working closely alongside the builders, we were also able to suggest a few smart storage solutions. The first was to use the now empty space from the old chimney breast and turn it into a bespoke drink’s cabinet. We included automatic lighting and ensured the shelf heights were designed to house the various size glasses and cocktail making equipment that Andy and Allyson had collected over the years.

Keeping with the theme of utilising the space available, coupled with creating a truly open kitchen with un-interrupted visuals, we recommended including a Bora hob within the island. The benefits provided by a Bora hob mean that their downward extraction technology not only eliminates odours and grease particles drawn directly from the cookware, but the device also leaves you feeling like you are cooking in fresh air with no visual obstructions at eye level.

Knowing that Andy and Alison wanted to keep their space light and open, and that they had a particular affinity with yellow, we shared some Mylands colour samples that suited that pallet. It is the first yellow kitchen we have ever produced and we were pleasantly surprised by the lovely outcome it created, the colour scheme also worked really well within the rest of their Bedford home.