A modern galley kitchen in an eclectic style, by Robin Caudwell

This designer's own kitchen features a stainless steel, printed glass, Corian and wood veneer. It also hides a complete laundry.

Bifolding doors conceal the ironing station and sink cabinetry, home appliance, kitchen, laundry, laundry room, major appliance, room, brown — Bifolding doors conceal the ironing station and sink in this laundry.

A large glass panel to the right of interior design, kitchen, gray

The colour of the patterned glass in this cabinetry, countertop, interior design, kitchen, living room, room, gray, black

Glass cabinets beneath this cooktop are framed by cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, room, brown, white

A close up view of the ovens and cabinetry, countertop, floor, flooring, interior design, kitchen, orange, brown, gray

A view of the narrow kitchen area. - interior design, kitchen, table, white

A view of the kitchen area. - A floor, flooring, house, interior design, kitchen, loft, real estate, room, table, white

A handcrafted stainless steel breakfast bar creates a chair, countertop, floor, flooring, furniture, interior design, kitchen, loft, product design, room, table, gray, white

Kitchen designer Robin Caudwell opted for a mix ceiling, countertop, dining room, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray, white

Many older homes still have their original stand-alone kitchens, and this designer's home was no exception. So it was only a matter of time before Robin Caudwell turned his eye to his own kitchen.

Caudwell began by removing walls between the kitchen and laundry, and between the kitchen and dining room. This created a long, relatively narrow space, which he chose to play up visually, by creating a long bank of cabinets with an oven centerpiece.

"The inspiration for the glass doors came from a French Blue patterned Vision wallpaper I found," Caudwell says. "This was used for a feature wall in the adjoining dining room. I had the pattern imprinted on the back of the glass doors, and then added a gray-blue colour to the glass, to match the glass mosaic tiles on the backsplash."

Tall glass cabinets on either side of the ovens appear as three doors, but each is in fact a single door one concealing a freezer and the other a vertical pantry. There is an additional refrigerator and large double-door pantry further to the right of the glass cabinets.

Similar glass appears below the cooktop on the opposite wall, and a glass panel also fronts the ventilation unit within the upper cabinets.

"To complement the glass, I chose a dark brown veneer with a blue-gray tinge," says Caudwell. "This features on the rest of the doors and low drawers at this end of the room. One of these doors, near the back door, conceals laundry appliances, another hides a broom cupboard and a third door opens to reveal an ironing station. Everything is hidden when not in use."

Perimeter cabinets beneath the window are in white high gloss, as is a shelving unit positioned right at the end of the kitchen, which provides an attractive distant backdrop for the dining table by night the shelves are illuminated by colored LED lights.

All the cabinets have flush drawers and doors to continue the sleek, contemporary look of the rest of the house, and the countertops are a mix of Corian and stainless steel.

Other special features of the kitchen include a handcrafted stainless steel breakfast bar with a sloping waterfall side. This marks the entry to the kitchen and can be used for casual meals, or as a place to rest drinks. The main drinks area, however, is positioned opposite. This area incorporates a wine refrigerator and has open shelving for glasses and bottles.

Caudwell also introduced a sliding wood cutting board to the main work counter a feature he often adds to his kitchen designs.

"The board slides right along the countertop and can be used to serve food or drinks, or for meal preparation, and it's easy to wipe down. It has turned out to be one of the most useful items in the kitchen," he says.