Fusion cooking

Designed by Charlie Smallbone, Ledbury Studio

From the designer:

For this project, we were asked by a homeowner undertaking a major two-year refurbishment of her Kensington home to create a kitchen that fitted into her ‘Australian Skandi’ design aesthetic.

The renovation project was on an enormous scale, taking in every part of this seven-floor Kensington home, says Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio. 

“Our homeowner wanted the interiors to reflect the cool simplicity of Scandinavian style, but mixed with the warmth of her native country Australia. 

"My task was to design furniture that embraced this – and I very much enjoyed the challenge!”

It was a fair undertaking, as Charlie Smallbone created furniture for several spaces, including the dining area, television snug, boot room, office and dressing room. 

However, it is the stunning light-filled, open-plan kitchen that is the crowning glory of the project.

To meet the design brief, Smallbone chose natural and painted oak for the cabinetry, which keeps the scheme as light and fresh as its surroundings. 

The pale oak is book matched on the drawers of the hob run and island, while the full-height cupboards are painted white, so even though they run all the way to the ceiling, they don’t overwhelm the kitchen space. 

For a show-stopping effect, the designer placed fluted oak panels on the outside of the island and around the base of the breakfast bar. 

In addition, the Statuario marble worktop cascades down the end of the island in a waterfall effect.

There are many fine details to highlight in this kitchen. 

All the hand-crafted handles are made from patinated brass, as are the kickplates and the surrounds on the oak drawers. 

Brass also adds a finishing touch to the edge of the matt white extractor hood and to the hanging rack over the island. 

This sculptural piece not only creates an eye-catching focal point, but also provides task lighting, as well as a space for additional storage and the display of trailing house plants. 

It is suspended from a curved section of ceiling, tiled in white and lit around its perimeter.

This kitchen is all pared-back luxury in style, but it is also beautifully clutter free thanks to the cabinets concealing a plethora of useful storage – everything has a place. 

For example, the tall pantry cupboard not only stores bulky dried goods, it conceals the microwave, too. 

And proving that storage can be beautiful in its own right, Ledbury Studio has also used the fluted oak detailing on the drinks cabinet in the dining area and on the television cabinet in the snug adjoining the kitchen.

Story by: Trendsideas