How to make a Unique and Original Kitchen
What makes a unique and original kitchen? Well, for us, it all starts with the fact that the kitchen is bespoke and tailored exactly to our client’s requirements.
Most high street kitchen retailers are buying their products from a factory in Germany and claiming it is bespoke, however the truth is, that these units have been selected out of a catalogue and are set sizes. If they needed a 450mm wide unit, rather than just make it at 450mm wide (which, by the way is what a bespoke manufacturer would do) they simply buy a 600mm wide unit and cut it down on site leading to poor quality cabinets and the likelihood that they won’t stand the test of time.
Opting for a bespoke manufacturer means that you really can put your own stamp on the kitchen and make it unique to you and your needs.
If you’re truly worried about this then we would suggest using an interior design expert to help guide you or at the very least an expert kitchen designer who can help you come up with kitchen ideas and help choose a kitchen that is perfect for you.
The first thing to consider when choosing the type of kitchen for your home is what type of property the kitchen will be going into and will it suit your home. What I mean by this is – if you are living in an Edwardian property, do you necessarily want contemporary kitchens that won’t necessarily fit with the style of the home or would a shaker kitchen be more of a fit? Now, this isn’t to say that you can’t choose something a bit different to the style of your home, it’s just something to consider.
The next thing to look at is whether you actually love the style of a kitchen and whether you will love it for years to come. Modern kitchens come and go in and out of style but a traditional kitchen or even a transitional kitchen is likely to stay in style for many more years.
The Kitchen Plan
The first piece of advice to achieve an eye-catching and unique kitchen is the kitchen plan. It all starts here and you need to ensure the layout works for you with how you would ordinarily use your kitchen day-to-day.
Does the flow of the kitchen work? Is there an eye-catching focal point in the kitchen like a mantel area of a run of wall units in a secondary finish that draws the eye upwards. Does the kitchen have any unique features like a pocket door larder that can be left open when guests arrive? These things need to be planned in by kitchen designers at the very beginning. If you miss this step then you will struggle to create an amazing kitchen.
Kitchen Functionality
Whilst this might be the more boring part of having a unique and original kitchen, functionality needs to be considered as you will likely be spending a lot of time in this room. Are the kitchen cabinets easy to clean? Are the fittings high quality to ensure that they don’t wear over time and will put up with constant heavy use? Are the worktops practical for your needs i.e. are they scratch resistant, heat resistant, durable etc.
Kitchen Worktops
Worktops are one of the easiest places to make your kitchen stand-out. If you opt for a natural stone like a granite, marble or quartzite then you have the ability to choose your slabs at a stone yard but no two blocks will ever be the same. There will be subtle differences in veining, colour and patterns meaning that you could achieve a one-off original look purely by going for a natural stone!
You could even opt for two different worktop materials like a stone on the island and stainless steel elsewhere although this is a personal preference.
Handles
Handles are another easy way to make your kitchen unique and original. You could find something from Armac martin for example who have thousands of permutations of their handles. Each handle style (of which there are 20+) have about 15 finishes so you can see how the possibilities are endless. Putting a nice handle on a slab door which is otherwise quite plain can elevate your entire space and create something completely unique.
Wondering what to do next?
Take a guided tour of one of our latest kitchen projects. This particular project was completed for the fabulous Amelia Liana.
Amelia was a dream to work with and has an impeccable style which is obvious from taking one look at the kitchen. The cabinetwork was painted in Farrow and Ball Vert de Terre which is a very on trend colour, almost a light green which she paired with brass accents from Armac Martin and Perrin and Rowe.
