Light Neutral Kitchen with Oak Barrel Feature
Laceby

The client was renovating his home from top to bottom and came to Samuel Neal for the kitchen. Sam provided a design and quote. The client liked it, but a contact involved in the wider renovation convinced him he could get the same thing for less elsewhere, and he decided to try his luck. 

As is often the case, the saving did not materialise in the way he had hoped. He came back to Samuel Neal, and with a clearer sense of what the original quote represented, the decision was straightforward. The project was taken on, turned around quickly to fit the timeline of the renovation, and delivered to the standard he had been looking for from the start.

The overall palette is light and neutral throughout, with the oak barrel and antique bronze mirror splashback providing the warmth and visual interest that stop the kitchen feeling cold or anonymous. The island sits at the centre of the design, measuring approximately 3.2 metres long, and was specified with smaller-than-standard units combined with Dekton Arga worktops mitred to 80mm thick, so the overall worktop height is consistent with the rest of the kitchen. The mitered gables drop all the way to the floor, giving the island a solid, chunky presence in the room that reads as more substantial and intentional than a standard island finish. 

The cooking area is anchored by the antique bronze mirror splashback, with a Quooker Fusion Pro3 in Patinated Brass tying in with the hardware tone. Two full-size ovens and warming drawers deliver a cooking capacity in proportion with the household’s lifestyle. The bespoke breakfast pantry reads as part of the main run from the outside. Inside, it is fitted with an oak veneer interior, feature lighting and Häcker drawers: a one-off unit that keeps everything neatly out of sight while giving the pantry a warmth and quality that a standard fitted interior would not have.

The cabinetry is Häcker Top Soft White. The client chose to have the island worktop in Dekton Arga mitred to an unusually generous 80mm thickness, which gives the island a substantial, furniture-like presence at the edge. To keep the overall worktop height at standard working level, the island units below were specified at a reduced height to compensate for the extra depth of the surface above. The Dekton runs consistently across both the island and the back worktops, with the circular Dekton top on the oak barrel seating area completing the material language of the kitchen. Appliances are Neff throughout, including two ovens, two warming drawers and the Quooker tap at The 1810 Company AXIX sink, which is clad in Dekton to match the worktops and gives the sink area a completely seamless, integrated quality.

The project was turned around quickly, coordinated to fit with the timeline of the wider house renovation. Sam remained closely involved throughout the installation, attending key stages to ensure the bespoke elements (the barrel unit, the oak pantry and the mitered island gables) were all delivered and fitted to the standard the design required. The finished result was ready when it needed to be.

The finished kitchen is light, warm and inviting. The neutral palette, the oak barrel, the chunky mitered island add up to a kitchen with a distinct character. The client went elsewhere to save money and came back. The kitchen he ended up with was the one he had originally wanted, and it was worth it.