grk2014 brochure final issu
DESCRIPTION
Be inspired by our beautiful hand crafted kitchens and furniture - made in CornwallTRANSCRIPT
George Robinson
My great grandfather was also called George Robinson, and I have his name tag on the tool box I use today. He was a master carpenter and made many of his own tools; they are as good now as they were a hundred
years ago.
Perhaps this has given me my concern for the environment, which is an integral part of my working philosophy. We use wood from sustainable forests as much as we can, and the appliances we fit are chosen in part for being energy efficient. I am anxious that we hand on not only our tools but also the kitchen furniture we
make as an inheritance to future generations.
One of my passions is for my allotment and the vegetables I grow there. I love to see them develop from seedlings to the fully grown produce I enjoy cooking. In the same way, when I look at a kitchen space and start to plan its design, I have a sense of excitement that will develop until my colleagues and I can stand back from a finished kitchen and feel all the satisfaction of a job
well done.
If I like the sense of continuity that a traditionally manufactured kitchen gives me, I also love the simplicity and functionality of a truly contemporary design. In George Robinson Kitchens, both will be built to the highest standards that show both the passion and the commitment that my colleagues and I bring to our work.
COTTAGE
Pippy Oak
Natural Light
Blue and Cream
French Farmhouse
Slate Cottage
George often allows the original features of period properties to become part of the kitchen design. The granite opening, long since blocked up in this Cottage kitchen, has been used to house shelving for storage/
display of kitchen utensils.
Glazed fronted wall units give an illusion of height, and the soft grey tone of the units, and the light coloured granite, contrasts with the deep grey of the slate flooring. Slate has also been used as the oven splash back and upstand for the work surface, and the cottage style is completed by the moulded cornice and traditional
porcelain sink.
SLATECOTTAGE
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished
Carcassing in veneered Maple
Chrome cup handles and turn locking knobs
Belfast sink
Bridge mixer tap, in nickel
Design Features:Glazed wall unit doors
Original granite recess used for shelving
Slate upstand for granite worktops
Slate splashback behind hob
Set within a painted kitchen, the Pippy Oak features in this kitchen really make an impact.
There are pan drawers, scribed into the granite walls on either side of the Range cooker, and crockery drawers with shaker pegs to hold plates in position are part of the dresser style unit. Pippy Oak is also a feature of the island unit drawers and slatted end unit.
Blue lighting within the tall larder unit and the dresser unit cupboard adds a contemporary element as do the bespoke handles, made in chrome, and a Quooker hot water tap.
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished
‘Pippy Oak’ used for variety of kitchen elements
Bespoke hand cast ‘pull’ handles in chrome
Bridge mixer tap, in nickel
Quooker hot water tap in chrome
Undermounted porcelain sinks
Design Features:Crockery drawers with shaker peg positioning
Mood lighting in the dresser and larder units
Pan drawer units ‘scribed’ into granite alcove, either side of the cooker
Sinks in both kitchen run and the island unit
Larder unit with wine and spice racks, and cooling shelf
PIPPY OAK
In this kitchen, the soft green of the base units is complemented by cherry wood wall units; the adjoining tongue and grooved window seat is hand finished in the same green, with trims and seating also in cherry wood.
A traditional porcelain sink has turned pillars, and the worktop, also in cherry wood, has an inset compost bin, accessed by a ‘plug’ lid. The large larder unit incorporates a wine rack, bread drawers, spice and oil racks and a slate cooling shelf, as well as shelving for
storage.
FRENCH FARMHOUSE
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished / Cherry wall units
Cherry wood worktops
Slate worktop (around AGA)
Single French farmhouse sink
Bridge mixer tap levers
Cast iron knobs and pull handles
Design Features:Compost bin undermounted, ‘plug’ access
Pillared frame for sink unit
Larder with slate shelf, wine, oil & spice racks
Seating area in tongue and groove with cherry wood trims
Pull out knife drawer, with child lock
Materials:Tulip wood
Hand finished Ashwood
Arenastone mix
Double French farmhouse sink
Monobloc mixer tap
‘C’ shape bar handles
Design Features:Peninsula unit / breakfast bar
Curved end unit
Arenastone ‘inset’ around sink
‘Box’ extraction
‘Floating’ wall mounted box shelf
Wine chiller unit
Colour defines this kitchen, and contrasts with the granite walls of the cottage in which it is situated. George further accentuated the contemporary feel by the floating wall mounted ‘box’ shelving, the cream coloured box extraction unit and appliances such as a
wine chiller unit.
The ash wood worktop has a section of Arenastone around the sink area, and the curve of the breakfast bar peninsula unit is echoed in the curved unit which ends
the opposite kitchen run.
BLUE &CREAM
NATURAL LIGHT
Materials:Tulip wood
Kashmir White granite with upstands
Undermounted stainless steel sinks
Monobloc taps
Chrome ‘pull’ and ‘twist lock’ handles
Design Features:Larder with basketry & slate ‘cooling shelf ’
Overmantle with extractor
Pan drawers
Fully integrated dishwasher & waste bin
Natural light is the key to the design of this kitchen. A roof light sits above the main kitchen area and floods it with daylight which is then reflected by the neutral colour of the simply designed units and white walls. The only antique feature in this modern space is the 1940s AGA, found and lovingly restored by its owner. The large larder unit has basketry and a slate shelf to keep
stored items cool.
NATURAL LIGHT
HERITAGE
HERITAGE
GEORGIANHOUSE
The height of the ceilings in this kitchen space presents an opportunity for George to design gracious ‘runs’ accentuated by rounded end posts and curved end units; curves are also a feature of the freestanding fridge/larder unit and the slate step leading to the garden. We constructed a ceiling height overmantle with shelf (with under lighting) and door style panelling.
Attractive and functional features in this kitchen include four spice drawers in cherry wood to match the worktops, a ‘plug’ top waste bin, and recycling bins on either side of the sink unit. A bespoke refectory table completes this kitchen.
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished
Cherry wood worktop, spice drawers and plate rack
Bridge mixer tap in nickel
Granite slips in wood worktop around AGA
Double French farmhouse sink
Design Features:Granite ‘oils’ shelf behind the AGA
Spice drawers
Rounded end units, and a curved step into garden
Refectory table also with cherry wood top
Larder unit with tall rounded end posts
Pull out recycling bins
CLASSIC
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished and beaded
Deep Oak wood work surface
Bon Accord granite with upstands
Double French farmhouse sink
Quooker hot water tap in brushed chrome
Bridge mixer tap
Pewter knobs
Design Features:Tall units with larder and integrated fridge
Thick Oak island top with overhang for seating
Curved granite top to facilitate pot bellied stove
Classic ‘overmantle’ style hood, underlit
Mixture of rounded and squared end posts
CLASSIC
Hand finished in a soft, classic grey, and with a mixture of worktop types, this kitchen has a style which never dates.
The tall units conceal a fully integrated fridge on the right and a larder unit to the left with integral trays, wine rack, spice racks and vegetable basket as wellas a slate cooling shelf.
George designed the island unit with a thicker than usual oak worktop which accentuates the island’s squared end posts. Elsewhere in the kitchen, the rounded end posts, and curves in the granite and cabinetry, give a sense of continuity and flow to the working areas – this is the perfect kitchen for those who love to socialise!
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished in 3 different colours
Silestone Blanco worktops
Whitewashed 80mm thick
Oak wood worktop
French farmhouse sink, and porcelain undermount sink
Bridge mixer tap with rinse
Quooker hot tap
Bespoke hand cast ‘pull’ handles in chrome
Design Features:Additional scrolling on plinths
‘Freestanding’ feel to furniture
‘Alice in Wonderland’ style dresser
Tall curved larder unit
Antiqued mirrors on wall behind sole kitchen ‘run’
The specification for this kitchen design was that it should be in a ‘French’ style, and that the various elements of the kitchen should be created as individual pieces, but sit well together. The Georgian era height in the room provides a perfect setting for the tall units, and the ice cream colours ensure calm in an otherwise busy family environment. At the back of the only ‘run’ of units, are antiqued mirror tiles which help to endorse the ‘aged’ feeling of the furniture, and of course of the environment itself.
MAPLEThe L shape of this kitchen and its thick, immoveable granite walls provided a design challenge for George! He met the unusual demands by planning the sequence of the kitchen layout, a classic design of fielded panelling on the doors and rounded end posts for the dresser and larder cupboards, and the use of maple wood to enhance the impression of light and space.
The truly bespoke nature of this kitchen furniture is indicated by the housing for the American style fridge, which has been carefully scribed into a granite surrounded alcove, and the extraction hood which has to allow for the ceiling beam running through it!
Materials:Maple wood
Carcassing in veneered Maple
Nero Asoluto granite
1&1/2 bowl undermount sink in stainless steel
Lever monobloc tap in chrome
Design Features:Fielded panelling on the doors
Rounded end posts for the dresser and larder cupboards
Housing for the American style fridge, scribed into a granite surrounded alcove
Extraction hood which allows for the ceiling beam to run through it
Seamless run of kitchen units into Dining room dresser
Set in a listed 1930s house, the main focus of this pristine, era influenced ‘cooks kitchen’ is the large island unit. This provides much of the kitchen’s storage and work surface as well as housing a hob, the kitchen
sink and a warming drawer.
Hand finishing the units in a clean white, and fitting a light coloured Arena stone worktop, has given definition to the stainless steel appliances and fixtures and fittings, and reinforces the slightly ‘utilitarian’ feel of the period.
1930sHOUSE
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished
Arena stone / Stainless steel mix worktops
Undermounted stainless steel sink
Bowed bar handles
Mixer tap with porcelain levers
Design Features:Double oven unit
Warming drawer
Rounded end posts
Round edge shelving
Arena stone / Stainless steel mix worktops
CONTEMPORARY
CONTEMPORARY
River Kitchen shown in this image
Materials:Oak veneer, hand finished with a lime ‘wash’
Glass composite worktops, no upstands
Stainless steel trough sink in island unit
Circular ‘undermounted’ sink in main run
Bridge mixer tap
Push mechanism drawer openers
Design Features:Curved ends on Island unit, with curveddrawers & top
Floating ‘underlit’ shelving
Minimalist door & drawer furniture
Corner fridge unit
3 crockery drawers
4 deep pan drawers
With a backdrop of the Fal estuary, this light modern kitchen has a range of energy efficient, built in appliances and glass composite worktops. The ash wood used to make the cabinets has been ‘limewashed’ to produce a contemporary finish, with mirrors at the back of the tall
glasses cupboard to reflect the light.
The minimalist theme of this kitchen is accentuated by the lack of conventional door furniture and use of push button drawers. The island unit, with its gently rounded shape at either end, has a built in trough sink – perfect
for filling with ice to chill wine.
CURVED KITCHEN
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished with fielded panels
Kashmir White granite with upstands
1 & 1/2 bowl Stainless steel undermount sink
Single lever mixer tap, with pull out spout
Raised glass ‘breakfast bar’
Bar handles
Design Features:Curved glass breakfast bar on island
Compost bin & knife rack in island drawers
Integrated end grain chopping board
Curved cupboards in fridge surround
2 drawer dishwashers
CURVED KITCHEN
We made this kitchen for a space overlooking the cliffs and sea, with fielded panels on the doors and, unusually,
in the glazed door panels too.
The interior of the cupboards was finished in a dark grey as a contrast to the main kitchen colour, and the curve on the island’s raised glass breakfast bar is echoed in the curve of the storage units on either side of the large American style fridge. The island also houses a compost drawer and knife block beneath the
inlaid end grain chopping board.
We doubled the functional area of this hand finished kitchen with an enormous island unit, running the length of the kitchen space, and incorporating the sink and dishwasher, crockery drawers and a pull out waste bin as well as cupboard storage.
On the ‘dining’ side of the room, the island provides storage for tableware. Other storage in this kitchen is provided by a larder unit and wine rack situated (usefully!) next to the fridge
ISLAND KITCHEN
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished
Cherry wood worktops
Undermounted stainless steel sink unit
Monobloc mixer tap
Bowed bar handles
Design Features:Island unit running length of kitchen
Larder unit with cooling shelf
Crockery drawer with shaker pegs
Tall wine rack in Cherry wood
‘Floating’ shelving
ISLAND KITCHEN
MIXED FINISH
This stylish kitchen has a mixture of finishes – some units painted in soft grey and others, such as the Tamber storage unit, made in oak wood finished with Danish oil.
The island unit has two other dramatic elements – soft built-in lighting, and a glass panel set into the oak wood breakfast bar. At the other end is a circular cupboard which has a storage carousel unit for complete access; its end grain chopping board top is inset into the worktop, and the black of this granite is echoed elsewhere in the
contemporary kitchen appliances.
MIXED FINISH
Materials:Tulip wood, hand finished and Oak wood
Frosted glass
Blues in the night granite
Surface mounted stainless steel sink
Monobloc U spout tap
Design Features:Illuminated island unit with frosted glass
breakfast bar
Ceiling light to mirror island granite shape
Tambour unit in Oak wood
Circular end grain chopping board
Circular storage cupboard in island unit
FURNITURE
FURNITUREWe combine traditional construction techniques with the highest quality materials; our beautiful, handcrafted furniture will last you a lifetime. Some of our commissions are a direct result of our customers seeing the quality and design of their newly installed kitchen, and deciding that they don’t want to stop there, but we also receive ‘one off ’ commissions particularly when individually made furniture is needed for a space which doesn’t conform to standard measurements, or just can’t be found ‘off the shelf ’. At George Robinson Kitchens we believe that handcrafted furniture is an art form in its own right, as well as being
practical and functional.
My designs are influenced by various factors, but the most important first stage is to talk in detail with prospective customers to find out as much as I can about what they need and what they would like within their living space, and the style of furniture that appeals to them. Sometimes they have collected images before contacting us, or they may have seen something on our website or in our brochure that has fired their imagination. I also ask about their lifestyles - whether they enjoy cooking, if the living space is a family area, or whether they have a wish list of features.
The environment in which customers live also gives me information about design possibilities. Is it an old house, a cottage or a period property, or even – as has been the case on three recent occasions – a castle? The customer’s taste in furnishings and interior design will itself provide me with fruitful ideas. Even the surrounding landscape can also be an influence on the colours and shapes of features within a kitchen – in Cornwall, of course, the predominant influence is the sea.
As I am myself a keen cook, I look closely at the functionality of the design. It may sound just like common sense, but siting a dishwasher close to the sink, storage cupboards and crockery drawer also saves time! Similarly, it is really important to make sure that the interior of a larder unit has features such as a slate cooling shelf, for those who love to make jams and chutneys, and vegetable baskets, for those who have an allotment and grow their own.
My attention to layout and design was commended recently when Philip Howard, the Michelin two-starred owner of The Square restaurant in Mayfair, said after cooking in one of my London-based kitchens: ‘It’s not often that I find a domestic kitchen anything other than frustrating to work in. This kitchen worked and furthermore it was rock solid and beautiful.’
We offer customers a complete package in terms of helping to choose and source appliances, fixtures and fittings and worktops, and can make recommendations about the products that we use to hand finish our furniture. We can also advise on other interior features such as lighting and are happy either to recommend contractors or to work with those engaged by the customer.
In line with our environmental policy and solid traditional manufacturing process, our furniture is built to last, and so we can offer a range of services to ensure that it continues to look as beautiful as the day it was installed.
We work largely with wood, which is a natural product and so can be influenced by the environment in which it is stored and installed. Our crib sheet of special conditions provides information and advice about such natural materials and about the preparation of your living space prior to installation.
We are ready to come back within three or four months of installing a kitchen in order to realign doors or drawers that have had a ‘settling in’ period - this can sometimes happen with natural products. As an after-care service, which we recommend each year, we will sand back and re-oil wood kitchen units and worktops and re-touch paint where necessary.
We hope that this information has given you a clear picture of the great care we take over every kitchen that we design and manufacture, and of our pride in our work. When you contact us, you can be sure that we will do our utmost to help you realise your dream: a kitchen that is not only a joy to look at but, even more importantly, a delight to work in.
.
DESIGN SERVICES
Printed on 100% recycled paper