guide to designing a bespoke kitchen - craigie woodworks · pull out bin system which can have 2, 3...

1 craigiewoodworks.co.uk

Guide to Designinga Bespoke

Kitchen

https://www.craigiewoodworks.co.uk/


Where to begin:

Cooking:Cooker options

Position of cooker

Extraction:Extractor fan options

Mantle canopies

Washing up:Sink options

Position of sinkDishwashers

Bins and recycling:

Fridges: Fridge options

Position of fridge

The look:Door style

Wood and veneer Paint

Handles and knobs

Storage:Cupboards

Corners Wine storage

Larder cupboardsDrawers

On the inside: Inside drawersKnife drawers

Worktops:QuartzGranite

Stainless SteelTimber

Factory produced timber

Finally

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When you are planning a kitchen there are a number of decisions to be made, and although the decisions aren’t complicated in themselves, even minor details can have unexpected knock on effects. This guide aims to help you navigate the key decisions in a logical order.

Sorting out the layout of a new kitchen is a good starting point. First, decide where you want your sink, fridge and cooker to go. You want to be able to move easily between these three critical items. In particular, the hob should be quite close to your sink to make it easier, for example, to drain a pan of boiling pasta water.

Once you have decided the positions of your core items, you can assemble everything else around them.

Where To Begin

Where to begin



It obviously makes sense to cluster your cooking utensils and core ingredients around the cooker. In the pale blue West London kitchen above, the pans, knives and wooden spoons are in drawers around the sink. These clients are keen bakers, so salt and baking equipment are close to hand on the work surface.

Similarly, it is useful to have a bin for food waste close to the sink, and a dishwasher. In this dark blue South London kitchen, these are hidden behind cupboard doors.

Where to begin



The choice of cooker is often a top priority. They vary a lot in function, appearance, size, and cost.

Some people love range cookers which give out heat such as Aga, Everhot and Esse. These iconic brands provide the ultimate ‘hygge’ experience.

An Aga for many people is what ‘makes’ their kitchen - their curved ruggedness and sense of comfort. Their old oil and gas models require regular servicing but they now offer models with lower running costs and far greater controllability.

Cooker Options

Cooking: Cooker options


6 craigiewoodworks.co.ukCooking: Cooker options

Everhot are a British company that produces wonderful cookers that require no servicing and run off ordinary household 13 amp power. They combine great simplicity with superb functionality. The doors close with a soft, magnetized - satisfying! - thud.

Esse are an old traditional French company. Their owners love their cookers, especially their round lids which open diagonally in a beautiful fashion.

There are also range cookers which do not give out heat and come with varying functions and levels of sophistication. There are fabulous cookers made by companies such as Smeg, Rangemaster and La Cornue. For example, this beautiful French Lacanche cooker sits proudly in a Somerset kitchen in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor.



The kind of cooker you choose will affect the decision about where it should go.

There are two main kinds of cooker that sit at low level: firstly, there are freestanding cookers where the oven and hob are part of the same appliance: for example in this maple veneered kitchen, the customers chose a stainless steel Rangemaster cooker.

Secondly there are built-in ovens which can either go underneath a worktop, with a hob above, or be built into a cupboard at eye level. In this minimalist white kitchen, an unobtrusive hob sits on the island, whilst the bank of four ovens reflects the surrounding countryside.

When deciding where to put your cooker, another consideration is access to preparation space. Ideally this will be beside the cooker, or on an adjacent peninsula or island immediately opposite. In this Somerset kitchen with honed ebony worktops, there is little space between the Aga and the sink, but the island provides a generous preparation area.

Cooker Position

Cooking: Cooker position



Building regulations require ventilation in kitchens.

The position of the hob, whether it is part of a freestanding cooker or it is a separate built-in hob, is often governed by whether an extractor fan can be placed above it. This may depend upon whether it can connect to an extractor ducting through the ceiling or sideways through a wall. In this reclaimed teak kitchen, the extractor fan is built discreetly into the underside of a wall cupboard.

This Glastonbury kitchen has a wall-mounted extractor fan.

If it is not possible to vent an extractor externally, many models have a ‘recirculation’ mode where smells are filtered and the filtered air returned to the room. The air passes through charcoal filters which need to be replaced regularly.

Extractor Fan Options

Extraction: Extractor fan options



Mantle Canopies are perfect for housing built in extractor fans. If you love your cooker, a mantle canopy also has the effect of making it centre stage and provides an echo of a traditional cooking hearth, set in a chimney breast. A further benefit is that a mantle canopy can provide extra storage. In this Dorset kitchen, we built a dramatic panelled canopy around the cooker, with a heavily moulded mantle shelf. The canopy provides open storage on the inside cheeks, with subtle downlighting.

Another option for creating a canopy is to build a false chimney breast and make it part of the architecture of the room, as we did in this Wimbledon kitchen below.

Mantle Canopies

Extraction: Mantle canopies



There are two basic types of kitchen sinks: undermounted sinks which sit underneath a worktop; and inset sinks, which sit on top of the worktop.

Traditional white ceramic Belfast and Butler sinks are undermounted, though usually the top front edge, and front face, of a ceramic sink are left exposed. There are also many type of stainless steel undermounted sinks, where the front of the sink is built behind doors or behind a fixed panel above doors.

Inset sinks are very practical if they come with a built-in drainer as it keeps most of the water off the worktop, and enables a tap to be mounted at the back of the bowl rather than directly onto a worktop. This can be especially advantageous if the worktops are timber as these are vulnerable to water damage.

Sink Options

Washing up: Sink options



Washing up can be quite dull, so it’s good to position your sink in front of a window so that you can admire your garden, or watch the world go by. In this old stone mullioned Mendip farmhouse, we fitted a sink into the window space, setting it in a honed ebony worktop.

Alternatively, an island or peninsula sink allows you to face out in to the room and chat. In this family kitchen in Herefordshire we set the double sink into a central island.

Position of Sink

Washing up: Position of sink



If your sink needs to be against a wall, deep worktops and good lighting can add a sense of spaciousness. In this grey painted kitchen, glass jars on shallow shelves reflect light from a ceiling window.

Washing up: Position of sink



When considering which side of the sink you want to put your dishwasher, bear in mind whether it will block access to any cupboards when open. Positioning a dishwasher at the end of a run often works well. In this dark blue kitchen, the dishwasher is positioned at the end of an island, which makes it easily accessible.

Some customers find it more convenient to have a high level dishwasher. We fitted a high level integrated dishwasher in this white lacquered kitchen in Pilton.

Dishwashers

Washing up: Dishwashers



If you are short of space and want a system for sorting a range of different kinds of recycling, you might like an integrated pull out bin system which can have 2, 3 or 4 separate bin containers. These will take up little space and run on soft-close runners. (See image top left) Sometimes we make a drawer box, designed to fit one or more bins that we buy separately. This can give greater choice about the size and kinds of bin you use.

In this dark blue kitchen, we built a box on the back of a cupboard door to house a food waste bin. This can be a good use of a cupboard under the sink – but might not suit a busy family, where one person could be washing up while someone else is scraping the plates.

Bins and Recycling

Bins and recylcing



There are two main distinct types of fridges: freestanding models with their own doors and integrated, built-in models with matching furniture doors.

You may, for example, want a freestanding model like the stainless steel American style fridge which takes centre stage in a run of tall white cupboards.

Or, by opting for an integrated model, you may want to ‘lose’ it in a run of cupboard doors. For example, in this Dorset kitchen we built a tall integrated fridge into a bank of cupboards veneered in pearwood.

Fridge Options

Fridges: Fridge options



An undercounter fridge gives you most flexibility about position, but the storage that it offers is only sufficient for one or two people.

Tall fridges not only provide more storage, but minimize the need to bend or crouch. However, you are much more restricted about where they will fit. In this oak kitchen, the large stainless steel fridge freezer is placed within a group of tall cupboards.

Alternatively the fridge can go at the end of a run of low cupboards, or against a wall on its own.

Most but not all fridges come with doors which can be hinged on the left or right. This flexibility can be useful in deciding their position.

Position of Fridge

Fridges: Position of fridge



Door StyleWhat your kitchen will look like will above all be determined by the style of the doors – whether they are of panel and frame construction; whether they have a recessed panel; and if so, whether with or without a moulding. For example the doors on this kitchen bookcase we built in a Devon farmhouse have traditional panel mouldings.

Or the doors can be just plain flat panels. As in this white minimalist kitchen.

The Look: Door style



Another key question which will make a big difference to the feel of your kitchen, is whether to have painted doors or a natural timber finish.

This Somerset kitchen combines various paint finishes in some areas of the kitchen and solid oak in others.

Alternatively, doors and drawers can be veneered with the grain running through horizontally, as in this teak kitchen in London.

The Look: Wood and veneer

Wood and veneer



PaintIf you choose a painted kitchen, you have a huge choice of colours. We use a paint made by a Finnish manufacturer. This can be matched to any colour of any brand. It’s water-based, tough and easy to touch up in the future.

The Look: Paint



Handles and KnobsYour choice of handles and knobs will also significantly affect the look of the kitchen.

We offer a wide range of different kinds of handle, including our own design of wooden shaker knobs which are hand-turned. They are often used to provide a contrast to the paintwork.

Sometimes we pair oak shaker knobs with satin chrome cup handles on drawers.

The Look: Handles and knobs


21 craigiewoodworks.co.ukThe Look: Handles and knobs



Although the most accessible kitchen storage is often provided by drawers, there are situations where cupboards are the best storage solution.

Firstly, drawers are only accessible up to the height you can see into them.

Secondly, shallow cupboards, whether tall or low, are often very effective. Contents don’t get lost behind one another and shelves can be spaced quite tightly together as you don’t need to reach over the top.

Wall hung cupboards are an example of shallow cupboards. If there is a long run of wall cupboards, it can be a good idea to break up a run of wall cupboards with some glass doors. This can work well if the cupboard is for storing glass or china.

Cupboards

Storage: Cupboards



Corners of kitchens are often awkward but a corner cupboard doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

‘L’ shape cupboards are a useful solution for corner spaces, especially where there is room for two wide doors. It’s a good space for large kitchen items.

Or you can opt for a pull out carousel on one side of the corner to access the corner space.

Corners

Storage: Corners


24 craigiewoodworks.co.ukStorage: Wine storage

Open wine racks look great and make good use of narrow spaces. They can be painted the same as the rest of the cabinetry or be made from oak, or other timbers.

Wine Storage



A larder cupboard is a wonderful way to store your groceries. It keeps everything in the dark, ideal for olive oil and other glass jar goods, and relatively cool.

At their simplest, these might be tall, deep cupboards with adjustable shelves.

But one way to take advantage of their depth, without losing items at the back, is to have shelf racks on the backs of doors. In this cupboard, which we made for a family home in Surrey, we built solid oak larder compartments with stainless steel retaining rods.

Larder Cupboards

Storage: Larder cupboards



We often fit strip lights inside larder cupboards which we conceal behind oak ‘baffles’. This blue larder cupboard also includes a marble worktop.

Another option, shown above in the walnut interior of this larder cupboard is to have internal drawers hidden behind the cupboard door.




Other storage options inside a larder cupboard include wicker baskets, vertical storage for trays and boards and pullout shelves.




In the past, kitchen drawers were used for a relatively small number of items such as cutlery, utensils and tea towels. Nowadays drawer runners are so strong, and run so smoothly, that drawers can be used to store pans, plates, cups – almost anything. And because they glide out towards you, you don’t have to crouch down and rootle around in the back of a cupboard. Once you have pulled a drawer out you can see its contents clearly from above. It provides the most visible storage.

Drawers

Storage: Drawers



We use Blumotion drawer runners which are soft, self-closing and very strong. There is no need to have peg boards to retain plates but you may have a preference for having dedicated space for different stacks of plates.

We often fit solid oak drawer dividers for cutlery.

And similarly a few wide dividers can separate utensils into broad categories (wooden spoons, stainless steel spoons etc.) and save the drawer from chaos.

Inside Drawers

On the inside: Inside drawers



If a customer wants a purpose-built storage solution for storing knives we can offer several options.

One is to make timber knife racks which can have as many or as few slots as required. The racks can be made so that they fit in with any other dividing compartments in a drawer.

Or we can make a raised block with a magnetic top surface onto which knives can be laid flat.

Knife Drawers

On the inside: Knife drawers



Your choice of worktops will come down to a balance of aesthetics, functionality and cost. There are other worktop materials available such as Corian, glass, concrete, and zinc but the majority of the kitchens we install have one of these four worktop materials: quartz, granite, stainless steel or timber.

Worktops

Quartz

Although a man-made stone, quartz has the durability of natural stone. It is scratch-proof and very low maintenance. It is available in a huge range of colours and patterns. For example, one type closely resembles marble.

Worktops: Quartz



Granite is a popular choice because it is so hardwearing. It requires little maintenance. It is a natural stone and therefore its colour and figuring are often irregular and one part of a slab can look markedly different from another. There are often spectacular markings.

Other granites, such as this attractive matt black Honed Ebony worktop, that we fitted in a kitchen near Wells, have a more consistent colour.

Granite

Worktops: Granite



Stainless steel worktops are favoured by restaurants for good reason. They are highly heat resistant and durable, making them an excellent kitchen worktop material.

There are companies that specialise in fabricating stainless steel worktops. You can choose various edge details. Sink bowls can be seamlessly welded into the worktops and water retaining areas can be recessed to prevent water spilling over the front of the worktop.

People often have the idea of stainless steel being a bit clinical; but in fact in can blend in well to a residential setting if there are other design elements (eg. a timber floor or painted cabinetry) to offset it.

Stainless Steel

Worktops: Stainless Steel



Wood is a material everyone loves and its warm, raw appeal is evident on timber worktops. It is a softer, more vulnerable work surface than quartz and granite but if you damage it, it is fairly forgiving as you can sand back a scratch and re-oil it.

Timber worktops do need regular maintenance. This involves wiping a fresh coat of oil on the surface every few months particularly around a sink and hob. You can’t put a hot pan on wood and you can’t chop directly onto it. But whatever your choice of worktop it is better to chop on dedicated chopping boards.

The most durable timber worktop is Iroko because it has natural oils in it which protect it from water damage. It ages to a rich dark teak-like colour.Oak is paler and the most popular choice for the timber worktops that we install. It stays flat when milled in a particular way (quarter-sawn) and therefore it is stable and not prone to splitting.

Timber

Worktops: Timber



One of the more economical worktops options is a factory-produced timber worktop, which we buy in as fabricated boards. They are made up of narrow strips of solid timber.

Factory-produced

Worktops: Factory produced

If you are short of worktop space, you could consider a pull-out.We made this Green Marinace granite work top, which pulls out from a burr maple cupboard in this Dorset kitchen.

Pull-out Worktops



These are the main elements to think about when planning your kitchen.

But you may have other special requests. A space for your dog, or a window seat; or a bookcase door.

So if you are going to have a purpose-built kitchen, make sure it fits your purpose.

Finally

Finally


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