Kitchens International grows hospitality portfolio with prestigious hotel commission

Kitchens International, the award-winning Scottish specialist in luxury kitchens and living spaces, has added Fingal – the AA 5-star hotel permanently berthed in Leith, Edinburgh – to a growing portfolio of hospitality clients including Nick Nairn’s Cook School and Tony Singh’s Supper Club, plus a previous installation at Martin Wishart’s Cook School which is now The Little Chartroom.

The company created a bespoke kitchen for the Chef's Table aboard the world-class foodie destination. The new kitchen is in The Bridge, the ship's former command room, which now seats up to ten guests for a Chef's Table dining experience. The space, which sits on Fingal’s top deck, has never had a working galley of its own. Now each course is prepared a few feet from the dining table, with Fingal's chefs able to interact with diners as the meal unfolds.

The commission is the latest in a run of hospitality projects for Kitchens International, which has built a commercial client base alongside the residential work the business is best known for. Fingal is the first kitchen the company has installed onboard a ship.

Built in 1963 as a Northern Lighthouse Board service ship, Fingal was converted into a floating luxury hotel in 2019 by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. With 23 cabins on board, each inspired by Fingal's rich maritime heritage, the ship also has the 2 AA Rosette Lighthouse Restaurant with waterfront views, art deco interiors and a first class crew. The Kitchens International installation was designed in close collaboration with Fingal's Executive Chef, Mark Alston.

Graham Johnston, CEO and owner at Kitchens International, said: “Designing a kitchen for a private dining setting with so much history and character was a real privilege for Kitchens International. This is the first project of its kind for us, and it drew on everything our design team has learnt across years of bespoke work. 

“We worked closely with Fingal’s Executive Chef, Mark Alston, and the galley team to design a small open kitchen that sits comfortably within its surroundings while functioning as a professional working space. A custom-made kitchen was central to creating a strong visual flow between the Chef's Table and the open kitchen, and Gaggenau appliances complement the subtle modern detailing found throughout the ship. Our hospitality work has grown steadily alongside the residential side of the business, and projects like this one are where our design team is at its most inventive. It was a pleasure to work with the team aboard Fingal, and we are proud of what we have created together.”

Calum Oliver, project manager at Kitchens International, added: “Installing a kitchen aboard a floating hotel is a very different exercise from a residential fit. The vessel's naval architecture imposed its own complexities: the floor sits on a camber, the ceilings slope, and at times the ship gently sways. Very little could be treated as square or level, so units were scribed and adjusted in place rather than dropped into a prepared space. Seeing Fingal’s vision come to life has been a real privilege, and we have every confidence the kitchen will serve guests on board for many years to come.”