Richard Bates, director of Arlington Interiors in Leeds, reveals how he and his team created a calm and organised family space, with Omega kitchen cabinetry providing the perfect blend of classic and contemporary styles.
Q: What type of property was it in and who was the project for?
A: The project was in a midcentury detached house with a slightly awkward corner section.
Q: What was the brief from the client for this project?
A: The client wanted a more traditionally focused kitchen with a classic feel. As it's in a busy family home, they wanted to maximise the use of all the available space, incorporating lots of tall storage including an external corner, American fridge-freezer, 2 full-size ovens, 1 combi microwave and a warming drawer. They were also keen for us to provide a small breakfast bar area for casual seating and enjoying relaxed meals on the go.
Q: How did you go about meeting the brief?
A: We managed to come up with a few solutions in order to incorporate every single one of the required elements, and refined the best layout whilst listening carefully to the clients’ preferences.
Q: What type of cabinetry did you choose and what made it the perfect choice?
A: The Omega Sheraton painted Shaker door offered the perfect solution, and being offered in 20+ colours we had a great palette to choose from. The newly introduced Sand Oak carcase was a perfect choice to deliver a traditional painted kitchen in a very modern, but classic, colourway.
Q: What materials did you use? Did you use anything different or unusual?
A: The client wanted a clean calm area with modern materials and a touch of warmth. To achieve this we incorporated a real wood breakfast bar at a different height to create some focus, and add some character by creating something a little different from the norm.
Q: What were the particular challenges that you faced and what were your solutions to overcome them?
A: The internal/external corner and wrapping it in tall units was a challenge, however with the product offering from Omega’s collection we were able to overcome this problem without a hitch.
Q: What is your favourite part of the finished project? Are there any design elements that you’re particularly proud of?
A: What we do here at Arlington, and working with Omega, is look at the design as a whole and incorporate little features that stand us apart from other kitchen designers out there. The colour split, external tall run and the breakfast bar work brialliantly to create a fantastic space.
Q: What is the client's favourite part of the finished project?
A: They loved the open feeling of the whole room and the ability to mix casual and formal seating whilst still entertaining within the main kitchen space.
