How Et Lorem maximised colour and texture in an elegant kitchen-living space

Designer Jade Jones from award-winning kitchen design studio Et Lorem reveals how she blended modern luxury with classic design elements in a bespoke in-frame kitchen for a detached family home in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.

Featuring a thoughtful combination of materials, this bespoke kitchen living space offers high visual appeal with a strong colour palette and textural contrast. From the large feature island that acts as a centrepiece in the room to luxury design elements in brass and wood, Et Lorem considered every aspect of this kitchen renovation to achieve a curated blend of luxury and style that supports everyday family life.

Designer, Jade Jones, says: “With a strong personal connection to the client, this bespoke kitchen is made truly special by our unique design concept, and trademark attention to detail. From concept right through to completion, we maintained a close working relationship with the homeowners, and by taking a high supporting design role, we were able to guide them on the best style, materials, and products to use.

"For example, during the discovery phase the client originally wanted traditional light grey cabinets with a feature island in dark blue. To move away from the mainstream, we suggested a mix of dark Shaker-style cabinetry combined with real wood accents to provide a signature blend of contrast, materials, symmetry, and lighting. As soon as the client saw one of the displays in our Reading showroom, they loved the new design concept incorporating a transitional style of furniture, and deeper colour palette.”

Et Lorem designed a bespoke handmade in-frame kitchen, hand painted in Mylands Artillery Ground No. 164, a deep green-brown colour with beautifully matt, natural finish. Concealed and exposed walnut design elements help to emphasise the rich painted cabinetry and is featured on the back panel of the breakfast cupboard, and custom shelving unit, which is part of the main island and currently used as a practical area to store cookbooks, and family boardgames.

Et Lorem used glass display cabinets above the wash zone that naturally create symmetry and bounce light around the kitchen, while giving easy access to clean glassware overhead. To finish, a curated mix of Hendel & Hendel Belgravia Bar Handles and T-Bars enhance the desirability factor of the furniture, while increasing overall functionality, user comfort, and aesthetics.

Mimicking the luxurious look and feel of natural Italian marble, Et Lorem selected Ariastone Calacatta in shades of gold, honey, amber, and light grey to create the full-height splashback behind the sink and 50mm thick bespoke worktops on the island, which were vein matched to ensure a flawless pattern from edge-to-edge.

The anchor of the kitchen is the large feature island unit, which offers a central cook zone with added dining space at counter height, which comfortably seats up to four on a series of Chesterfield bar stools. The island also features an EVOline® BackFlip socket solution in Matt Black that on rotation, reveals 2 sockets and a handy USB Charger for anyone wanting to work from home, charge their phone, listen to music, or need an extra power outlet in the kitchen for smaller appliances.

From island to breakfast cupboard, Et Lorem used 20mm work surfaces in the same Ariastone Calacatta Gold to introduce an extra, low maintenance work area to prep food, roll out fresh pasta, knead bread, and make hot drinks away from the main cook zone.

To support the clients’ love of home cooking and entertaining, a pair of Miele built-in ovens and flush mounted induction hob with integrated vapour extraction form the basis of the cook zone. Part of Miele’s Kitchen Range, the all-black cooking appliances when paired with the bespoke Et Lorem dark grey in-frame furniture offers a sophisticated alternative to stainless steel, which is both current and timeless.

Just left of the cleaning and cook zone sits a fully integrated fridge freezer by Siemens to enhance workflow when cooking at home, as the client can move from the fridge to the sink and oven with ease. A Blanco Subline sink in Silgranit Soft White is not only practical but also provides a natural link between the worktops and sink area. A Quooker Fusion Round boiling water tap in Patinated Brass becomes the unifying element in the wet zone. Delivering boiling, hot, and cold water on tap, its distinct surface texture helps to depict the solid brass hardware on the cabinets, which also feature knurled detailing and a complementary brass finish.