How FT Bespoke used unique materials to create a distinctive kitchen design

Andy Barette, creative director of FT Bespoke, reveals how he designed a spacious, one-of-a-kind kitchen for a busy family of 4. Photos by Nick Smith.

Q: What type of property was it in and who was the project for?
A: A beautiful Victorian townhouse for a lovely family originating from New York with their 2 children.

Q: What was the brief from the client for this project? 
A: The clients' existing kitchen did not meet their needs in many respects, and the main part of the brief was to create a new kitchen that didn’t require the large dining table, as this was moved to the newly created dining niche further up from the kitchen. It was also incredibly important to create a kitchen that in no way looked utilitarian (although it did need to be highly practical). With the space being open plan from the living room at the front of the house to the kitchen at the back, the kitchen is highly visible, which is why it needed to look beautiful and impactful.

We were also tasked with finding a much better solution for the extraction, owing to the open-plan nature of the space, which is why we chose Westin to take care of these duties. Another requirement was plenty of useable storage – lots of drawers and well thought out divisions to those drawers, so that everything had its own place, from cutlery to Tupperware. It was also important to be able to hide everything away, so the use of pocket doors at the bar and breakfast cupboard was employed.

Q: How did you go about meeting the brief?
A: We worked with the client and their wonderful interior designers ‘Studio Vero’ and had a number of meetings with the them to hone down and fully understand which elements were most important for them. We started with a space planning and checklist meeting – which elements didn’t currently work and what was on their 'wish list' for the new kitchen etc – and then set about some basic initial designs, which we presented back at the house and physically marked up the line of the new cabinetry for them to see. This was so important when it came to understanding the size and position of the new island.

Q: What type of cabinetry did you choose?  
A: All the cabinetry has been made by us at FT Bespoke and was a completely tailored solution. The client favoured a more minimal look but with more embellishments than just a slab door, so we created a ‘skinny Shaker’ with slender 30mm framing. The internals then all have a nod towards traditional cabinet making, with solid dove-tailed oak drawer boxes.

I think FT Bespoke were the perfect choice for this project, because there was absolutely no need to make any compromises on sizes or material mix – something incredibly important when trying to create this special space. There were a number of meetings arranged just to specifically run through the various samples created, to see how they worked in the space. This was important, especially for the island, which was one of the standout elements in the new scheme.

Q: What materials did you use?
A: A mixture of painted cabinetry, solid oak and then something completely different for the island – a pippy tulipwood.

Q: What were the particular challenges that you faced?
A: Space! The overall space is quite compact, but it certainly doesn’t feel it because of the generous ceilings and wonderful skylights. However, it was critical to get the island position correct, especially at the breakfast bar, owing to the larger size of the wonderfully comfortable stalls.

The breakfast cupboard has pocket doors and we needed to make sure the circulation at this area did not feel tight or cramped. Being an open-plan space, it was so important to get the extraction right too, especially because the client loved their cooking. The original solution clearly didn’t work, so a far superior Westin model was specified and that does a brilliant job of removing all of the cooking fumes.

Q: Are there any design elements that you’re particularly proud of?  
A: Lots! But I think the showstopper is the island. It’s ultimately a beautiful piece of fine furniture that sits in a gloriously stylish and practical family kitchen.