ALCHEMY HOUSE

kitchen’s glamorous and thrillingly modern parts is a sense of grandeur that harks back to a bygone time without it ever feeling overly nostalgic. This affecting fusion of contemporary gusto with old-world gravitas The clients required a kitchen that would allow for practical, everyday use as well as for entertaining large groups for more formal events. We took inspiration from carriage houses and the working kitchens found in the basements of grand manors – and then gave this concept a contemporary kick. It’s a balance of boisterous ‘molten gold’ elements and timeless, textural surfaces. A fumed timber island breaks up the dark tones and brings an earthiness to the mix. Charred oak gives the cabinetry a unique personality more akin to furniture than joinery, and the simple brass handles add a tactile richness. Calacatta gold marble gives the broody tonality a lift, and the steel and glazed overhead cabinets are robust and light at once – becoming an almost miniature version of the steel-door aesthetics found throughout the rest of the home. The materiality needed to be robust and forgiving in terms of functionality, but also amply ornamental and in keeping with the restrained maximalist vibe of the adjacent spaces. A contemporary refectory table was customised to sympathetically accentuate the joinery and extend the kitchen’s functionality. We opted for a minimalist pendant light and customised the stools to blend quietly into the scheme. The bespoke, hand-burnished brass rangehood was a must as were the charred, brushed and ebonised timber joinery faces. They are delighted. The aesthetics of the kitchen accentuate the surrounding elements and the forgiving materiality is easy to live with.