The Kitchen – The Heart Of The Modern Home

A family kitchen in a period home in Edinburgh

I love when clients ask me to design a kitchen for them and their family. Not only has the kitchen become the heart of the home and the hub of modern life but it’s a wonderful design challenge for any designer.

A well designed kitchen has to incorporate so many factors to be a successful design. The designer has to think about all the activities that need to be catered for, from cooking and entertaining to cleaning and getting homework done, and has to mix a myriad of finishes and surfaces to deliver a harmonious look.

The kitchen pictured above was a great design challenge as its original layout simply didn’t work for the family that lived there. The previous dining table was behind the door and cramped, and space was cut in two by a peninsula unit. In order to solve the practical issues and offer a beautiful kitchen to boot, the solution was to flip the kitchen around, placing the dining table in the best spot beside the window with a built-in banquette seat wrapping around two sides to allow for flexible seating for entertaining family and friends.

A great vintage find, the table has rounded ends which work really well with the banquette, allowing easier movement around it. We had the table refinished in a hardwearing white so it can be witness to many memorable family dinners and parties to come.

The chairs are also refinished vintage pieces which were painted and reupholstered in hard-wearing grey linen. Although you often focus on how chairs look from the front, it’s often important as you can see here to ensure that they look as interesting and attractive from the back too!… Louise