2018
Design: Steinvör Þöll Árnadóttir @ Embla Interiors
Photographs by Nanne Springer
Joiner: Michael Lee Jervis
Contractor: PGB Contracts (now Fenton Bespoke)
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
The brief was to design a kitchen diner that incorporated clean lines, great cooking facilities, excellent entertaining space, comfortable sitting areas and a vast amount of storage.
The floor to ceiling cupboards at either end serve not only to maximise storage but also to minimise its visual impact, avoiding the feeling of masses of units intruding in the space. Instead, the kitchen looks and feels as though it has been discovered in the wall, and the island looks as though it has come from the wall, almost like a bite from an apple or a fragment of a stone. In this way, the floor to ceiling cupboards make the kitchen and island seem part of the very fabric of the room.
The choice of colour not only clearly defines the dining area and gives it warmth and intimacy; it also serves to play some tricks on the mind. Although the room has two large window, they are both north facing. So prior to refurbishment the space felt very dark despite being painted white throughout. By painting half the room in a dark colour I wanted to give the psychological impression that the space is brighter. The white painted kitchen feels very bright in comparison to the dark dining area, and whatever lack of light one may experience is subliminally attributed to the dark colour, thus seeming cosy and deliberate rather than oppressive.
The dark dining space feels like a cosy cave or a pod that has been inserted into the white kitchen. Seen from the kitchen, it is framed by the white walls and island countertop. Again, the floor to ceiling cupboards serve not only to maximise storage and to minimise its visual impact, but also to incorporate the function and furniture into the fabric of the building. A comfortable built in dining bench nestles in the corner and provides a perfect place to sit and have a glass of wine, socialise, or read a book. This has become the new heart of the home.