A creatively colourful family kitchen
Hui, London SE5
A celebration of colour and materials
Hui and her family wanted their Lozi kitchen to be a celebration of materials, textures, colours and finishes that would complement the warm wooden tones of the teak architectural details in their modern kitchen extension.
With two small children, the space needed to be designed around how they function as a family, with a layout that prioritises being together, plenty of storage to keep chaos at bay and everything to hand where it's needed; she was looking for the perfect balance between uplifting stimulation and ordered ease.
The result is a vibrant environment that offers a riot of ideas without overwhelming the space, lots of clever functional details and a considered layout that's up to the challenges of daily family life.
Having selected multi-coloured ceramic sockets, light fittings and plumbing fixtures plus a bold terrazzo style splash-back for her kitchen, the challenge for Hui was to keep the kitchen units creative without overwhelming the space.
She and her Lozi designer settled on natural birch plywood kitchen cabinets to spread the warmth and calm of wood throughout the space. They then played with a mix of colour-backed recessed handles, using Lozi's yellow, orange and emerald paint finishes to add distinctive multicoloured accents across the room.
White Fenix worktops reflect light around the space from the generous windows and skylights, and give the other materials in the room a chance to take centre stage.
The large kitchen island is the focal point of the room, where children can help with preparing food or gather round to make some art while their parents cook.
Front and back elevations: kitchen island with adjustable storage
One side is purely functional, with the sink, dishwasher and bins, while the other is designed like a flexible sideboard with lots of open sections. Doors lower down provide storage for the children's bags and the shelves are just the right height at the moment for playing and drawing. Adjustable shelves mean they can change the use as family life evolves.
The layout of the cooking area needed to prioritise having everything to hand to keep up with the demands of preparing meals amid busy family life, but Hui didn't want lots of cupboards up high to crowd the space. She settled on two small cupboards to the left of the cooker hood for glasses and cups, with a little recessed shelf underneath for small items and ornaments. A simple shelf above the worktop to the right gives room to display artwork by the children.
Hui also specified a pull-out spice rack next to the oven, for easy access to certain items while cooking that can be hidden calmly out of sight at other times to keep the counter tops clear.
Lozi developed a new way of making special baskets on runners for this kitchen project; we digitally cut grooves in the plywood before bending it in a double curve, and securing to plywood frames with cut-out handles.
Front elevation: main kitchen run with plywood basket drawers
These attractive breathable drawers are ideal for storing bread, fruit and vegetables close to hand, where the air can circulate and keep them fresh, and give the kitchen a unique and modern look that traditional wicker baskets wouldn't achieve.
Opposite the main run of Hui's kitchen, L-shaped seating gives plenty of room for easy family dinners in front of a picture window framing the garden. Hui wanted to be able to use the space under the bench for storage too, but drawers or doors in the front would have interfered with table and chair legs, so Lozi designed hinged tops with a simple curved overhang to keep things neat but still easy to access.
Lozi then made two bookcases with cupboards beneath for further storage – designed to align exactly with the skylights above – cutting precisely around the pink ceramic sockets in the back of one side.
The same playfully mis-matched recessed handles continue the multicoloured theme of the cooking area opposite. More adjustable shelves let them change up the items on display as family life evolves.
This area is also the threshold to the garden, and Hui didn't want it to get cluttered up with shoes, so we integrated a cubby for kicking off footwear into the end of the bench closest to the door.
Front elevation: L-shaped seating with storage and bookcases
Overall, Hui now has a vibrant and bold kitchen and dining area that's an uplifting riot of colour and materials without becoming too much for the space, with functional details that keep life ordered enough for the main focus to be on vibrant time together as a family.
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Please find our guided pricing here
Each project varies depending on the size of your home, the complexity of the design and your choice of materials and finishes.
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- Kitchen cabinetry with display shelving and spice rack
- Kitchen island with doors and adjustable shelves
- Custom plywood basket drawers
- Worktops in white Fenix
- Bespoke seating area with lift-up lid and shoe cubby
- Bespoke book shelves with lower cupboards and cut-outs for sockets
- Design and development with our in-house designer-makers
- Making, by our own team of makers, on Hackney Road
- Delivery and installation by the same team of makers
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Sink | appliances | electrics | plumbing | any other home accessories shown
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After submitting your enquiry and confirming a quote that suits your budget, you'll be allocated one of our highly skilled designer-makers and they will schedule a site visit, where relevant. Based on your requirements and personal style, we'll provide a digital 2-D design to visualise the project outcome. Your designer-maker will ensure the experience is stress-free, supporting important design decisions and providing tailored, design-led solutions. All Lozi furniture is then made in-house and if appropriate, carefully installed by the designer-maker and workshop team.
Click here for a full breakdown of each stage.