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If you’re looking for the best information on creating your dream kitchen, bedroom or bathroom, look no further than Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine online.
We’ve selected our favourite features from Britain’s best-selling kitchen, bathroom and bedroom magazine, from wow-factor kitchen spaces, to sublime bathroom and bedroom sanctuaries. In fact, you'll discover all manner of expert planning advice for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom as well as regular news of future designs bound for the home.
We also bring the latest and greatest home appliances to the fore, so whether you’re after a top-end professional oven for the kitchen, or the hottest designer showering system, KBB magazine online has got it covered. What’s more, we’ll bring you profiles of the industry’s best designers and their innovative designs that could take centre stage in your kitchen, bedroom and bathroom projects of tomorrow.
Of course, there’s much more in store in the latest issue of Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine, which is on sale from September 2nd. But, in the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy our dedicated online service.
Jackie Daly, Editor
Little Wonder
Magnet: Designed specifically with compact kitchens in mind, the Urban Calico range combines flexible storage with a sleek, smooth finish. It costs £261.95 for a 600mm base unit from Magnet
All the gen on creating a smaller kitchen layout
Small kitchens are commonplace in the UK and with the rise of open-plan living many of us suffer from cramped cooking quarters. One of the main problems is where to stash everything, but with the help of a thoughtful designer even a small space can function like a much larger kitchen.
Corian: Combining appliances and storage with an integrated Corian worktop, sink and splashback, Pietro Arosio designed this stunning Ernestomeda Solaris compact freestanding kitchen station. Corian costs from £300 per linear m
Planning stages
In a small space, layout and storage are vital – two people can work side-by-side perfectly well in a small kitchen if it’s properly planned, but if it isn’t they’ll constantly be getting in each other’s way. While the shape and architecture of your room will probably dictate the general layout, key is to zone your kitchen by specific tasks – for example, cooking, preparation, fresh food storage, grocery storage, and utensils – then position these zones in the most practical and ergonomic way in relation to each other.
As Michael Powell of Blum points out, “This is where any decent designer really earns their wage. Difficult areas are often poorly designed because they are just that – difficult. However, what goes on inside the cabinets can make all the difference. In a compact kitchen, surfaces should be kept clear when not in use, so internal storage is essential. Conventional base units with fixed shelves are a non-starter, while full-extension drawers and pull-outs, which use the entire height and depth of the cabinet without restricting access, are much better.”
Schmidt: This clever sliding door system from Schmidt allows you to completely conceal kitchen clutter. Available in a variety of finishes and colours, the doors cost from £200 each, while a full kitchen starts at £12,000
Creating optical illusions
The type and size of units you choose can also make a huge difference to how your kitchen feels when you walk in – as a professional designer will tell you, the furniture might not increase the actual dimensions of your room, but how you kit it out can make it feel either cramped and cluttered, or spacious and streamlined.
Clare Pascoe, design director of Molten London, advises that in a compact room it pays to think big. “Where you have a small space, you’re often tempted to fit in smaller units in order to increase the number of storage options, but this can highlight the fact that your kitchen is small. However, if you use wide units, you create the illusion of space simply by the fact that if you can fit in a set of 90cm drawers as a focal point, then surely your kitchen can’t be that small after all.”
John Lewis: An internal lighting system combined with glazed doors can turn essential storage cabinets into a feature as seen in this Burnt Orange Silk and Warm Cherry open-plan scheme from John Lewis. Prices for a kitchen start from around £10,000
Décor tricks
Conventional wisdom dictates that compact kitchens should be decorated in pale, neutral shades, but bright colours can absolutely make a design – the smaller the space, the bigger the impact. And if you want to use a darker tone for your furniture then go ahead, but choose a shiny finish, such as a highly polished timber or ultra-glossy lacquer that will bounce light around the room and cause a brightening effect. Another trick is to choose light-reflecting worktops – glass, metal and highly polished stone come into their own in a small space.
Lighting is especially important in open-plan schemes – if your kitchen is part of the living area, you’ll need plenty of ambient lighting, as well as clear task light around the cooking and preparation zones. Once the meal is over, you’ll want to switch off and create a more relaxed setting, so indulge in some decorative lighting effects, such as illuminated plinths and shelf boxes, or internal lighting for glazed cabinets. This sort of ambient light can make or break an atmosphere, and the right combination creates a fantastic mood for parties and entertaining.
Concealed systems that hide the kitchen – or at least part of it – are also a brilliant solution for open-plan spaces. “Small, integrated living areas particularly benefit from a high degree of design coordination,” says Tim Hutchinson, marketing director of Rot Punkt. “A concealed kitchen, where furniture hides away functional equipment with a sliding-door system, is a popular solution. Furniture can be coordinated with the rest of the room and used to screen storage, appliances, or a run of units for a more open and less cluttered look that creates a feeling of spaciousness.”
To see this article in its entirety, the August issue of KBB is on sale now or you can subscribe online here
