top of page

The Story of a Kitchen Design

Catherine Muir

I was so excited when my clients approached me to assist them in the interior design of their new home which they were building themselves, the architect had designed a beautiful family home that was carefully positioned to take in the incredible views and as much natural light as possible. It was designed to be very contemporary whilst Eco friendly with touches of natural local elements such as stone.

The first thing I designed for them was their chimney breast in the living room, I designed it to echo the building, again contemporary but with those natural touches.

The second thing we worked on was their kitchen. The shape of the kitchen presented lots of possibilities, so my client and I started by sitting together for about 2 hours and worked through each option to finally came up with the perfect solution.

Once we had that good solid plan we went for a trip to the kitchen showroom. The showroom is down in Newton Aycliffe and has many interesting and varied room sets for you to peruse. It is closed to the public, so you’d need to make an appointment through me to go.

My clients were immediately drawn to a sleek modern kitchen near the start of the showroom which perfectly echoed their love of contemporary minimalism. So we spent most of our visit checking it was their favourite and then looking at all the different internal options and lighting systems.

Once back in my studio I put together the design board and confirmed all the details with the clients before moving onto the drawings for the build. This stage of the design process takes the technical drawings used at the design stage and makes them ready for the build process adding in details such as the way each door will swing and other carpentry details.

Because the building had been designed to take in the views it meant that the final layout would not have a 90deg corner as most kitchens do but a wider angle. There was also a tricky pipe that would run behind the fridge freezer cupboard. However, using the depth of the kitchen panels and a bespoke worktop we were able to work these problems through resulting in the sleek and modern kitchen you see here.

Once my client was ready for the kitchen we put the order through, and on this occasion my client had decided to fit the kitchen themselves, not for everyone but a challenge that my client enjoyed! The worktop is always ordered after the kitchen has been installed to ensure that it is a perfect fit.

What can you expect when you ask me to design your kitchen?

As an interior designer I don’t just plan your kitchen, but I carefully design the colour scheme and materials to reflect your personal style, then I consider the function of each element so that your kitchen flows and works well and finally I consider all the finishing touches like the flooring and lighting.

The process begins as soon as you get in touch and discuss your project. We will then arrange a time to come and meet and see the space. If required I will take measurements at this stage. After the meeting, to ensure that we are both in agreement, I will complete the design brief and put together a bespoke design quote and invoice you with a retainer fee. I will then sketch out several options for the layout of your kitchen and put together a mood board for the overall look, and our next meeting will be at the kitchen showroom. There I will present the different ideas to you and we will enjoy looking around the show room at all the different room sets. I will take notes about what you like and what you don’t like!

After that I will complete the design; this will include a colour scheme and mood images, back splash, worktop and flooring choices, lighting, handles and some accessories, and a plan view of the chosen layout. I will also include a quote to purchase the kitchen through me. I will present this to you at a final design meeting before moving forward to the installation phases.

So, if you would like to work with a professional interior designer to achieve your vision then get in touch to begin the process.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Catherine

Finished kitchen

Thank you to Sue Todd for the photography!


67 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page