We are delighted to announce the successful shortlist for PEEK Architecture + Design for the Kitchen Design over £50,000 Award in the ID&A Awards 2015. The property is a grade II listed building and had been empty and neglected since the 1980’s. Our clients were among many who had viewed the building, but the only ones who were brave and inspired enough to take on the long and complex road for its restoration.. The building used to be the ostentatious, private dining rooms for the Adelphi Theatre, and was owned by the famous entrepreneurs, the Gatti brothers., hence it was called Gatti House.
The kitchen was designed to sit in the large open plan living space, flanked by tall windows over looking The Strand and with views to the Thames River. The ornate plasterwork had to be lovingly restored in the room, and the design brief was to create a kitchen, which would sit well within this period setting, but with a touch of theatre about it, harking back to the days of the parties the actors of the Adelphi must have thrown in this great space.
The extractor for example is a downdraft and the hob is induction, so that at first they are not noticed and do not protrude at all from any surface. The sink and taps are housed in a marble clad recess, flanked by the deep blue units, which at night can be lit with an LED, appearing like a kind of feature bar or servery, from across the room. A boiling water tap negates the need for any kettle to be stood on the worktop. Ovens are housed on the other side of the large island unit, again hiding any hint of a normal kitchen. The island unit keeps a bar and restaurant type feel with a thick mitred, honed, carrara marble work top, and antique mirror cladding to the rear side.
The honed marble work tops look ‘pre worn’ and are very tactile. The antique mirror cladding to the facing side of the island unit gives it a more ‘furniture’ feel, and the downdraft extract gets a few smiles when it suddenly appears from the worktop.