Sleek & Contemporary Family Kitchen

We thought we'd share a contemporary kitchen with you today. The previous kitchen area was remodelled to create a beautiful large open space complete with folding sliding doors to the garden. The design is based around a central island which also has seating for two people.

The kitchen is lay-on style with high gloss doors in Parapan Latte, the walnut trim to the furniture adds a beautiful contrast, as does the timber flooring which keeps the space feeling warm. 

The glass splash backs are lit with colour changing LED pelmet lights which really adds some wow factor. They also reflect beautifully on the Caesarstone Desert Sand Quartz worktops.  

The high gloss doors contrast beautifully with the timber, it's a combination which customers ask for time and time again.

Parapan is so versatile and lends itself perfectly to this curved island. The Franke Swiss-Pro Tap makes a real statement along with the Franke under mounted sink.

We designed this piece of walnut furniture to fit to the underside of the stairs, it houses a wine rack, fridge and freezer and extra storage space.

Even though the units look like they all have separate doors, they are actually double height lift-up doors. The hob was flush mounted with the worktop to give the work surface a streamlined feel.

So what do you think of Parapan? Do you like the colour changing LED lights?

Beautiful Family Kitchen Perfect for Entertaining

With the beautiful weather we're having at the moment we thought we would share with you one of our kitchens which was designed with outdoor entertaining in mind. The Client and their young family wanted a warm and inviting space where the main aim was to cater for large family gatherings. The previous kitchen area was completely remodelled and a large set of folding sliding doors were installed to help blur the boundaries between inside and out.

The kitchen is based around a large central 'L' shaped island with working area on one side and seating and storage on the other. The kitchen is lay-on in style and is finished in a mixture of handpainted Farrow & Ball London Stone and walnut veneer teamed with staved walnut worktop and ivory brown granite which gives the large space a warm feel.

 

The curved island from another angle.

The Siemens induction hob sits flush with the granite worktop with the Elica extractor above.

This photo shows the beautiful grain in the ivory brown granite and the raised walnut area of the island is perfect place for a coffee whilst enjoying the views to the garden. The Franke Swiss Pro tap also makes a real statement along with the Franke sink. We also fitted the bench seat which can be seen under the window.

The Siemens single oven and steam oven fit neatly into the walnut perimeter furniture along with the stunning full height wine cooler unit.

The staved walnut chopping block was integrated into the island and mirrors the shape of the units underneath.

 

The striking Elica extractor hood.

A Beautifully Calm Family Kitchen

We have another beautiful kitchen for you today, housed in a stunning period property, situated at the end of a long gravel driveway in a leafy village location. The client and their young family wanted a contemporary feel to their new kitchen but also for it to be sympathetic to the style of the property and a calm retreat from busy family life. They decided to go with one of our handpainted lay-on style kitchens which work in a traditional or contemporary setting.

The Quartz Silestone Mont Blanc work surfaces reflect the light within the space beautifully.

The cabinets are the same colour as the Aga which is Fired Earth Pearl Ashes.

The Aga is a total control, it's flexibility suited the needs of the client perfectly. We created the walnut shelf above the Aga as the Client wanted somewhere to dispay this beautiful plate, it also enabled cooking utensils to be hung from the underside of it.

The traditional double French Farmhouse sink gives a feeling of continuity with the worktop.

We also created this window seat as a place to perch and enjoy the view outside or chat to the cook! It has two drawers for storage underneath and a walnut top which matches the shelf above the Aga.

A Beautiful Family Kitchen Inspired by Nature

We've got a beautiful family kitchen for you today, that takes it's inspiration from the outdoors with it's mix of earthy colours and natural materials. The setting: a new extension within a period property in a picturesque village location.

The client wanted to create a calm and light space for the family to gather, dine and relax. The new extension opened up the existing kitchen space to provide a large kitchen and dining area complete with comfy sofa's and folding sliding doors to the garden.

The in-frame style kitchen is based around a central island and hand painted in the muted tones of Slipper Satin and London Stone from Farrow and Ball.

The curved furniture allows the kitchen to flow and maximises storage space.

The island worktop is planked oak, the grain leading your eye to the beautiful garden views.

The Neff appliances and polished Emerald Pearl granite work surface to the sink run contrast beautifully with the light cabinets and stone tiled floor. The stainless steel elements such as the Franke Panto Tap, Blanco Supreme sink, pendant lights and handles help to tie the whole scheme together.

It's all in the detail: cockbead framed drawers with hammered britannium cup handles.

Why we love an Aga!

Since we became an authorised Aga showroom two years ago, our love of Aga's has grown and the three oven, pearl ashes one we are lucky enough to have in the showroom has really become one of the family! We love it's reassuring warmth in the winter and as we have the Total Control version we are able to use each oven as we need it so it's perfect for use throughout the summer months too.

It's a pleasure to cook on as it's so versatile and the food retains all of it's taste and colour due to the specialist design of the ovens which use radiant heat. We've cooked a range of things, from jacket potatoes and casseroles to toasted sandwiches on the top (the best toast we've ever tasted!)

The Aga has evolved with the times and the traditional perception it used to have is changing too and we are specifying them in modern homes and kitchens more and more as you'll see below.

If you would like to know more then please pop in and we'd be happy to give you a demo or head over to the Aga blog and follow Lady Aga for recipes, tips and news!

Here's a small selection of some of our projects featuring Aga's.

In-frame handpainted kitchen with black three oven Aga

Lay-on handpainted kitchen with cream four oven Aga

Lay-on handpainted kitchen with claret four oven Aga

Lay-on handpainted kitchen with pearl ashes three oven Aga

Look out for our post on our trip to see how Aga's are made coming soon.

Inject some colour into your Kitchen with Orla Kiely

Here at Planet we're always on the look out for beautiful kitchen accessories and today we thought we'd share some from the beautiful and quirky Orla Kiely range.

We recently wallpapered the inside of one of our tambour units in this eye-catching print which really makes a striking and unexpected feature in this white gloss kitchen in our showroom. The glass shelving doesn't break up the paper pattern behind and allows light to filter through the unit. 

Multi Stem Wallpaper £59.00 per roll Orla Kiely

We also love these fabulous bread bins...

Multi Stem Bread Bins £75.00 each Orla Kiely

...and we couldn't think of a better way to get rid of those cooking smells than with these beautifully scented diffuser sticks, the geranium and myrrh below is our favourite. 

Geranium & Myrrh Diffuser Sticks £23.00 Orla Kiely

There are far too many gorgeous kitchen accessories to feature them all here! So head over to the Orla Kiely website and see for yourself. We would recommend choosing just a few key pieces which enhance and tie your kitchen scheme together in a subtle way and also don't be afraid to mix patterns up to avoid an overly matched look.

Contemporary vs.Classic in this Hand Painted Shaker Kitchen

Well here at Planet we've been lucky enough to have been involved in some great projects over this past year and we thought it was about time we shared some of them with you! 

This particular project was based in a beautiful period property. The new kitchen area was formed by knocking three existing rooms into one, the Client decided to do this to create a large social space for family and friends to gather. They wanted a modern feel with plenty of light and this was achieved architecturally by opening up the ceiling at the end of the property and installing roof windows along with folding sliding doors to the garden.

The Client knew they wanted the contemporary feel of the new space to be reflected in the kitchen but also wanted it to feel warm and inviting. This was achieved by combining lay-on shaker style furniture in a hand painted finish with walnut features and chrome hardware. The wood flooring from Amtico also added to the warmth of the space.

The clean lines and contrast of the Corian work surfaces define the kitchen area and the light colour reflects rather than absorbs light but without the coldness of stone. To create the peninsula seating area the Corian was effectively wrapped over the furniture which provides a nice contemporary detail if you're looking for something a little different. The wine cooler was fitted in the void underneath.

The stunning stainless steel Falcon range cooker with it's matching splash back and hood makes a real statement and the accessories throughout the kitchen compliment this such as the Perrin & Rowe Ionian tap and the Quooker hot tap also installed.

The owners also required plenty of storage so we designed this beautiful tall furniture to fit along one side. The central unit is a cooks pantry which folds out to reveal a walnut workspace, the walnut was also used for the long wine rack at the top of the unit. 

As always accessories are a key part to finishing off any kitchen, the design led lighting and Eames chair add all the right finishing touches to this kitchen which is a great example of classic and contemporary features working well together.