Neil Lerner Kitchens

A Dream to Clean

For this designer kitchen, we started with a clean slate as part of a large new build property in Totteridge.

Initially the owners had planned to renovate the existing property for their growing family but subsequently decided it would be far simpler to knock it down and start again from scratch.

The brief to neillerner kitchen design was clear & concise: create a modern scheme with good symmetry and plenty of glamour.

On a practical level, a significant amount of storage space was also requested as the owner is a self-confessed hoarder!

With two very young children, it was also imperative that all the surfaces were very low maintenance and easy to keep clean.

As the kitchen area spans the full width of the rear of the house, we started by dividing the space into three distinctive sections for relaxing, dining and cooking.

At the back of the room, a wall of cabinets incorporates a wealth of storage, as well as Miele built-in cooking and cooling appliances, and to the right of the sink is a secret door that leads into the utility room.  Out of sight but not out of mind!

“We wanted the island to separate the cooking area to ensure that the children were out of harm’s way, but we didn’t want a large uninteresting block as the centrepiece of this very beautiful kitchen”
— Design Director, Eve

To solve the dilemma, Eve came up with this superb U-shaped design, which is cleverly cut away in one corner for some eye catching open shelving and offers the owners lots of workspace all the way around.  The white composite worktops are made of Corian, which is ideal for a family kitchen as it is really easy to keep clean.

The high-gloss lacquered doors are paired with the Silver Oak cabinets, which have an unusual rough-sawn finish.  The wood is dark but it has a blue tint that goes really well with the light grey lacquer and acts as an excellent contrast.

“Gloss surfaces have a bad reputation for showing fingerprints but in my experience that really only applies to dark colours, especially black gloss.  The pale option is far more practical – especially in large family kitchens like this one – as the lacquer is applied in five layers so it doesn’t scratch easily and it’s a dream to clean!”

— Neil
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