02 Aug 17
Working with repurposed buildings requires exceptional sensitivity and design know-how. Functionality can be slotted in seamlessly, but the forms must connect with authenticity to the original structure.
Originally a church assembly hall, this building sends the first glance upwards, to the towering roof with its cast iron spans and clerestory window lines. Set against this, the Martin Moore kitchen brings the eye back down to comfortable ground level, with warm tones, natural materials and the unmistakable look of real furniture, built on a grand scale in response to the setting.
With lighting, storage, functionality and work space all needing equal consideration, the design, by Toni Silver at Martin Moore, started from one long island running directly down the centre of the room, with a lowered end adding an unfussy detail. Overall, the furniture is designed to seem as if it has been assembled, rather than fitted into the space.
Because Martin Moore kitchens are entirely built to order in their Yorkshire workshops, there are no prescribed designs or sizes to limit either the client’s brief or the designer. This allows a completely bespoke response which respects and enhances the architecture of the room whilst putting every inch of space to its most effective use.
The island houses a dishwasher, recycling bins and drawers for cooking equipment and crockery. A capacious double sink is set into the lively natural Quartzite worksurface used both on the island and around the hob where it features as a worksurface, upstand and cook’s shelf. Antique mirror glass behind the hob throws light back into the room. In a major feat of engineering, an extractor fan was installed into the sloped ceiling above the hob. Brick pillars on either side form a visual connection to the building’s history.
Commissioned by a client who knows food, cooks brilliantly and likes nothing better than a party, this is an intensely social space with every modern convenience. Not only is the kitchen an ideal gathering space but there are also two sets of double doors opposite the hob. Opening through into a large party room, they create a perfect flow through the building and the garden living space with its outdoor sofas and cooking fireplace.
Additional storage is provided by shallow cupboards which flank the double doors and capacious drawers on either side of the range.
All the craft and tradition which built the assembly hall is reflected in the furniture: Designed using combinations of different materials, proportions and finishes and with a number of witty, highly individual, touches, it looks to have been put together organically rather than in any way imposed on this extraordinary space.
There is both drama and glamour in this design. Drama in the sheer scale of the furniture and glamour in the luxurious palette of colours and materials used.
Smaller details have big impact too; from the glint of copper inside the pendant lights to the hot pink interior of the beautifully fitted out larder cupboard. More than anything else, it is built around the client… in the case of the banquette seat, literally so. Over six feet tall, he wanted somewhere where he was able to stretch out comfortably with the Sunday papers, making this bench seating, with its storage beneath, an excellent multi-purpose area for both quiet time and social events.
Kitchen details
All cabinetry from Martin Moore’s ‘New Classic’ collection, combining hand painted elements in Martin Moore’s ‘Cobalt’, ‘Dove Grey’ and ‘Hot Pink’.
Worktops: Natural Quartzite
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