The Light Fantastic - Martin Moore

02 Oct 19

Andrew Wartnaby, from Martin Moore’s Esher showroom, liaised closely with the architects and builders from the very start of the project.  His brief was to design a large, well-equipped family kitchen with ancillary areas. In a move away from the clinical, industrial style of the existing kitchen, the client chose Martin Moore’s New Classic collection, preferring to highlight warm, wooden cabinetry.It was important to maximise the light, hence a sloping roof with rooflight windows was designed rather than a flat roof.  Floor to ceiling glass doors slide open onto the garden, perfect for the family’s two young boys. Whilst Andrew’s overall design for the kitchen, walk-in pantry, home office and laundry room sees each area given a distinctive character, the choice of colours, materials and door styles ensures a coherent flow throughout the space.  As part of this unity, the original blonde oak floor was matched and run throughout the new areas.

New structural steels had to be factored into the redesign.  Because Martin Moore’s furniture is entirely designed and built to order in their Yorkshire workshops, Andrew had complete flexibility to work around these new structural supports.  The hob area was brought forward and offset to compensate for new pillars whilst the breakfast/appliance cabinet at the end of the dividing wall was aligned with one structural steel and ‘matched’ on the other side to create a geometric finish.  The island was also purposefully offset rather than centred under the ceiling beam, bringing character to the island/hob area - this is further enhanced by the antique pendant lights sourced by the client. The different zones of the kitchen are cleverly signposted through the use of a dividing wall, which both seperates the kitchen from the home office and provides essential storage space, being used to house an appliance cupboard. 

This is the kitchen of a family who like to cook and is therefore zoned for maximum convenience: the sink is served by two dishwashers and a walk-in pantry is sited next to the large fridge/freezer.  The Lacanche range cooker is served by the island and extensive, purpose-fitted, storage.  The home office zone is defined by use of walnut (on tops, wall cladding and desking) to make it feel both efficient and cosy, whilst its workstation is oriented to take advantage of garden views.

With windows on two planes, the space is flooded with natural light, connecting with both the garden outside and the sky above. The decorative palette plays on this, using warm pale grey as a backdrop for the inky blue used on the kitchen island and more extensively in the separate laundry room. The laundry room features a chute, running directly from the boys’ bedroom one floor above.  The washing machine and tumble dryer align under an oak worktop, with a dresser-style open shelving unit above.  The tall cupboards have purpose-fitted interiors, giving dedicated storage for linens and necessities such as ironing boards. 

Worktops:
Kitchen: Polar White engineered quartz
Home Office: Natural walnut 
Laundry room: Natural oak

Paint colours: Martin Moore ‘Grey Linen’ and ‘Ink’