Profile: A Streamlined Urban Kitchen with Modern Elements

One of the biggest aims when designing this super sleek kitchen was combining a 20-year-old Aga into a modern scheme to fit a busy family of five. “When I first saw the space, it needed a complete re-doing. It’s a small kitchen and was cluttered and dated,” says designer Daniele Brutto, co-founder of Hub Kitchens. “The owners had fallen in love with their Aga and wanted it as the centre of their new kitchen design. As the nature of cooking with this appliance means that it’s switched off in the summer, a separate hob and oven was required, but the flip side of that meant that for eight months of the year, the extra oven and hob were going to be a waste of space.”

Quick View

- Owners/residents: Family of five

- Designer: Daniele Brutto, co-founder of Hub Kitchens

- Style: Minimalist, modern

- Kitchen feature: A simple island and sleek built-in cabinetry in a cool two-tone colour scheme gives this kitchen a sleek streamlined look

The answer came in the form of a design which focussed on a simple island and sleek built-in cabinetry in a cool two-tone colour scheme, creating a secondary cooking zone that was as unobtrusive as it was stylish. “The wall cabinets are a high gloss cool blue while the fitted cabinets and island are colour-matched to the Aga,” explains Daniele. 

The layout flowed from there onwards with concealed storage devices, like the pull-out appliance tray hidden behind doors and the slimline larder unit to hold everyday ingredients. The design also had to tie in the living area cabinetry with the kitchen. Creating an unobtrusive island in a small space that did not detract from the key feature in the room was a challenge. “We overcame this with a simple design for the island, ensuring it became an interesting focal point but didn’t overwhelm the space,” says Daniele.

Q & A – Daniele Brutto, co-founder of Hub Kitchens 

- How did you begin to create the design?
Primarily by working out how the client uses her Aga. Once it was clear that the client really understood and loved her Aga and the way it works, I began to try and make the secondary cooking zones (hob and single oven) concealed and less obtrusive. The layout flowed from there, with concealed storage devices like the pull-out appliance tray hidden behind the pocket doors and the slimline larder unit to house all the client’s every day cooking ingredients.

- Did the space need to be reconfigured?
We actually made the opening to the kitchen and living area smaller which gave more storage space. The kitchens streamlined cabinetry meant this reduction in opening didn’t have a big impact on how large the kitchen felt.

- Were there challenges?
Yes. Making sure the client had enough usable storage space while still maintaining an open and airy feel. This was done with clever storage solutions, pull-out larders and corner units and bespoke internal shelving systems like the extractor fan unit with bi-fold doors. 

- How did you select the colours and materials?
We colour-matched the white cabinets to the Aga as we wanted it to pop in style rather than colour. The idea being a dramatic contrast in design between classic and modern units that’s not immediately obvious, and maintaining that streamlined look of stylish and contrasting styles. 

Credit: Jake Fitzjones (Images), Ciara Elliott (Words)
Published: As featured in EKBB Magazine, Issue 243, July 2016

Also read:
Profile: A Central London Home Gets High-Contrast Style
Profile: An Eco-Friendly Cooking Space for the Whole Family

What do you like most about this kitchen?