Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019 - 58

All Abroad

English Charm

A 1 0 0 - y e a r - o l d t o w n h o m e f e a t u r e s g ro w i n g t r e n d s i n t h e U K

HE NOTTING HILL DISTRICT IN WEST LONDON is famed

for its colorful building facades, lively neighborhoods and even a 1999 film with Julia Roberts.
When London-based design and build company
HvB Development partnered with interior design
house Elnaz Namaki Studio, their first project
- completed in 2018 - was one of the district's
notable homes. Built in 1919, the five-story townhouse boasted a lot of potential if a modern design could be integrated with
its original character.
A LAYOUT FOR MODERN LONDON

According to designer Elnaz Namaki, the home's small and confined spaces
needed to be opened up to appeal to the homebuyers looking in that area.
"As many people in London and other big cities live in more compact
spaces, open plans have become more popular," she said. "This is because it's
a better use of the space and floor plan."
A wall was taken down between the kitchen and dining space to create
this type of layout. The kitchen was also adjacent to the terrace, so to bring
more natural light inside, the team needed to widen the opening to the outside. Crittall doors, or steel-framed glass partitions, were used to create this
opening, help support the existing wall and fall in step with the latest trends.
"Crittall doors and windows have actually been around since the early
1900s, but recently they seem to have become more popular as the industrial
style of interiors has become more stylish," said Hugo van Bilderbeek of
HvB Development. "They are also amazing ways of separating spaces while
making good use of the light in the room and creating a feeling of inclusivity."
There was only one problem the new layout could not solve: the kitchen
was missing a corridor leading directly to the road outside. There are strict

ABOVE Traditional white sub-

way tile and white marble countertops balance the bold, navy
blue cabinetry in the kitchen.
According to Namaki, British
homeowners tend to include
more vintage pieces and
antiques within interiors,
while in the U.S. accessories
and décor lean more toward
minimalist.
"We believe that our surroundings can hugely impact our
behavior, and we wanted to
create a center to the house
that was comfortable, stimulating and inspiring," said van
Bilderbeek in reference to the
kitchen space.

By ERINN LOUCKS

building control regulations in the U.K. when it
comes to a safe escape in the event of fire, and a
fire curtain or sprinkler system was required in
this situation.
"After a great amount of research, we found a
discrete wall-mounted mist system that would
give us what we needed," said van Bilderbeek, explaining that it would form a wall of mist to create
a route of escape and would not mar the home's
modern design.
RETAINING THE HOME'S HISTORY

In the newly opened kitchen, the design team
wanted to honor the home's history while embracing contemporary design.Traditional cabinetry in
the area is typically seen in an English Shaker style
with a Georgian influence, so the slab doors in the
kitchen similarly feature this simple symmetry
and furniture-like detailing.
According to Namaki, old English kitchens
were hand painted in one color using a traditional
matte finish. This was reflected in the kitchen
cabinetry, which was painted navy blue.
"This rich, heritage color is softened in the
kitchen with a white marble stone top and brass
pendants," she said. "This - along with the crittall
doors - creates a space that mixes English style
and a contemporary industrial twist."
In the past, it was not typical to see mixed
styles in London; most interior designs stayed
conservative with very neutral palettes and tones.
In recent years, it is a growing trend in London
to be bolder and mix various styles to make interiors more interesting, which Namaki says helps
her firm to always be original and avoid looking
one dimensional.

/ APRIL 2019 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.NKBA.org http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019