The Carnival Kitchen in Greenwich

Our client describes this as their ‘carnival kitchen’, a name that captures the playfulness of this space. A room that brings together old and new design, including asymmetric Pluck cupboards, boldly patterned contemporary tiles and an 18th century oak dining table.

This room is located on the lower ground floor of the early Victorian terrace, so making the most of natural light is important. The sill of the large sash window is an unusually low height – undoubtedly a bonus, but means cupboards in front would block it. Thus a galley layout, with cabinetry on either side, is the logical configuration. The window is also a lovely focal point for the room. The clay coloured architrave (Red Earth by Farrow & Ball) doing even more to draw the eye and frame the garden greens.

The upper cupboards are Elm wood veneers, the spectacular toffee coloured, swirling grain contrasting with the punchy Otto Tiles and Design geometric tiles. On one side the Pluck colour is Half Moon White and on the other Hollingbourne Yellow, the two hues visually separating the sides. The intensity of the sunshine yellow is diluted by the white and the delicate pink walls (Tailor Tack by Farrow & Ball) accentuate the Half Moon White.

Broadly speaking, one side of this kitchen is for cooking and food preparation, with the sink, extra wide oven, hob and integrated dishwasher. The other is for storage – a larder, integrated fridge freezer and more useful cupboards and drawers. The coffee machine and kettle are also on the worktop here. For a small footprint, this kitchen packs in a lot. 

The snug living room complements the kitchen perfectly, here Red Earth walls are the backdrop for antique Anglo-Indian furniture and curiosities collected on global travels. The more you look the more you see about how cleverly this inviting kitchen and cosy living room has been put together by our incredibly creative client, the characterful space really is a joy!