The Surrey Kitchens

We are of course familiar with being asked to design one main kitchen for a property, so our brief for this project – two kitchens, was exciting new territory! Made even more special by the fact these kitchens were for different generations of the same family…

Our clients drafted Alan Camp Architects to design two new homes on a plot of land in Surrey. These homes were to be distinct from each other, but also connected by matching vernacular and there is literally a central studio between them, co-sharing the land and the building, but not co-habiting!

Nature or nurture, each side of the home has an elegant, minimalist aesthetic with beautifully displayed collections of characterful and quirky art and objects. Both open-plan kitchens have polished concrete floors by Steyson and cast concrete worktops and splashbacks by Concrete Etc. The walls are white and they both are located on either side of a central courtyard with glorious garden views.

So far, so similar, but when it came to the kitchen layout and finishes differences emerge. One side opted for Half Moon White with London Plane, the other for the soft pale pink of Ruskin Blossom. One for an island, the other for an open shelf…spot the difference!

It would be remiss not to mention the garden, these kitchens look out onto walls of green, each plot adjacent to the kitchen planted according to individual tastes, shrubs on one side, trees in pots on the other. The central courtyard has a Niwaki bonsai tree in the middle of the space, this leafy sculpture, contrasting with the straight lines of the white brick façade and gleaming glass of the large windows.

Photographer: The Modern House