Sophisticated Shaker Kitchens

Classic, timeless and so elegant, the Shaker style kitchen has been a go to for decades but for a short time went out of style with high gloss, handless ranges taking centre stage. However in the last year or so we have seen a peak in shaker popularity with our customers looking for a more classic kitchen with contemporary detailing such as quartz worktops and ironmongery in golds and rose gold.

Depending on your individual style and house look and feel we can adapt the shaker kitchen to match your lifestyle perfectly, whether that’s a country style kitchen with classic details like Corbels underneath open shelving to a more contemporary feel with matt black handles. One of the best things about all these finishes are they are changeable, so if in 5 years you decide rose gold is no longer your thing simply change the handles and accessories.

We offer a vast range of styles and colours in our Shaker doors to accommodate all budgets and individual tastes. Pop in to see us today to create your dream kitchen or contact us via the link below.

Moodboard Fun!

If you are starting to think about designing your new kitchen it can feel like a very daunting and at times overwhelming task that can often put people off for years, but there are a few key things you can start to do that can make your experience a whole lot less stressful and enjoyable!

Your Wish List

We always start by asking our customers how the space needs to work for them, their needs and how they operate in the kitchen. Some of you absolutely love nothing more than cooking everyday, baking and having large family gatherings others simply want to hear the ping of a microwave and the speed of a boiling water tap, talking through these factors are vital to getting the design of your kitchen working for you. With that in mind between you and your family start jotting down your ‘wish list’, what are the things you couldn’t live without and what are the things that you would dream of having in your kitchen? This could be anything from an under cabinet dog bed (yes we can do this for your furry friend!) to quartz worktops.

Moodboarding

Traditional moodboarding comprises of a physical board of ideas comprising of an overall interiors theme, this could include fabric, flooring and paint samples along with inspirational imagery that you may of seen in a magazine or online. This is a really fun way of getting your creative ideas flowing, you could do several to see which theme you are gravitating towards the most. Even better get the children to do their own for a fun summer activity and see who’s you all love the best or take elements from a few.

Pinterest

Oh Pinterest how we love you but how you play with our minds! Pinterest is the easiest, quickest and simplest way to create an online moodboard of all your favourite looks and likes. But beware with pinterest that your head can be turned easily, one minute you see a beautiful shaker style white kitchen the next a charcoal grey handless that equally fills your designer heart with joy, both completely opposite both you love, so which to choose? We have this a lot with customers who just find the choice overwhelming, our advice? Stop pinning so much! Go back to your first love, which scheme do you time and time keep going back to? This is the one you will most likely be able to live with in the long term. We love Pinterest and its really helpful when customers come in with their online boards but just vigilant of getting into a Pinterest rabbit hole!

So when It comes to moodboarding, the first rule is to have fun! Go with all the crazy ideas your heart desires at first, colours, styles, fabrics or it may just start with a beautiful bar stool you just have to have and we can go from there. Then pop into the showroom here at IDEAS and we can help you consolidate all your wild kitchen fantasies into the beautiful and bespoke kitchen of your dreams. Contact us today to book your appointment and start your new kitchen journey.

A Kitchen Makeover

Having purchased their first home together Hope (who works for IDEAS) & Adam knew there was lot to do to renovate their dated 1930s house into a home fit for modern living.

“We are really lucky that our garden is south facing, which is where our kitchen and dining room are, so we really wanted to maximise the feeling of space in these rooms as we originally had a tiny galley kitchen and quite a dark feeling dining room”, explains Hope. The first thing they did was rip out the existing 1950’s kitchen and knock through the wall that separated the kitchen/dining room.

The original back door and window to the kitchen were blocked up to make way for a run of tall housings to maximise the feeling of a much larger space in what is still essentially a galley kitchen. They chose the Remo handless door in cashmere with a Marble white quartz worktop and large central peninsular to organically combine both the spaces. On the opposite walls to the kitchen in the dining room two of the walls are painted in a deep, rich navy blue which gives such a cosy and inviting feeling to a room which otherwise could feel quite clinical. “I had a lot of people comment that I was making a mistake with the blue, but I felt with an off white gloss kitchen, in a south facing room it was needed otherwise we were in danger of having a room which would feel cold”.

After the months of renovating it is so lovely to have all our friends and family over for dinner parties and BBQ’s, it is such a brilliant entertaining space and we could not be happier with how the kitchen works for us!

THE KITCHEN BEFORE

THE KITCHEN AFTER

THE DINING ROOM BEFORE

THE DINING ROOM AFTER

Interior Design For Your Home - Part Three

In the final part of our Interior design for your home blog series we look at a personal favourite of ours – the Cotemporary Classic Kitchen. This style of Kitchen is becoming more and more sought after with it’s sleek overall look mixed with the beautiful detailing of a traditional styled kitchen, perfect for any family home.

Many types of interiors play well with this design but one which works particularly well is ‘Luxe modern’, combining strong metals such as brass with marble, herringbone flooring and bold wall colours like emerald green and dark blues.

We offer many kitchens to suit this style such as the ‘Ellerton’ by Alchemy or the ‘Slab’ by 1909. Mix one strong colour door with a lighter base colour for a bold interior look.

Inframe Slab Kitchen by 1909

Simple, Stylish & Contemporary 

MODA CHAIR - CULT FURNITURE - £139

MARBLE PRINT - DESENIO - £15.95

BOON TABLE - MADE - £549

TESSE LIGHT - MAISON DU MONDE - £164

Interior Design For Your Home - Part Two

In the second part of our Interior design for your home blog series we select furniture and accessories for the more traditional style kitchen such as our beautiful and bespoke 1909 range.  

From sophisticated shaker style kitchens to a more intricate detailing such as scalloped edging and matching cornice these kitchens are for people who want their kitchen to be the focal point rather than hide in the background. Designed to be sturdy, practical and to become the most used and loved room in the house the traditional kitchen requires timeless furniture to suit. See our top picks below to complete your dream kitchen. 

Traditional Kitchen Styling

A BEAUTIFUL 1909 KITCHEN WILL ALWAYS HAVE DISTINCT CLASSIC DETAILING 

ROBERTS RADIO - £199

TOASTER TABLE - LOAF - £845

CHORTLER CHAIR - LOAF - £330

GLASS PENDANT - COX & COX -£75

Interior Design For Your Home - Part One

Every week we are asked the question “What sort of furniture/interior style do you think will work best with the design we have chosen?” from many of our customers looking to complete their room to suit them, their families and their newly designed space, so we have decided to run a mini blog series on various stunning interior styles we often recommend to our customers to compliment their dream kitchen/bathroom or bedrooms.

In the first of our Interior design for your home blog series we look at how to furnish your kitchen if you have chosen one of our most popular and sleek kitchen styles – The Modern, for example the Remo by Second Nature or handless/gloss ranges.

This style of kitchen is so versatile, perhaps why it is so popular, with sleek lines and an uncluttered approach your furniture should do the same whilst being simple enough to be brave with colour or textile choices. Scandinavian or 60’s styles mix so beautifully with this scheme – look for ‘hair-pin’ legs on dining tables & chairs, light timber such as beech furniture mixed with copper pendant lighting for over islands and breakfast bars for a beautifully calm, contemporary and timeless look.

SCANDI VIBES

AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF OUR CUSTOMERS' SCANDINAVIAN INSPIRED KITCHEN FEATURING THE REMO HANDLESS KITCHEN IN 'PORCELAIN' 

MODA CHAIR - CULT FURNITURE - £85

MIDAS PENDANT LIGHT - CULT FURNITURE - £39

EBBE GEHL - JOHN LEWIS - £479

TEA TOWEL - BEAR & BEAR - £8

Scandinavian Styling

Here at IDEAS we love the clean cut elegance of Scandinavian inspired interiors which usually start with a natural colour palette teamed with sharp,simple and well designed furniture pieces. We feel this is a scheme that works well for every home in the house whether it’s a calm living space or a bright and open kitchen. We have recently completed a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom for a lovely set of customers who used their kitchen as the starting point for an overall Scandi inspired design throughout their home – We designed a stunning Secound Nature ‘Remo’ handless kitchen finished in ‘white’ and ‘graphite’, a beautiful fitted bathroom and the most stunning floor to ceiling fitted wardrobes in their master bedroom, see the pictures below for all the cleverly designed spaces we helped them create.

Metallic Taps

The trend for metallic and coloured taps started in late 2016 moving into 2017 with designer brands bringing out some beautiful designs but with a high price to match, however fast forward to 2018 and we see more of our own suppliers producing some on-trend designs at very reasonable prices. From Cassellie’s beautiful Rose Gold bathroomware including shower heads, taps and radiators to Quooker’s limited edition gold plated boiling water tap. Pick matte black ironmongery in your bathroom to compliment the monochrome look or a stunning rose gold tap in your kitchen for a metallic nod to the trend.