Taking Inspiration from the RIBA House of the Year Longlist 2018
Each year the Royal Institute of British Architects, or RIBA, run a competition to find the best new house designed by an architect in the UK. The RIBA House of the Year Longlist 2018 has been announced and, as always, the featured houses are at the pinnacle of design. In this blog, we take a look at a one house that really stood out for us. Whilst some of the features would not be possible to include in the standard home, a similar aesthetic can be achieved by breaking down a few of the techniques used and implementing them in your own kitchen.
Credit – architecture
From the outside, this grade II listed, six storey, end of terrace, Regency townhouse masks a contemporary design gem. Whilst some rooms have been designed to complement the Regency period, others are so minimalistic that they lead you to forget that the house was in fact built in 1827. This is particularly true for the kitchen.
Credit – architecture
As you transition from the more traditional rooms of the house to the kitchen, you walk along a light and airy corridor lined with glass walls until eventually the white Carrera marble floor opens up in front of you and you are presented with an astonishing double height ceiling. Aside from the pure white colour palette, the first thing that draws your eye is the central island which has been made from the same white Carrera marble as the floor. The island has the appearance of a sculpture rather than a functional kitchen feature, which, when you consider that the owner is an art collector, makes perfect sense. Full height cabinetry, again all white, emphasises the high ceiling from which hangs understated, but nonetheless, dramatic lighting.
If you do not have the budget for a white Carrera marble island you could use our marble effect Calcutta worktop on your island, worksurfaces, and even on the walls with our marble effect kitchen splashback. To achieve a sense of height similar to the Fitzrovia House, install solid wood full height cabinets with frontals painted in Farrow & Ball’s All White.
Leave your comments below if you have been inspired by the Fitzrovia House or if you are tempted to add some of its features to your kitchen. Perhaps you think your kitchen already compares. If so, please share your photos on our Facebook and Twitter pages for our followers to see. Grand Designs: RIBA House of the Year will be shown on Channel 4 later in 2018, so be sure to watch for even more inspiration.