Neutrals will never go out of fashion, they are safe, timeless and calming, but sometimes it’s good to be a little more adventurous. This couple opted for a strikingly vibrant Verdigris paint colour on most of their cabinetry, with just the island painted in a soothing greige colour Bone, both from Farrow and Ball. This room had originally been a living room with a feature chimney breast so instead of using the space for a cooker as usual, we opted to give centre stage to the Belfast sink so the owners could keep an eye on their little one in the adjoining family room when preparing food on the island. Taking the quartz upstand higher onto the chimney breast allowed for highly decorative wallpaper to be used above, without fear of it being splashed with washing up water. A tall breakfast larder on one side of the chimney is balanced by a wall unit at the other end allowing for symmetrically placed wall lights for ambient lighting, still leaving plenty of room for a full larder and American fridge freezer on the side wall (and room for the much loved goldfish in his tank). The island has side by side ovens, one a single fan oven, the other a combi microwave with a neat warming drawer below, these, coupled with a large gas hob above, create a modern range style cooking area without the need to find room on the worktop for a freestanding microwave. A casual seating area on the back of the island is handily positioned right next to the wine cooler, perfect when friends come over for drinks and dinner. On the other side of the kitchen is a bank of tall slim units, with open bookshelves for all the cookery books, one cupboard hiding access to essential pipework and the other a hidden access into the utility room behind. Much thought went into the design of the tiny utility space, which had to accommodate the washing machine, freezer, both electric and gas meters and still allow space for a pantry area for extra food storage.