This contemporary kitchen project was a complete transformation of an existing space in Potterspury, South Northamptonshire. We were very lucky with this project in as much as the room that is was to occupy was so stunning. This informed the clients brief for the kitchen. It had to work in harmony with the architecture of the room as sympathetically as possible as well as being a statement in its own right. The clients had seen some of our previous work and were torn between the clean look of a pure white kitchen and the warmth of the American Black Walnut. The White Aga was a definite must have but their concern was that in a timber kitchen it just wouldn’t sit right. In order to meet the brief we firstly looked at the material choices and decided to mix timber and white cabinetry very carefully to create a kitchen that incorporated the best of both elements. The layout of the kitchen was informed by the openings and the very symmetrical space. We placed the large island on the central axis directly below the main structural beams facing the window at the far end of the room. This visual line continues to the dining table beyond. By then using a structural steel base, we cantilevered the island away from the floor to give it a floating appearance. These decisions allowed the island to feel naturally placed as well as giving a visual wow! The positioning of the hob, bins, sink and wine cooler in the island also make it extremely functional and a real focus in the whole extension. The long outer run was kept at low level so as not to distract from the structural elements and lighting and gave us the opportunity to wrap the ovens in the quartz work surface creating another unique detail within the kitchen. To echo the ‘floating island’ the main sink run is also elevated, with the integrated dishwasher being concealed within the tall housing to the right hand side. This again reinforces the geometry of the design, while using the white cabinetry in the centre of the book matched Walnut tall cabinets helps to break the runs up the run and keeps the design ethos of the kitchen intact. The worktops were chosen to pick up the colour of the exposed stone work on the original house wall with he teal glass splashbacks add a welcome splash of colour to the refined palette. While being a very contemporary design, the materials and muted colours mean it will not date and will look stunning for many years to come.