Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Magazine September 2014 Back Issue

With phrases such as ‘modern rustic’, ‘back to basics’ and ‘old meets new’ so much in the ether right now, the question of what ‘contemporary’ means in terms of kitchens is something we are all contemplating. The new emphasis on the stripped back, the hand-crafted and the traditional has given us pause for thought about how we can incorporate the beauty of natural materials and restrained design into our own kitchen projects, and is a creative process reflected in each one of featured kitchens in this issue. From an Essex farmhouse, where a 1980s kitchen was replaced with Georgian-inspired cabinetry and a butler sink in the scullery (Grand Statement, page 26) to a London townhouse incorporating the Shaker-style, with tongue and groove joinery, Lee Broom lighting and traditional tiles made in Stoke-on-Trent (Room to Breathe, page 40), even some of the most ambitious projects are
returning to sustainability and tradition, all done with a contemporary edge. Earthy textures and raw materials were also the starting points for our two shoots in this issue. In Attention to Detail (p86), handmade ceramics and pared-back wooden accessories are juxtaposed with the sleek new range of glossy kitchens at Alno, while in our bathrooms shoot stylist Anna Morley shopped for a natural palette in Combine and Contrast (p112). The synthesis between rough and smooth and beauty and utility is carried through in Island Appeal (p66), where we look at how kitchen islands create the ultimate nucleus for the rough and tumble of busy family life. Perhaps it’s in the design of a practical kitchen island which best sums up the contemporary interior we all hanker for - simple flexibility and good looks, alongside purity and function. Enjoy the issue.