2nd September 2020 | IN PROJECT OF THE WEEK | BY SBID ShareTweetPinterestLinkedIn Project of the Week This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a residential design by Ledbury Studio. This London pied à terre is located in a leafy square of imposing mid-19th century properties in Pimlico. The owner was completely refurbishing the two-bedroom apartment and wanted a copper kitchen for her stylish open-plan kitchen-living space. Ledbury Studio’s Metallics Collection kitchen – the first copper kitchen our client had ever seen – was, therefore, the perfect fit. Company: Ledbury Studio Project: Pimlico kitchen Location: Pimlico, London What was the client’s brief? The owner had a very definite vision for her whole apartment that included rich colours, mid-century furniture and metallic accents – and the copper kitchen was a key part of this. The kitchen was to be situated on one side of the room with sitting area on the other, so she didn’t want something that looked like standard square kitchen cabinets. They had to resemble standalone pieces of furniture that would blend into the look of the whole room. What inspired the interior design of the project? Our client was searching unsuccessfully for a copper kitchen when she saw the first incarnation of our Metallics Collection at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018. When creating that kitchen, I had chosen copper because I wanted to harness the beauty of solid metals and use them in a contemporary kitchen setting that was different to anything else out there. Which is why our client was so excited to see the kitchen in her head become a reality! The design needed to be a beautiful but practical working kitchen in a compact footprint. As such, the antiqued copper doors are kept to one side away from direct contact with heat or water but still provide the focal point our client wanted. For the worktops and splashback, I chose hard-wearing Bianco Macaubas quartzite, rather than the marble that was originally specified in the Chelsea kitchen. Thus, the island serves as a functional sink and prep area, as well as a breakfast bar to gather around. And finally, to answer the brief for furniture that looks like standalone pieces, I included a glass-fronted display cabinet in black-stained oak with an unusual dropped worktop. What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project? The biggest challenge was to create a glamorous design that worked in this relatively small space. With the kitchen and sitting room forming a multi-functional area, I had to ensure I got the balance of the design right between having an island, a breakfast bar, a wall of cabinetry, and then having a really attractive sitting room as part of the whole set up. What was your team’s highlight of the project? This was one of our earliest projects and I think the highlight was that it showed us just how different and how attractive the use of the copper could be. Seeing the copper combined with the stone and the wood in a kitchen context and seeing how well it could work – that really was very exciting. Questions answered by Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio. We hope you feel inspired by this week’s residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire. If you missed last week’s Project of the Week, featuring a unique restaurant design, click here to see more.