8th January 2020 | IN KBB DESIGN | BY SBID Share Tweet Pinterest LinkedIn Project of the Week: SBID Awards Finalists 2019 This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a sleek, clean-lined kitchen design that is quietly impressive and elegantly understated. Using a Taj Mahal Quartzite clad island, teamed with wall cabinetry in a dark pigmented concrete finish and combined with a hot rolled steel worktop, Eggersmann Design created a beautifully bespoke and contemporary open plan kitchen to provide the food-loving family with style and complete functionality. SBID Awards: KBB Design finalist sponsored by VitrA UK Company: Eggersmann Design Project: Wimbledon Location: London, United Kingdom What was the client’s brief? Our brief was to create a sleek and elegant kitchen that didn’t compromise on functionality. As the owners love to cook and entertain, their requirements extended beyond looks so we included easy-clean surfaces, considered storage and hardworking appliances. As the kitchen is situated in a large open-plan dining / living space it was important to consider this brief with a wider, holistic approach. It was essential that we took these surrounding zones into consideration when designing the new kitchen. What inspired the interior design of the project? The property was only 10 years old when the current owners bought it from a self-builder. They lived with a kitchen they hated for a further decade before the old-fashioned timber cabinetry and awkward layout got the better of them. The space itself was light, airy and generous so there was no need to extend but the kitchen was long overdue an update. Specific bug-bears included a cooker facing the back wall and seriously uncomfortable pew-style seating below the beautiful Crittall-style windows, which were the first step in redecorating the space. We didn’t change the layout hugely, we just made it more intuitive to use. We switched cooking to the island to provide a nicer outlook and designed upholstered seating that’s a pleasure to recline on. The upholstered banquette area brings colour and shape to the kitchen. The sensual shape was inspired by a sofa the client had spotted while travelling, the rest of the house is very colourful, filled with the owners’ quirky accessories and cheerful artwork, so we used these accent materials to connect everything – the kitchen should never have a separate identity within any home. What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project? A key part of the brief was that they wanted a large stone-clad island with as many clever storage solutions as possible. The client wanted a sleek and elegant kitchen that didn’t compromise on functionality. The island unit, clad entirely in Taj Mahal quartzite, showcases our precise engineering skills – the cabinet fronts are made from solid quartzite cut to slabs just 11mm thick. The same stone is wrapped around a steel sub-structure to create a 4.3m long worktop with intricate details such as 45-degree mitre joints and recessed grip areas to create a monolithic appearance. What was your team’s highlight of the project? The eclectic use of materials: natural stone, resin, concrete, hot rolled steel, brass and American walnut. The cabinetry is made from dark pigmented concrete, which is hand-trowelled and built up in layers like polished plaster. For the sink area worktop and splashback, the owners opted for hot-rolled steel featuring two artfully welded-in sinks and draining board. The finely textured matte steel surface is resistant to fingerprints and scratches making it perfect for this young family. Why did you enter the SBID Awards? The SBID International Design Awards are important as a global showcase of creativity. Not only do the awards provide a great platform for us to communicate and illustrate our company’s points of difference but to also hopefully inspire and inform style within the industry and beyond. Questions answered by Gary Singer, Founder and Creative Director at Eggersmann Design If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring contemporary healthcare and wellness design by the XDH Design Firm for Five Fitsport fitness centre, click here to see more. We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Kitchen design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire SBID Awards 2019 | KBB Design finalist sponsored by VitrA UK