It can be hard to pinpoint what elements truly make a kitchen unique: but we feel that attention to detail is crucial – no matter how big or small the design might be. After all, it is not necessarily the large kitchen centrepieces, colour combinations or other obvious features, but rather the smaller, more intricate finishing touches that will differentiate one kitchen from another.

Pilasters are essential for creating a ‘complete’ kitchen look; and, moreover, these accessories can add an extra hint of ornamentation to your space. When considering all other components, a pilaster can often suffer neglect: but these wooden pillars – which act as accents or ‘bridges’ between adjoining cabinets – can make all the difference. With this in mind, we offer pilasters in a variety of styles and timbers to complement your desired aesthetic, as well as providing a full bespoke painting service (allowing customers to match or contrast cabinet doors and plinths using colours from Farrow & Ball’s acclaimed collection).

Pilasters feature prominently throughout Joseph & Kingsley’s collection of solid oak kitchens. In the ‘Verdure’ Inspiration, wenge pilasters match the worktop to elegantly extend the natural wood finish beyond the kitchen counter, whilst in the ‘Classic Cotswold’ Inspiration, traditional-style pilasters in a lacquered oak finish add an additional touch of class and character.

Of course, each Joseph & Kingsley kitchen includes a variety of detailed accessories, which one of our kitchen design advisers will be happy to recommend. If you would like to see complementary accessories such as these in the flesh, then please do visit us in our Cheltenham showroom – there are a number of kitchen displays to peruse at your leisure.

A combination of patterns and prints can create a powerful, unique and fashionable look within luxury kitchens: however, balance is required. Too many formations can be difficult on the eye; chaotic, clashing and even confusing.

A surprising tip for getting it right, then, is that less isn’t more – more is more! To really make a playful, pattern-heavy aesthetic work, go for at least three different patterns or prints. Pay attention to size, though: choose one large pattern for a statement and don’t choose patterns that take up the same scale – make sure each is different in this aspect, and you will avoid a clash. Plan patterns around your statement: if your main statement pattern is a geometric design, next choose something different (say a floral or a plaid) in a smaller scale, and follow that with another type of pattern (stripe, maybe) in an even smaller size. Keep the colours consistent though, so that visitors enjoy a sense of exciting variation and continuity all at once.

Finally, be sure to inject blocks of solid colour – preferable in soothing shades – to break up the scheme and prevent it becoming too taxing on the eye.

courtesy of letscleanup.com

courtesy of knottinghillinteriors.com

courtesy of iondecorating.com

Planning for Bespoke Kitchen Designs

Refurbishing your kitchen may seem like a daunting task, but at Joseph & Kingsley, we’re here to help. Our wonderful design service will offer valuable support and guidance as you think about your new kitchen: but what else might you need to consider? This discussion will run through some of the key moments in the kitchen-planning process.

Step 1: What do I need?

The first thing to think about is the kitchen’s place in your household. How do you use your kitchen? Is it a place for cooking and food preparation only, or do you entertain in this space? If not, would you like to? How many people will be cooking and socialising in this space?

Think about traffic throughout the space, too, and if it will be frequented by any little ones. Is there enough space in the kitchen as it stands, or might you need to consider an extension? Look through interiors magazines or online for inspiration: creating a scrapbook can be a brilliant use of your time.

Step 2: Find the professionals that can help

As mentioned above, we highly recommend utilising our design service, which is complimentary to all Joseph & Kingsley customers; however, even if you’d like to create your plan, choose your kitchen furniture and plan on installing yourself, too, you will undoubtedly need the help of a few trusted tradesmen.

There are various routes by which to find your electrician, plumber or similar; you may know someone already or your friends and family might be able to recommend someone. Trade shows and magazines can be useful points of contact, too.

We have a listed of trusted professionals that we work with on a regular basis, and are happy to oversee the whole project for you including these elements, or to pass on our recommendations.

Step 3 : The design

No matter how involved you would like a designer to be in your project, it’s always helpful to have a really good idea yourself, first. Space and layout planning are primary considerations, but do also think about your aesthetic considerations: what colours do you like? What appliances do you favour? What materials are best suited to your lifestyle?

If you are considering making use of an expert kitchen designer, we’d recommend making contact early. A ballpark idea of budget is also helpful as well as any drawings (no matter how rough!) Consultations with established designers should be free as standard – we work with potential customers carefully, often producing several bespoke kitchen designs and tweaking until the order is finalised.

And remember, be honest: show us the pictures that have inspired you, or other kitchens that you’ve loved! Even if you think that your designer might not be able to achieve your ideal look for your budget, or within a certain collection of furniture, the best designers will always be flexible – and it’s always best to know what a customer really desires from the outset.

We hope that you’ve found these pointers useful – part two (with more ‘steps to kitchen success!’) will follow in the near future. Please stay tuned for more kitchen-planning tips, or contact us if you have any questions.

Combinations of varying styles and a fusion of the organic and the industrial have been popular in interiors throughout 2014, so it’s no surprise to see this ideal being recognised in Pantone’s colour picks for the upcoming seasons.

Urban Jungle, one of nine palettes suggested by the colour experts, incorporates earthy and monochromatic shades for a scheme that mingles urbanity with the wilderness. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute, noted: ‘[Urban Jungle] transforms rustic chaos into something “civilized” and sylvan, speaking more of big city living than that of a wild terrain. Rather than consistently rough textured, contours are smoother and colors a combination of both typical and atypical jungle hues. Warm animal skin tones are set against the modernity of deep blue-greens, a vibrant greenish yellow, plus black and white.’

When considering incorporating such a scheme within luxury kitchen designs, don’t be afraid to experiment. It may seem as though deep teal, russet, off-white and hints of bright white/black couldn’t all work together: but with sensitivity for the space and respect for the ‘flow’ of the room, it is possible to mingle a variety of these shades most successfully. Or, if you’d like a more subtle scheme that still conveys the freedom and contemporary flair of the Urban Jungle palette, choose a feature colour (such as Orange Rust) and accent with quirky accessories in black (Meteorite), white (Bright White) and one other bold colour, such as the modern blue-green of Hydro.

courtesy of besthomedesign

courtesy of Pantone

courtesy of pandashouse