Fine Dining in Finchley
When the owners of a family home in North London came to Nicholas Anthony to design their kitchen, the objective was to complete the final piece of a refurbishment project that marked their next phase of life. With their children fully grown, the property was now a sanctuary for two people celebrating their individuality and their passion for hosting.
Family Values
Unflinchingly stylish, the couple had some clear ideas and worked closely with our design experts to elevate their vision and take it to the next level. Key features had to include an abundance of kitchen storage, carefully integrated to avoid clutter or overcrowding, sleek finishes, and a seamless transition between inside and out.
Having visited our London studio, they instantly fell in love with the SieMatic SLX kitchen, which then provided the foundation for the design. The property itself also inspired the design, with its vast floor-to-ceiling windows that opened into the garden, and large, sliding interior Crittall doors that enabled the open plan space to be divided into different zones.
The family’s passion for hosting, and the matriarch’s almost professional-level catering prowess are the cornerstone of their way of life, with frequent gatherings with extended family, as well as large dinner parties being a recurring feature in their diaries.
As such, the kitchen needed to offer both form and function, enabling enough food preparation areas and cooking capacity to meet demand, whilst also ensuring that it was stylish and welcoming, whether for a family dinner or a big event.
Seamless spaces
To maximise the space, storage ranged from handleless drawers and cupboards in an elegant kitchen island, to floor-to-ceiling slab cabinetry on the inside wall. Corner glass cabinets also add sophistication, style, and a designer touch, while an almost hidden door led to a chef’s kitchen.
A floating breakfast bar created a social space without disrupting the line of sight into the garden, and floating shelves added to the weightlessness of the room whilst offering display areas for carefully selected items that nodded to the family’s personality.
Meanwhile, a multi-functional corner seat with built-in storage mirrored an outside bench to link the indoor and outdoor spaces. The tranquillity brought by this seamless flow meant this quickly became the client’s favourite corner to sit in, watching the seasons change and the clouds float by.
Material values
The choice of materials in this hub of the home was also artful. The owner opted for dark, industrial finishes – a weight the room could carry with flair thanks to the abundance of natural light.
We opted for graphite grey velvet matt cupboards alongside a sophisticated ceramic stone worktop. The surface is a unique sintered material that creates the look and feel of natural stone but with a more hard-wearing finish that can withstand heat and liquid without damage or staining.
The same material was used to create custom waterfall sides for the sink run, the floating shelf, and cladding on the back wall, while flooring was chosen to match. The result is an almost monochrome aesthetic, but with an innate sense of warmth and functionality.
High-tech home
The appliances that were selected were the height of technological advancement, with a Siemens fully flex induction hob providing more space on the countertops, staying cool to the touch, and offering a sleek, safe and efficient finish. Equally, a downdraft extractor quietly rises at the touch of a button, then disappears into the worktop to keep the kitchen’s lines uninterrupted.
Lighting was carefully considered, not just for ambience, but allowing for a variety of uses and entertainment opportunities. Integrated LED lighting around the cabinets added warmth, depth, and sophistication, while touch sensitive lighting over the breakfast bar could be lowered as needed. Adjustable lights by Occhio over the dining table also transformed the space with a mere hand gesture, changing the look and feel according to the company, task, or time of day.
Reflecting the natural light that floods in through the glass exterior, Occhio lights were selected for their almost perfect mimicry of pure sunlight.
A space for any occasion
The result of these details working together is a culinary and entertainment space that’s at once undeniably stylish, as well as warm and inviting.
It works for all times of the day, year, and any occasion, whether it’s an opportunity for the couple to enjoy peace and quiet alone with a morning coffee in hand, welcoming the family for joyful gatherings, or celebrating special occasions with a whole host of friends.
This is a space that can morph from an intimate, tranquil sanctuary into a convivial haven, without ever losing its cool.
