FREESTANDING
HEROES
The fitted kitchen is far
from dead, but the
freestanding elements we
choose to complement
built-in cabinets are the
features that give our
homes character.
The freestanding design
of spring ’22 is a new twist
on a classic piece.
Artichoke’s cook’s table,
right, in Scottish white elm
and sycamore planks, with
a section of Carrara marble
for pastry making, is
tailored to the size of the
kitchen. One leg conceals
an electricity cable leading
to a socket for a food
processor (kitchens from
£250,000, artichoke-
ltd.com).FLOORING
Forget fancy terracotta
tiles — the kitchen flooring
you’ll love to live with is
smooth, moppable, warm
underfoot and sound
dampening. I’m talking
about cork, rubber or vinyl.
When it comes to the
latter, Carpetright has the
value options — such as
the tile lookalike pattern
Mardi Gras, left, £15.39
a square metre,
carpetright.co.uk.
Fancy a floral? Try the
Gawthorpe Hall collection,
by For the Floor and More
(£53.95 a square metre,
forthefloorandmore.com),
or one of Harvey Maria’s
designer collaborations,
such as Neisha Crosland’s
Dovetail (£55 a square
metre, harveymaria.com).COLOUR
Homeowners continue
to eschew boring decor
in favour of bold,
mood-boosting hues.
Green remains a theme
throughout our homes —
from soft sage to olive
and dark forest shades.
As does blue, such in this
Roundhouse kitchen, left
(from £30,000,
roundhousedesign.com).
According to deVOL,
blues, greens and warm
neutrals paired with brass
accents and wood reign
supreme. Its most
requested shades in 2021
were Pantry Blue
(a rich navy), Mushroom
(soft taupe), Bakehouse
Green (deep green) and
Clerkenwell Blue (smart
mid-blue).
HOT DESKING
Kitchen designers have
been mulling over the
practicalities of locating
a quiet workstation in a
high-traffic hub. At
Herringbone Kitchens
(from £25,000,
herringbonekitchens.com,
WFH space left), William
Durrant has several
suggestions up his sleeve.
“Use calming colours.
Among the most popular
tones are neutrals, blushes,
soft blues and greens, as
well as greys with green
undertones and tans.
Placement is important.
Allowing sunshine and
natural light to pour into
your space will lift your
mood and keep you alert.”MORE KITCHENS ON P13 WW
WITH THE KITCHENS
PETS’ CORNER
Kitchen designers are
wooing clients with ever
more luxurious canine
comforts. Check out the
Neptune cat flap, far left.
Fiona Ginnett of Hølte
created her first cat door in
a cupboard in 2017, for her
own kitchen, and it has
been in demand ever since.
“A hole leads into the
cabinet and the cat flap
goes from the cabinet
through the outside wall.”
Francesca Fender of
John Lewis of Hungerford
has created a porcelain
plinth feeding station for
two weimaraners in
XTone Nuba White to
match the countertop, left,
(kitchens from £28,000,
john-lewis.co.uk).The Sunday Times February 13, 2022 11
RYAN WICKS; MARY WADSWORTH; DAVID RANNARD/CLICK CREATE