Please credit: Higham Furniture | photographer: Paul Craig.

Short caption:
This modern Shaker kitchen, designed and made by Higham Furniture, features an elegant blend of furniture styles using a range of materials and textures that are complemented by luxury appliances from Fisher & Paykel, La Cornue and Novy. In-frame Shaker cabinetry includes a full-height double-door larder, painted in Little Greene’s Obsidian Green 216 and. The walls, chimney mantle and open shelving are painted in Rolling Fog Pale 158. The central waterfall island features a 30mm thick Carrara Marble worktop surrounding a dramatic Jacobean stained-oak Scandi slatted front panel. Farmhouse sink by Villeroy & Boch with a patinated brass Quooker Fusion boiling water tap. Handles are by Armac Martin. Kitchens by Higham Furniture start from £35,000. www.higham.co.uk

The full story:
This long rectangular kitchen, designed, made and installed by Higham Furniture features an elegant blend of furniture styles using a range of materials and textures, complemented by luxury appliances and accessories throughout. Combining painted in-frame Shaker cabinetry with contemporary open shelving, a central waterfall island has a Jacobean-stained oak Scandi slatted panel that presents a dramatic aesthetic as you walk through the door from the entrance hall.

The open plan kitchen extends to a light, bright dining area with large picture windows that overlook the garden. It comprises part of a rear extension to a five-bedroom Victorian house on the borders of South and West Hampstead in North London. Having reconfigured the ground floor of their property, the homeowners, a family of two adults with three children, commissioned Veronika Lasova at Higham Furniture to design and make their bespoke kitchen, a walk-in pantry and a separate utility room.

The clients had made a mood board of ideas that they wanted for the kitchen, which included a mix of Shaker cabinetry with an on-trend Scandi island. Veronika then created a design that also featured a range of signature looks by Higham Furniture. These include floating shelves that can be personalised with decorative items, as opposed to bulky overhead cabinetry, the creation of a waterfall island, as opposed to having wooden end panels, and the repetition of the 30mm thick honed Carrara Marble worktop material for the splashback to provide a harmonious aesthetic.

Higham Furniture recommends, and partners with, sustainable paint brand, Little Greene, which makes an exclusive range of paint colours for the company. The cabinetry is painted in Obsidian Green 216 and the walls, the chimney mantle and floating shelves are all painted in Rolling Fog Pale 158, all from the Little Greene palette.

The kitchen was made and assembled at the wholly-owned Higham Furniture cabinet workshop in Denmead, Hampshire. The in-frame Shaker cabinetry has 80mm rails and stiles with a 70mm plinth. All carcases are high-grade lacquered oak veneered hardwood ply. The frames are made from tulipwood, while doors and drawer fronts are maple.

The two kitchen cabinetry runs are in an L-shape with a long cooking run comprising base cabinets with cutlery and utensil drawers and storage cupboards surrounding a Cornufé 110 Range Cooker by La Cornue in stainless steel with a polished brass handrail, rotary controls and accents. This luxury range cooker features two independent electric convection ovens: a seven-mode multifunction oven with grill, and an electric fan-assisted oven. The gas hob features five solid brass burners including a powerful central burner and a simmer burner. It also incorporates a full-length storage drawer at the base, ideal for keeping baking trays, dishes and accessories neatly stored away.

The chimney surround, with a fluted mantel, was specially designed and made to showcase the Cornufé, and to incorporate a Novy Essence 90cm built-in hood above the hob. The splashback is also made from honed Carrara Marble, which has a pale grey vein running through it. The three soft-close drawers are segmented at different heights and are symmetrical on either side. Floating shelves in the recesses above add a sense of personalisation, and character to the room.

The cooling run, against the back wall features a corner base cabinet next to tall slim Shaker cabinetry built around a stainless-steel Fisher & Paykel French Door Fridge Freezer with a double-door top box above. To the left-hand side of the cooling appliance is an all-in-one full-height larder cupboard with interior lighting that has open shelves and a Carrara Marble cold shelf in the upper section Beneath are pull-out drawers between bottle storage, together with spice and condiment racks on the inner doors.

The task side of the island incorporates the sink run, which includes a central Villeroy & Boch 90cm Farmhouse Sink with a Quooker Fusion PRO3 Boiling Water Tab in patinated brass, accessorised by a Manhattan hand spray by Yardley Bespoke. To the left of the sink is a Fisher & Paykel Integrated Double DishDrawer dishwasher, with further storage cupboards to the right of it. All handles are from the Leebank collection by Armac Martin.

Leading directly from the kitchen, and running along the side of it is a walk-in pantry, with open shelving, including a cold shelf made from the same 30mm thick honed Carrara Marble as the worktops and splashback in the kitchen. This is accessed via a sliding pocket door. Walls are painted in Rolling Fog Light 271 and shelves are painted in Rolling Fog PALE 158, all by Little Greene.

For expert comment about this kitchen from Tim Higham, founder of Higham Furniture, please contact:

Tara Silvester at Left Right & Centre PR:
E: tara@leftrightandcentre.com