Natalie Fry, Founder & Creative Director at Grid Thirteen Design Studio, has given her insights into the industry.
I’ve been fortunate to build a career exploring the relationship between furniture, architecture and the way we live within a space. My training in interior architecture and design laid the foundation for that, but much of my understanding has come through experience - working alongside some of the UK’s leading designers and architects, learning from the people around me and developing a particular depth of knowledge in furniture design.
As my career developed, I later went on to lead design studios for a number of companies, including those working with both SieMatic and Poggenpohl, with responsibility extending beyond the design teams into the technical and installation side of the business.
That combination of training and practical experience gave me a strong grounding in furniture, architecture and spatial planning, but perhaps more importantly, taught me that a strong concept is only part of the process. The real skill lies in carrying that design intent through the technical detail and into the finished space.
In 2013, I reached a point where I wanted to create a studio that reflected my own approach to design, and I founded Grid Thirteen. At the time, the youngest of our five children was just three, so it was a significant decision both professionally and personally. It was a busy chapter of family life, but it also felt like the right point in my career to build something of my own and establish the kind of design practice I wanted Grid Thirteen to become.
Grid Thirteen initially specialised in kitchen design, but as the studio has grown, that expertise has evolved into furniture design throughout the home - from kitchens and living spaces to bedrooms, dressing rooms, bars and other interior spaces. Furniture remains at the heart of what we do, with materiality and spatial planning helping to shape the spaces around it.
Today, we are an independent Yorkshire design studio with a growing team and our own handmade furniture offering alongside SieMatic. That combination gives us greater freedom in the way we approach furniture and interiors, allowing us to create highly personalised spaces with a design language that responds naturally to both the individual and the architecture.
I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between people and space - why we respond instinctively to certain environments and how the spaces around us can influence the way we feel and live.
The more experience I gained, the more interested I became in the human side of design. Beautiful spaces matter of course, but understanding why somebody feels comfortable in one environment and not another, or why the same space might work completely differently for two people, is far more interesting to me.
That is probably what has kept me engaged with design for so long, there is always something more to understand - about people, materials, craftsmanship or the way we experience space. Experience gives you confidence in your judgement, but I don’t think it should ever stop you questioning, learning or being open to another perspective.
The people, no two clients live in quite the same way, and that is what continues to make residential design so interesting to me.
The early design process is as much about listening and observing as it is developing the design. I enjoy understanding the routines and small details of everyday life that can easily be overlooked - where the keys are put down, where the school bags end up, how a family moves through the house and what happens when everybody arrives home at once, those details tell us a great deal about what somebody really needs from their space.
For me, that is where our work goes beyond aesthetic preference and becomes about understanding the individual, how they live and how they want to feel in their home.
Our ‘The Architecture of Luxury’ project has undoubtedly been a highlight. The project won ‘Best Luxury Kitchen Design’ at the 2026 Designerati North Awards and has subsequently been shortlisted in the forthcoming national Designerati Awards and SBID Awards. It’s great to see the recognition this project has had in titles such as The Times, Yorkshire Life and The Yorkshire Post.
Alongside the recognition for our work, one of the things I’m most proud of is seeing the team develop, a number of our designers joined Grid Thirteen as graduates, and watching them grow in confidence, develop their own style and become accomplished designers in their own right has been incredibly rewarding.
My role is to give the team the technical grounding, support and confidence to trust their own judgement, seeing their individual design identities emerge, and watching that confidence grow, has been a real highlight for me.
I’m drawn to projects where we have the freedom to explore ideas and create something genuinely individual, I’ve never been particularly excited by designing to a rigid formula.
I enjoy the unexpected - contemporary alongside traditional, precision alongside craft, quiet architectural elements with something more expressive. Our blended concept is probably the clearest example of that approach, combining the precision and restraint of SieMatic with the tactility and individuality of hand-crafted bespoke furniture.
They are two different design languages, but I don’t believe they need to imitate one another to coexist, if they make sense together and create interest, then that is the approach we will take. For me, pushing boundaries isn’t about being different for the sake of it, it’s about understanding the principles, understanding the person, and having the confidence to challenge convention when the design rationale supports it.
One of the greatest challenges is maintaining the integrity of an idea from the initial concept through to the finished space. As projects become more ambitious, the relationship between creativity and technical understanding becomes increasingly important.
Proportion, tolerances, junctions, lighting, services, material behaviour and installation all influence whether a design ultimately feels resolved. Technical understanding gives you greater creative freedom - when you understand how a design will be constructed and the principles behind it, you have greater confidence to explore ideas beyond the expected.
Experience has also taught me to recognise when somebody else’s expertise can make a project stronger. I’ve always believed in collaboration over competition, and our relationship with William Howarth and Holly Stott, the co-founders of luxury bespoke bathroom design studio, Holt Living, is a great example of that. We’re aligned in our approach to design, the premium products we work with, the client experience we want to deliver and, importantly, the level of technical resolution behind the finished space. Their strength in creating bespoke bathroom designs, master en-suites, spa wellness rooms and custom-made bathroom furniture sits naturally alongside our focus on furniture design, allowing us to work collaboratively across more areas of the home and extend that collective expertise to each other’s clients for an exceptional outcome. Our successful partnership was recognised at the 2025 designerati North Awards winning the award for ‘Best Trade Collaboration’.
To trust my instinct sooner.
In the earlier years of Grid Thirteen, I probably believed that with enough effort I could make every opportunity, partnership or relationship work. Experience has taught me that recognising when something isn’t right is just as important as knowing when something is.
I’ve also become much more conscious of protecting the culture within the studio, design is collaborative, and our people produce their best work when they feel trusted and valued. We have a team with different strengths and perspectives, and I don’t want everybody around the table to think like me - our work would be far less interesting if they did.
Take your time to develop your own style and try not to get too caught up in the constant pursuit of the ‘latest trend’. When a client is investing significantly in their home, they want to feel that the design is genuinely theirs - a response to how they live, what they are drawn to and the architecture around them, rather than a generic aesthetic that may be superseded over time.
I would also say that it’s important to value the technical side of the profession. A strong concept needs to be technically resolved, and the creative at the front end has to be backed up by a process that supports the project all the way through to delivery and project completion. Understanding how a design develops from concept through to technical detailing and installation doesn’t limit creativity, it gives you greater freedom and the confidence to explore ideas with real intent.
Spending time on site with the people installing your work is invaluable, understanding the challenges they face and seeing how decisions made at the design stage translate into reality will make you a better designer. Some of the most valuable things I’ve learnt have come from those conversations, and from building relationships with people whose knowledge and experience are different to my own.
And finally, stay open to the people around you, I’ve worked in the industry for over 30 years and I’m still learning - sometimes from people who have been designing for far less time than I have. Experience brings knowledge and confidence, but there should always be room for another perspective.
There’s no question that technology and AI will inevitably continue to influence how we work and live, but I think there is an interesting counterbalance emerging. As our lives become faster and increasingly connected to technology, I find myself thinking more about how we experience our physical environments through the senses - and the role our homes can play in allowing us to step away from some of that constant stimulation.
Neuroaesthetics is an area I’ve become increasingly interested in, particularly how the pace of activity within a space, and the level of decision-making taking place, might influence the way we experience that environment. A kitchen or entrance hallway, for example, can involve fast movement, conversation, noise, multiple tasks and a constant series of small decisions. Compare that with a bedroom or wellness space, where the intention may be to reduce stimulation, slow things down and allow us to switch off. When designing for this approach, one question I always ask myself is – ‘if the demands we place on ourselves change from one environment to another, should the sensory demands of those spaces change with them’?
For me, this is something I want to explore further through our work as a practice. It raises interesting questions about how these factors can inform a more individual response to design, rather than being considered purely through the aesthetic of a space.
Becoming an SBID Accredited Design Practice is important to us because it recognises the professional standards behind what we do. Interior design is creative, but it also carries responsibility, and that requires knowledge, technical competence, integrity and accountability.
As an independent studio in Yorkshire, being part of SBID also connects us to a wider professional design community. We’re fortunate to work alongside some exceptional designers and architects here in the North, and I value the opportunity accreditation gives us to share ideas, learn from others and contribute to the wider conversation around our profession.
The SBID accreditation represents the standards we hold ourselves to as a practice, while giving us the opportunity to be part of a professional community that supports collaboration, knowledge-sharing and supporting the next generation of designers.
About Grid Thirteen
Grid Thirteen is an independent luxury interior design studio based in North Leeds, specialising in bespoke kitchens, bedrooms and living spaces throughout the UK. Every project begins with understanding how our clients live, ensuring each space is shaped around the way they live rather than passing trends. Our work combines interior architecture, technical precision and exceptional craftsmanship to create interiors that feel timeless, functional and deeply personal. Collaborating with carefully selected manufacturing partners alongside our own handcrafted furniture collections, we deliver beautifully resolved interiors where every detail has purpose, every material is carefully considered, and every project is approached with an unwavering commitment to excellence.
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Andrew Rizza, Founder and Creative Director of Dream Design, shares how his background in craftsmanship continues to shape the company’s approach.
I began as a carpenter before moving into bespoke joinery and cabinetry, founding Dream Design in 1984. What started as a workshop making bespoke cabinetry grew naturally as our clients invited us to become involved in more areas of their homes.
Today, we specialise in kitchen design, bathrooms and complete residences throughout the UK and internationally. That grounding in craft still informs every project, from the overall proportions to the smallest construction detail.
We remain family-run, now in our second generation. My son, Connor, joined in 2018 and leads our brand and client experience, while I lead the studio’s creative direction. That year also saw us open our Design Centre in Christchurch, Dorset.
It grew naturally from making furniture. I became increasingly interested in the space around each piece and how the whole room could work better.
Interior design brought together the things I enjoy most: creativity, craftsmanship and practical problem-solving, with the opportunity to make a lasting difference to someone’s home and quality of life.
Helping clients see possibilities they had not considered. A conversation about replacing a kitchen might lead to relocating it, opening the house to the garden and transforming how the family uses the space. Kitchen design brings together so much of what we do, from spatial planning and bespoke cabinetry to materials, lighting and the practicalities of cooking and entertaining.
Those discoveries begin with listening. Seeing clients enjoy the result, then being invited back for another home or the next generation, is especially rewarding.
We recently completed a full refurbishment of a stunning coastal home in Dorset. What made the project particularly rewarding was the clients’ trust in us, which gave us complete creative freedom to explore the property’s potential. Considering the home as a whole allowed us to bring everything together into one cohesive design. That is how we most enjoy working and where we do our best work.
Another highlight was completing an extension to our 5,000 sq ft Design Centre in Christchurch, Dorset, where clients can explore fully realised kitchen displays alongside bathrooms and living spaces. It gives them an opportunity to experience the quality, craftsmanship and approach to design that define Dream Design.
Residential projects where we can become involved early and consider the home as a whole, whether a new build or a refurbishment. Developing the layout, lighting, materials and furniture together allows every decision to contribute to the finished result.
The architecture and the clients give each project its character. Discovering what will bring out the best in both is what interests me.
Carrying the quality of an idea through to the finished home. A seemingly simple detail can require considerable thought and coordination, so clear drawings and close relationships with craftspeople are essential.
Equally, clients need confidence throughout the process. Helping them understand priorities and make informed decisions is an important part of our responsibility.
How much depends on listening and communication. Asking the right questions at the beginning shapes everything that follows, while explaining decisions clearly helps everyone work towards the same result.
Learn how things are made. Spend time in workshops and on site, handle materials and follow your designs through installation. Understanding construction sharpens your judgement and gives you greater freedom to design with confidence.
I think considered advice will become increasingly valuable. Clients have access to endless inspiration and information; helping them decide what belongs in their home is where our experience makes a difference.
It gives clients reassurance when choosing who to trust with their home. From there, that trust is strengthened through thoughtful advice, careful detailing and consistent service, throughout the project and after its completion.
About Dream Design
Dream Design is a luxury kitchen, bathroom and interior design centre in Dorset, creating one-of-a-kind private residences across Dorset, Hampshire, Poole, the UK and internationally. Supported by its award-winning interior architecture and interior design studio, Dream Design specialises in bespoke kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, living spaces and complete home design. The 5,000 sq ft Design Centre brings together leading brands and specialist ateliers across kitchen design, bathroomware, appliances, surfaces, lighting, furniture and interior architectural details, creating a distinctive design destination for private clients, architects and developers seeking a considered, highly tailored approach to residential design, specification and project delivery.
On a large residential development, the question is rarely whether every kitchen should be bespoke. The more useful question is where bespoke design will make the greatest difference.
Efficiency matters when a specification is being repeated across multiple properties, but so does character. Interior designers need to create homes that feel considered and distinctive while working within the commercial and practical realities of a larger programme.
The two ambitions do not have to compete.
A successful kitchen strategy can standardise the elements that benefit from repetition while allowing greater freedom in the materials, details and spaces that define the finished interior. The result is a more intelligent use of the design budget, with investment focused where it will be most visible and valuable.
At Roundhouse, our experience across luxury residential and multi-unit projects has shown that the key is not choosing between standardisation and bespoke design, but understanding where each earns its place.
Consistency across a development does not mean every kitchen needs to look the same.
A stronger approach is to establish a recognisable design language that can evolve between different property types and levels of specification. Proportions, sightlines, colour palettes, hardware and cabinetry details can create a sense of continuity, while layouts, materials and finishes respond to the individual property.
This also allows investment to be distributed more intelligently. A core apartment might prioritise a refined, repeatable specification, while a premium property introduces richer materials or more individual detailing. At penthouse level, the kitchen can become an entirely bespoke architectural feature.
Roundhouse supports this approach through three cabinetry collections within one design and delivery structure. Partner provides a solution for repeatable schemes, Studio introduces a broader choice of materials and configurations, while the fully bespoke Design collection allows considerably greater freedom in layout, material and detail.
The specification can therefore evolve without introducing a different supplier at every level. Design expertise, technical coordination, project management and BIFIS Accredited Installation remain part of the wider Roundhouse approach.
Not every element of a bespoke kitchen needs to be different to make the finished space feel individual.
Some of the most useful opportunities for repetition sit behind the cabinetry. Where property layouts allow, carcase dimensions, hinge and drawer systems, internal fittings, appliance interfaces and service positions can be rationalised across multiple kitchens.
Doing so reduces the number of variables moving through technical approval, procurement and installation. More importantly, it can release budget for the elements that homeowners will actually see and experience.
This process is particularly effective when the kitchen specialist is involved early. Founded by architects, Roundhouse designers can review layouts before key architectural and service decisions become fixed. A relatively small adjustment to a wall, opening, service position or kitchen dimension can sometimes allow a cabinet configuration to work successfully across several property types.
Our design and technical teams coordinate cabinetry with architectural drawings, MEP layouts and appliances, with samples, show kitchens and mock-ups developed where appropriate. Resolving these details early allows an agreed solution to be reproduced across a development with greater confidence.
Once the underlying specification is working efficiently, bespoke design can be concentrated where it has the greatest impact.
A sculptural kitchen island, beautifully matched veneer, specialist metal finish, distinctive door profile or illuminated cocktail bar can establish the character of an entire interior without requiring every cabinet to be individually designed.
This becomes particularly valuable in premium apartments and penthouses, where the kitchen may need to respond directly to the architecture. Cabinet widths can be calibrated around sightlines and architectural datums, while specialist finishes, unusual materials and purpose-designed pieces can create something entirely individual to the property.
Cabinetry can also extend beyond the conventional kitchen footprint into dining areas, bars and adjoining living spaces, allowing the design language to become part of the wider architecture of the home.
Made to order at our Malvern factory, Roundhouse's Design collection gives designers and craftspeople the freedom to develop ideas beyond a predetermined catalogue of dimensions and finishes.
The value of bespoke in these spaces is not simply greater choice. It is the ability to create something memorable and specific to the property.
A successful design concept is only valuable if its quality can be maintained across every property in which it appears.
For larger schemes, this means controlling variation rather than attempting to eliminate it. An agreed design hierarchy can be translated into individual property specifications, ensuring dimensions, finishes, appliances and bespoke details are manufactured and installed in the correct locations.
Physical samples provide an important reference throughout this process. Paint colours and specialist finishes can be approved against control samples, while the natural characteristics of timber, veneer and stone can be understood and agreed before orders are placed. Where particularly close visual continuity is required, materials can also be batched and reserved for a development.
Manufacturing plays an equally important role. At Roundhouse's Worcestershire factory, precision machinery provides repeatable accuracy while experienced craftspeople oversee veneers, specialist finishes and individual details.
The same thinking needs to continue onto site. A kitchen that appears economical on a cabinet schedule can quickly become more costly if service clashes, repeated RFIs, fragmented deliveries, installation delays and extensive snagging begin to affect the programme.
Looking at specification, manufacture and installation as one connected process provides a more meaningful measure of value than cabinet cost alone.
The most successful approach to bespoke at scale sits somewhere between complete standardisation and designing every kitchen independently.
It uses repetition deliberately. Technical elements are rationalised where doing so makes delivery more efficient, while greater design freedom is reserved for the materials, features and properties where it will contribute most to the finished interior.
For one apartment, that might mean a beautifully detailed island against a more repeatable cabinetry specification. In another, it could be a specialist finish, an exceptional run of veneer or a bespoke bar connecting the kitchen with an entertaining space. A penthouse may justify a completely individual response.
The point is not to introduce variation for its own sake. It is to give interior designers the freedom to create moments of distinction without losing sight of budget, programme or the practical demands of delivering multiple properties.
For Roundhouse, that balance is where bespoke bring value, combining design creativity and craftsmanship with the technical and manufacturing discipline required by larger residential developments.
If you are planning an upcoming residential project, get in touch with their Professional team or book a showroom visit to explore how Roundhouse could support your project.
About Roundhouse Design Ltd
Founded by architects, Roundhouse is a multi-award-winning British company, creating beautiful bespoke kitchens and furniture. Their stunning kitchen designs feature a signature understated aesthetic, influenced by contemporary and traditional design, using innovative materials, texture and colour. Each project is made to measure from a wide range of stunning finishes. Expertly crafted by skilled designers and makers in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Malvern, Worcestershire. Visit any of seven Roundhouse Design kitchen showrooms; Wigmore St, Clapham, Fulham, Richmond, Cambridge, Guildford & Cheltenham.
Travertine-inspired surfaces continue to bring warmth, texture and a sense of natural character to contemporary interiors, and Maximus Travertine Osso offers a sophisticated interpretation of this enduring stone aesthetic in large-format porcelain.
Combining the timeless beauty of natural travertine with the practical benefits and versatility of porcelain, Maximus Travertine Osso features delicate striations and subtle tonal nuances that create a refined and authentic appearance. Available in White and Light Beige, the collection introduces a versatile palette that works effortlessly with warm neutrals, natural materials and earthy colour schemes.
Available in 60 x 120cm, 120 x 120cm, 120 x 280cm and 162 x 324cm formats, the porcelain range provides flexibility for a variety of interior applications, from floors and feature walls to larger architectural surfaces. The generous slab formats are particularly suited to creating a sense of continuity across larger spaces, while the smaller formats offer additional design flexibility.
Adding further versatility, coordinating striped décor options are available in both colourways, introducing a more graphic interpretation of the natural stone aesthetic. Used selectively, the décor can create visual definition, while the larger formats allow the subtle movement of the travertine effect to take centre stage.
Maximus Travertine Osso also incorporates Maximus’ Sync Effect digital structure technology, creating a textured relief that works in harmony with the surface design. The technology enhances the depth and authenticity of the stone effect while adding a tactile quality to the porcelain surface.
The result is a collection that balances the enduring appeal of travertine with the clean, contemporary possibilities of porcelain. Whether used to create a calm, tonal bathroom, a sophisticated living space or a statement architectural surface, Travertine Osso brings warmth and quiet luxury to modern interiors.
For designers and specifiers looking to introduce the character of travertine without compromising on contemporary versatility, Maximus Travertine Osso offers a considered alternative to natural stone, combining a soft, natural aesthetic with the benefits of a large-format porcelain surface.
About RAK Ceramics Ltd
RAK Ceramics products feature in some of the most iconic buildings in the world. Known for a wide product range and the ability to produce bespoke solutions for both small and large scale projects, RAK Ceramics enable clients to bring their ideas to life. They respect, inspire, improve and deliver; today, tomorrow, no matter the ambition, no matter the challenge, RAK Ceramics take care of all the details, so you don’t have to. Their passion and expertise combined with a careful attention to detail means they can provide you with a range of integrated ceramics solutions, allowing you freedom to be creative and plenty of room for imagination.
Moving into a newly built, more compact home marked the beginning of a new chapter for the client. While the scale of the home had changed, the way she wanted to live had not. The kitchen still needed to feel generous and refined, with the capacity to support everyday life as comfortably as it welcomed family and friends.
The original architectural plan proposed a conventional U-shaped kitchen with an enclosed pantry. It was functional on paper, but it would have restricted sightlines, interrupted the relationship between the kitchen and adjoining living areas, and made the heart of the home feel smaller than it needed to be. Mint Kitchens Moonee Ponds saw an opportunity to reconsider the plan entirely, moving beyond simply fitting cabinetry into the allocated space to create a kitchen that could shape how the whole home was experienced.
The revised layout replaces the enclosed arrangement with an open, light-filled kitchen organised around a substantial central island. Positioned between the primary work zones and the adjoining dining area, the island becomes both a practical preparation surface and a social anchor. Its generous proportions provide room for guests to gather without disrupting the person cooking, allowing conversation to move naturally between the kitchen, dining and living spaces.
A deep charcoal finish gives the island visual weight within the otherwise light palette. It grounds the room, defines the kitchen within the open plan and creates a measured contrast against the soft white cabinetry and expressive natural stone. The result feels layered and established rather than overly pristine.
One of the project’s most resolved planning decisions is also one of its least visible. Beyond the integrated refrigeration wall, a concealed walk-through opening leads into the butler’s pantry. By absorbing secondary preparation, appliance storage and pantry essentials into a dedicated back-of-house zone, the design allows the main kitchen to retain a composed, uncluttered presence.
This separation is particularly valuable when entertaining. Everyday mess can be contained out of view, while the main kitchen remains open and connected to guests. Extensive drawer storage keeps frequently used items accessible, and the pantry’s uninterrupted work surface provides additional space for food preparation and smaller appliances. Warm timber-look open shelving introduces a quieter shift in tone, distinguishing the pantry as a functional interior layer while maintaining continuity with the timber flooring beyond.
The aesthetic takes its cues from the home’s Coastal Hamptons influence, interpreted with restraint. Shaker-style two-pack cabinetry establishes a timeless architectural rhythm, while layered cornices carry the joinery upward and help it feel integrated with the wider interior. Ribbed-glass overhead panels add texture and depth at the upper level, breaking up the expanse of cabinetry without introducing visual noise.
Natural stone is used across the benchtops and splashbacks, bringing movement and individuality to the predominantly neutral scheme. Rather than treating the stone as a decorative surface alone, its continuous use connects the cooking, cleaning and island zones, giving the kitchen a cohesive material language. Brushed metal hardware and pendant lighting contribute a subtle sense of polish, while the timber flooring brings warmth and prevents the palette from feeling cool or formal.
Every element plays a practical role. Deep drawers replace difficult-to-access lower cupboards; integrated refrigeration contributes to the calm elevation; dedicated cooking and cleaning zones support an efficient workflow; and the long island offers both preparation space and comfortable seating. The design’s luxury is felt through ease, proportion and the considered placement of each function, rather than through excess.
Downsizing does not have to mean compromising on openness, hospitality or a sense of occasion. By moving beyond the limitations of the original plan, Mint Kitchens Moonee Ponds created a kitchen that feels larger through connection: connected to its supporting pantry, to the adjoining living spaces and, most importantly, to the way its owner wants to live.
The finished kitchen is calm and elegant, but never precious. It works hard behind the scenes while presenting a refined face to the home. This balance allows it to support quiet daily rituals, generous gatherings and the next chapter of life with equal confidence.
About Mint Kitchens by Designwize
Mint Kitchen Group is a Melbourne-based kitchen and interiors company specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of bespoke joinery. We create custom kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, wardrobes and interior spaces that are tailored to each client’s lifestyle, home and design vision. With a strong focus on quality craftsmanship, practical functionality and personalised service, our team manages each project from concept through to completion. By combining thoughtful design with locally made joinery and attention to detail, Mint Kitchen Group delivers beautifully resolved spaces that are made to be lived in and built to last.
This is a CPD session that traces the evolution of the domestic kitchen—from its historical origins and changing social functions to its current role as the heart of contemporary living—and provides practical strategies for seamlessly integrating luxury appliances to enhance both form and function.
Lunch provided, please advise of any dietary requirements.
SBID Members earn 4 x CPD points for attending!
A townhouse in Notting Hill needed a kitchen that could do two jobs at once: look sophisticated and contemporary, while providing enough storage and space for informal family eating. For Ledbury Studio founder Charlie Smallbone, the brief also arrived with its material already chosen. The clients had fallen in love with Arabescato Nero marble and it became the starting point for the whole design.
It’s the reverse of how most kitchen briefs start. Instead of working from a floor plan outward, Charlie was working from one slab of stone inward: the layout, the storage and the material palette elsewhere in the room all had to be resolved around a single decision the clients had already made.
“Our clients came to us already in love with the stone,” says Charlie. “That’s not unusual and it’s no bad thing, it’s actually a gift. It sets the ambition for everything else. Once you’ve chosen a material like Arabescato Nero marble, there’s no hiding behind a neutral scheme. The rest of the kitchen has to be as considered as the stone is dramatic.”
Charlie made the marble the dramatic centrepiece of the room, wrapping it around an imposing pedestal base beneath the breakfast bar for maximum impact. A fabricated bullnose edge was specially designed for the effect, and the marble was honed rather than polished, for a softer, more understated elegance.
Book-matching, where two adjoining slabs of stone are cut and laid so their veining mirrors across the seam, has become one of the clearest signatures of a considered kitchen island. Rather than a run of stone broken up by a visible join, the effect reads as one continuous surface, and it’s increasingly the detail that separates a bespoke kitchen from an off-the-shelf one.
In the case of this kitchen, because the island sits on a suspended floor, its construction had to be carefully engineered to carry the weight of a 5.25-metre worktop, with two slabs of the marble book-matched at the centre for a seamless effect. It’s a structural question that comes up often in London’s period townhouses. Many have suspended timber floors, rather than a solid concrete slab, so for a large-format stone island the floor should be checked, and often reinforced, before the design can be finalised.
Charlie chose natural oak for the cupboards, which was given a light finish, rubbed back to expose the grain and finished with a pigmented pale wash. Handleless base cupboards and specially designed recessed handles on the tall cupboards keep the design minimal and contemporary, with the wine cooler and oven sitting flush within the run rather than sitting as separate elements.
In addition, the wall cupboards and room-facing island cupboard doors were given shallow fluting, with the timber grain fluted horizontally rather than vertically, for a softer, textured finish. Pairing a warm, pale oak with a cool, heavily veined marble is one of the more enduring material conversations in kitchen design: the wood softens the drama of the stone, while the marble stops the joinery from reading as flat.
“A kitchen this striking still has to work every single day,” concludes Charlie. “The marble is what you notice first. But it’s the storage, the fluting and the way the oak sits against the stone that make you want to live in it.”
The result is a kitchen that is chic and understated, brought to life with the sophistication and drama that mark out a Ledbury Studio design. It’s a useful example of how a single material decision, made early and followed through with conviction, can shape everything else in a room: the cabinetry finish, the storage strategy, even the lighting, all worked out in relation to one slab of stone rather than added on top of it afterwards.
About Ledbury Studio Ltd
Ledbury Studio is a new and exciting design studio, showcasing Charlie Smallbone’s latest kitchen designs. Small and personal, Ledbury Studio has been established to explore and develop the interface between kitchens to cook and work in, and kitchens to live in. The company offers something very different in the world of kitchen design, something not found elsewhere. Combining exquisite materials and artisan craftsmanship, the new kitchen collections are striking and innovative and the culmination of Charlie Smallbone’s history at the forefront of cutting edge kitchen design.
This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a mid-century kitchen design by 2025 SBID Awards Finalist, Bower Interior Design.
Bower Interior Design was commissioned to design the interior of a newly built rear extension in Saltdean, East Sussex. The open-plan kitchen, dining and living space was created for a family of four seeking a timeless design with a mid-century influence. Rich walnut cabinetry, soft green tones and brushed brass accents were combined to bring warmth, depth and character. The result is a calm, functional and beautifully layered space that reflects the family’s lifestyle while nodding to the home’s coastal setting and their love of classic design.
Category: Kitchen Design
Design Practice: Bower Interior Design
Project Title: Coastal Mid-Century Living
Project Location: East Sussex, United Kingdom
Design Practice Location: Worthing, United Kingdom
The family wanted a home that would really bring them together at the end of each day, as well as a space to host friends and relax. They imagined a place to sit and read with a glass of wine, a generous dining area that could comfortably seat ten, and an open-plan kitchen where they could keep an eye on everything while the family gathered. Hosting was also really important to them — they loved the idea of the bi-folds opening out onto their beautiful gardens, creating plenty of space to entertain and throw parties. My approach was to zone the space carefully into kitchen, dining and living areas, so that each had its own purpose but also flowed seamlessly together. They wanted a contemporary mid-century feel — light and neutral at its base to maximise the natural daylight, but with layers of rich colour, from olive greens to ochres, alongside natural wood textures for warmth and depth.
The biggest inspiration was the house itself. It’s a mid-century property that looks out onto beautiful, sprawling fields, and it felt only natural to bring that sense of greenery and connection to the outdoors into the design. I used earthy tones, wood textures and tactile finishes to echo what was happening just beyond the garden. The family wanted something timeless, with enough wow factor to feel special, but still a home where they could kick off their shoes, put the kettle on, and feel completely at ease.
The project was smooth overall, but one challenge was ensuring the space would be properly heated without relying on underfloor heating. With so many large glazed areas and open walls, I had to think very strategically about where radiators could be placed — they needed to do their job effectively without dominating or disrupting the design. It took some careful thought to make everything work, but in the end it came together in a way that felt balanced and practical.
For me, the highlight will always be my clients’ reaction when it was finished. They sent me videos saying they “couldn’t believe it was theirs,” which was such a moving moment. Seeing their joy and hearing that disbelief turn into pride made all the months of planning and decision-making worthwhile. It’s the kind of feedback that reminds me exactly why I love doing what I do.
Honestly, I entered on a bit of a chance. I was really proud of the project, but I never imagined it would make it through to become a finalist.
Becoming a finalist has been such a dream come true. To be recognised alongside so many incredible designers is both humbling and inspiring. It’s given me a huge boost of confidence in my work and feels like a real milestone for Bower Interior Design.
Questions answered by Natalie Johnson, Founder of Bower Interior Design.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's design!
If you missed the last instalment of Project of the Week, featuring a sophisticated penthouse design, click here to read it.
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