showroom and design manager, Halcyon Interiors
Graham Robinson is the showroom and design manager at the Halcyon Interiors flagship located on London’s Wigmore Street, a road that has become the epicentre of kitchen design.
Over the last 20 years he has developed a passion for contemporary design and honed his eye for meticulous detail, allowing him to create practical kitchens that look stunning for many years to come. Whilst he likes to be aware of current trends, he prefers to give his clients classic looks that transcends fashion.
How can a well-designed kitchen reduce food waste?
When you design a kitchen, find out how your clients are actually cooking. Generally, there are two types of people: those with really big fridges and hardly any freezer space, and those who freeze leftovers. It’s best to have a practical kitchen with spice racks and visible, accessible storage. I like to design larders with pull-up storage features so you can see what food you’ve got. A lot of people have old things hidden at the back of their cupboards, but if items face forward you see all there is and don't let anything go out of date.
People are eating more fresh food now, so it’s good to have refrigeration with nought degree, low humidity drawers that provide filtration so things like salads, green vegetables and meat remain edible longer. You get an extra couple of days and don’t end up just throwing things away. It’s also possible for kitchen cabinets to include a vacuum drawer, so if only half of something has been eaten, you can vacuum seal what’s left inside a clear bag. The vacuum feature can also be used for marinating food or steam cooking in a water bath.
How do your designs anticipate your clients’ future needs, including gadgets and appliances they might acquire?
Most kitchens we create are for houses our clients live in rather than somewhere they plan to sell. We advise them to invest in quality brands because they're won’t go wrong. Talking to them about how they cook is important. Do they need a steam oven? Do they really need a microwave oven or are they anti-microwave? We find out what they’re actually going to need long-term, because maybe in three- or four-years’ time they might no longer use microwaves and move towards steam cooking that’s more healthy.
Most people seem to want taps that provide boiling water, it's definitely growing in the market. Also, it depends on the age of the client, but sometimes features like pull-out storage are integrated so they won’t need to bend down as they get older. When creating a kitchen for a woman in a wheelchair, we looked at details such as oven height and how it opened, how the fridge was configured and where she put her tap. We designed a long thin hob, and because she couldn’t reach the hood, its fan and lights automatically turned on when the burners did. It’s also more popular to have appliances with technology that lets them be monitored and controlled remotely, for example from your phone you can track the progress of your washing machine, your dishwasher, turn your oven on and some ovens let you look at what’s happening inside. Say you have meat in your oven, you can actually see remotely a clear picture of it every 30 seconds. It's slightly gimmicky, but it's there if people want it. Others have a door that opens slightly after the oven’s s turned off so an item doesn’t carry on cooking from retained heat.. The hot air is pushed out and cool air is drawn in so food isn’t overcooked. Some people talk about the fact that gas might not be around forever, so if you’re going to futureproof a kitchen, induction hobs are good to have.
With kitchens at the heart of the home, how do you design for inclusivity and the wide range of activities that take place there?
You initially need to get a real understanding of how the kitchen will be used every day, and then build from there. It’s making sure the kitchen works for the customer in every scenario. For example, will it will be used for functions, and will they cook when entertaining a large number of people or get caterers in? We offer layout ideas for when it’s breakfast for two, how to change it for four people, when doing homework with the children, or if they’ve got the whole family around. You’ve got to make sure there are the right amount of cooking elements and enough storage for however many sets of plates they’ll have for dinner service.
A kitchen has to be right for how someone is going to cook – or not cook. At the moment we’re creating a large kitchen where day-to-day it’s just the four of them, but every Sunday they have a big family function. We’ve designed it as an open-plan space where the island can be moved into an alcove so the table can be extended. Others have separate dining rooms and secondary kitchens for caterers to use when the client hosts large events. Some people are desperate to have places for their cling film, tin foil or store their rubber gloves. One client argued with his wife because she always used a tea towel rather than rubber gloves. In our showroom, we demonstrate the physical space so that clients get a feel for how much room they’ll have between their island and cabinet run. They might see a picture that looks really nice with a row of four barstools behind an island, but in reality, those barstools are never going to be in line and you don't really want to sit in that line, although you might want to sit facing each other.
What’s on the horizon for kitchen design?
Kitchen features are becoming more like furniture. They’re still quite sleek, but with warmer colours and added textures that make them a bit more comfortable and friendly. We’re seeing mechanisms for opening doors in different ways, but some of them are just for the sake of doing things differently rather than an actual invention.
In recent years, the real innovation has been with ceramic worktops you can put hot things on and that are completely non-porous. Whether synthetic quartz or manufactured ceramic, modern counters have lots of interesting patterns and veining that appears realistic, or others look like concrete. These manufacturers copy the stone, marble, and quartz that occurs in nature, but the textures, colours and finishes all match.
Graham is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.
Click here to view the full judging panel.
The SBID Product Design Awards 2020 entry deadline has been extended!
To find out more about entering, visit www.sbidproductdesignawards.com
Whether you're looking to specify sustainably-made chairs for an upcoming office project, source a unique coffee table solution for helping your clients relax and entertain at home, or find design-led brassware for bathroom spaces with additional water-saving innovations; browse this month's curated selection of interior product news to discover more ways you can enhance your designs this February.
Alexander Joseph introduce a series of new designs for its luxury cordless lamps
Throughout February, Alexander Joseph will be introducing a series of new contemporary designs to their permanent range of luxury cordless lamps – and it all starts with the Arc. A classic desk lamp magnificently proportioned to bring grandeur to an office or study. Bringing the traditional 100-year-old shape up to date with a contemporary oversized body. Arc’s sweeping oval lines give way to an angled summit. Finished in Bronze, Brass & polished Silver, there are hundreds of shade colours and materials available to suit your interior design schemes.
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FCI presents the unique Caprice Coffee Table by Smania
Made by the Italian manufacturer Smania, the Caprice wooden coffee table finished in a veneer of wood with a leather upholstered structure is no ordinary coffee table. This low, design-led and multi-functional round table also serves as a bar with its unique openable top, exposing internal compartments to store bottles and glasses. This design feature elevates the sleek, contemporary coffee table to become a true centre piece of your client’s living room - to dine, relax and entertain in style. Caprice makes for a bold, yet elegant addition to any aesthetic.
Roca flourishes with new Flat brassware range
Flat epitomises minimalist design with its square silhouette and soft edges. Offering a functional yet sophisticated brassware style for any bathroom space, it is available in standard, deck-mounted and wall-mounted options. The square shape of the Flat mixer is also complementary to a range of basin shapes, making it a versatile and functional brassware choice for homeowners, installers, specifiers and retailers.
All mixers in the Flat collection are coated in the hard-wearing Roca EverShine® finish. The electrolytic coating ensures the tap retains its shine, repels stains and discourages the build-up of limescale. The range is also equipped with water-saving innovations. Soft Turn technology provides precision and puts the homeowner in control, with the ability to set the desired water flow and temperature. Enhanced with the integration of flow limiters you can restrict the water flow to a set number of litres per minute, providing a more sustainable, cost-effective solution.
Introducing the matt lacquer and copper bespoke kitchen by Roundhouse
Crafting beautiful, bespoke kitchens and furniture, Roundhouse showcase their signature, understated aesthetic with one of their latest kitchen projects. The Stephens family kitchen is the perfect place for entertaining with it’s refined and uncluttered scheme – the result of a behind-the-scenes pantry that leads to a scullery and wine store. The design features a combination of Roundhouse Urbo and Metro matt lacquer and matt sanded copper. Finished in Paint & Paper Library Squid Ink with polished Neolith Calacatta worktops. Roundhouse designs are made to measure in a huge range of stunning finishes, expertly crafted by their skilled cabinet makers in their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Malvern, Worcestershire.
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Arper presented two of its recycled products to the Scandinavian market
Exhibiting at the 70th edition of the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair, for the first time Arper displayed its newest additions made from recycled materials to the Scandinavian market; June Eco and Duna 02 Eco, alongside other iconic Arper products. Duna 02 Eco, designed by Lievore Altherr Molina is sustainably-made from 80% recycled post-industrial plastic shell with a 4-leg wood base, and is Greenguard Gold certified. Its shape is evocative and contemporary with a delicate curvature and sumptuous surface, making this chair ideally suited for both home and hospitality spaces.
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The year of 2020 is upon us, and we hope you've got big project plans in the pipeline for the year ahead! To help you on your way with the latest product news and launches, browse this month's curated collection of products for January, featuring exclusive Art Deco inspired dining furniture, shower mixers with a 90's stereo aesthetic and minimal, monochromatic kitchen design solutions.
Oasis merge classicism and dynamism with the Art Déco inspired Turner Table
Turner Table is the newly born art piece of Oasis' Luxury HOME Collection. Inspired by the first works of the British painter, William Turner, its ribbed structure is called "Canneté" (meaning a particular decorative technique characterised by a series of narrow repetitive grooves which is created through specialised production processes and material combinations).
In the era in which form and function represent the ultimate aspiration, “Canneté” offers the perfect synthesis between geometry and decoration with a distinctive and timeless style. Featuring classic, Art Déco geometries complete with stylish marble top and made with the finest Italian manufacturing, the Turner Table is perfect for the most prestigious and elegant of locations; from luxury residences to character hotels; creating spaces to contemplate, relax and pamper in a sophisticated setting.
Hi-Fi by Gessi unites design and technology with the contemporary collection
Perfect for furnishing the bathroom as a room of wellness, beauty and living well. With the creativity that distinguishes it, Gessi has created a product to “play” with the water through a selection system of functions, flow and thermostatic shower mixer that has the aesthetic of a 1990's stereo system. A bit vintage and a bit futuristic, the new button operated embedded or external Hi-Fi systems are the right compromise between sophisticated technological research, minimalism and functionality.
The Gessi Hi-Fi System shower columns, with their linear design, overturn the concept of the column, hybridising it with the typical form of the shower panel - but with totally external installation. Without embedded elements, Gessi create a highly sophisticated, architectural effect. Available with rainfall, waterfall and directional shower kit functionality, these sculptural wellbeing objects are also equipped with a handshower with a magnetic and variable position system.
Poggenpohl presents Lean luxury with +SEGMENTO Y
The new interpretation of the classic +SEGMENTO is aimed at captivating a generation of buyers who value quality, function and exceptional design. In black, white and grey, +SEGMENTO Y deliberately focuses on these three shades in matt finishes. The design is pleasingly minimalistic and reduced, meaning it appeals specifically to a new, younger group of consumers.
+SEGMENTO Y can be fitted to the closest millimetre. On request, handless cabinet elements extend from floor to ceiling and highlight the philosophy of the brand; designing not only a kitchen, but a living space as well. The nanotech material used on the fronts are repeated on the worktops and back panels which creates a consistently flawless impression. The limited theme of monochromatic tones opens up simple yet bold statements. A radiant white kitchen block standing against an inky black backdrop, or a black kitchen block providing a powerful accent against matt grey!
The Panaz studio introduces a new fabric collection, Dalston for 2020
Introducing the new informal plaid collective by Panaz featuring Hampstead, a larger scale brushed design and Harrow, a subtle stitched check effect. A third design, Kensal, explores intermingled textures with unexpected pips of colour. Colourways with neutral backgrounds and pastel soft tints are inclusive, calmer and easy to live with - ideal for creating a relaxed atmosphere with a contemporary vibe.
The Dalston upholstery collection showcases Panaz' new printable velvet base cloth, Panvelle Luxe, perfectly suited for healthcare and hospitality settings.
Unlimited harmony, unlimited imagination: RAK-Precious provides luxury solutions for the washbasin
With richer finishes, RAK-Precious provides a luxurious alternative to the functional ceramic white. Combining collections for floors, walls, bathroom furnishings and accessories, RAK-Precious offers complete solutions, enabling you to create your own personal idea of harmony. RAK-Precious includes a full range of porcelain tile integrated washbasins made with RAK Ceramics Maximus technology. Counter washbasins, drop-in washbasins or countertop slabs, each solution offers a unique combination of decorating styles in order to create a perfectly coordinated environment. Marble, stone and cement can be perfectly combined with the functionality of RAK-Joy bathroom vanities.
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This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the SBID Award winning project for KBB Design. Masterwood Joinery designed this kitchen with a delicate fusion of Oriental and commercial modernity within this magnificent Queenstown home. Clean, straight lines, natural materials and simple monochrome tones set the scene. With traditional Chinese sliding screens separating the kitchen from an informal lounge area, heavy duty steel box section legs support two islands with a commercial stainless steel kitchen extractor suspended above the chef’s island. The chef’s island has a cantilevered teppanyaki grill mounted in Ceasarstone, while the pastry island has an outstanding marble work surface, while the self-contained coffee station affords sweeping views of the range. Storage was also effectively integrated into the design with a glass fronted display cabinet and fully equipped pantry areas. True to the Oriental theme, form and function are in perfect harmony throughout this contemporary kitchen design scheme.
SBID Awards: KBB Design winner sponsored by VitrA UK
Company: Masterwood Joinery
Project: Slopehill Road
Location: Otago, New Zealand
What was the client's brief?
Our Client was specific and very focused during the brief for this project. Being a Hong Kong born, British subject he was wanting a very oriental feel, yet still trying to retain the beauty of the New Zealand landscape within this magnificent home. Both he and his wife are avid cooks so every aspect of culinary creating had to be achieved. Perfection was a prerequisite with no tolerance for anything but.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
Basically, the clients love of Hong Kong and the orient, and the challenge of achieving this by using modern techniques to give the oriental elements a contemporary twist.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
Definitely the installation. There was a significant use of steel beams and panelling which required precision placement internally without the use of cranes.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
The first highlight was standing back at the end and seeing what we had created and looking at the faces of our very happy clients. The second was winning the SBID International Design Awards in London.
Why did you enter the SBID Awards?
We were advised by the judges of the 2019 NKBA awards that our design had won convincingly, so they suggested that we enter the SBID Awards. And now here we are! We couldn't be more proud of what we have achieved with this project.
Questions answered by Jim Cleveland, General Manager of Masterwood Joinery
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring SBID Award winners for Healthcare & Wellness Design with the quirky and artistic aesthetic for a halotherapy Salt Room, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's KBB design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | KBB Design Winner sponsored by VitrA UK
February has been packed with product news across the industry, specifically focusing on innovations in the realm of KBB (Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms). From the latest innovations launching in intelligent water management and SmartControl technology; new ranges of paints, units and exquisite marble materials for uplifting kitchen interiors; to new colourways of quirky dinosaur-themed wallpaper to ignite the imagination within children's bedroom designs. Browse what's new this month to give your KBB designs a competitive and design-led edge.
Mark Taylor Design launch MeThD
Mark Taylor Design has launched a new kitchen collection, MeThD, consisting of three beautiful custom kitchen ranges, all of which are available with a number of bespoke adaptations and in standard or special paint colours. MeThD combines the quality, beauty and aftercare of bespoke with the affordability, speed of production and ease of installation that befits a custom range. With MeThD, we are also leading the trend for movable island units.
Heritage Bathrooms test the trend by making a monochrome statement with the new Granley Suite
Monochrome styling is a timeless and versatile trend, and as 2019 hails the return of geometrics and bold matte black accents, Charlie Williams, interior designer at Heritage Bathrooms, uses the Granley Suite range to test the trend for creating a standout monochrome bathroom; from using statement tiles and matte black features, to adding subtle, warmer coloured accents to ensure a softer feel without comprising the sleek monochrome styling. The Granley Suite from Heritage Bathrooms is designed to provide the perfect backdrop for a bold monochrome bathroom.
PaperBoy launches new colours to match your dinosaur to your decor
Dinosaurs. But not as you know them. ‘D’ya-think-e-saurus’ was PaperBoy’s first wallpaper, lovingly sketched by as a gift to Jurassic-minded twins. For 9 years it’s been their best-selling design: what dinosaur nut doesn’t want to imagine the exhilaration of flying through the air with the pterodactyls or beating the T-Rex in a running race?
This March they're introducing three soft new hues to fit into even more design schemes. ‘Confetti’ – if only pink will do, this version will make the room blush; ‘Warm grey’ glows with subtle colour while still being a neutral option; and ‘China blue’ for a cooler tone, without the dullness. As in all their papers, the inks are non-toxic, sustainable, made in England and lovingly hand-crafted in Accrington.
GROHE is set to shape the future of water with record number of innovations at ISH 2019
GROHE will showcase a record number of innovations at ISH 2019, the world's leading trade fair for the responsible use of water and energy in buildings. For the first time, GROHE will position itself as a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions, kitchen systems and intelligent water management. The brand will reinforce its philosophy; Water. Intelligence. Enjoyment by bringing the element of water to the forefront of its new innovations.
The GROHE Blue water system provides filtered and chilled water that is either sparkling, semi-sparkling or still, while GROHE Red delivers kettle hot water directly from the tap. The SmartControl technology, which has already been successfully launched in the bathroom, will also make its way into the kitchen...
New for 2019: Introducing Empira White by Caesarstone
For a thousand years marble has been appreciated and desired as one of nature’s most luxurious stones, immediately adding grandeur and glamour wherever it is used. As a material, it is timeless. Today marble is as desirable as ever, albeit with a somewhat more relaxed, softer and more organic appeal; a chance to bring nature into urban interiors, a connection to the earth around us and a natural contrast to other man-made materials. Of all marbles, Calacatta is perhaps the best known and Empira White is Caesarstone’s newest interpretation of this most famous material.
Creating spaces and buildings that are as eco-conscious as they are design-forward is becoming a pressing requirement for the interiors industry. Russell Owens from Zip Water UK explains why the future lies in making sustainable design beautiful. ‘Sustainable design’ aims to reduce or eliminate negative environmental impact through thoughtful design. This means working to create buildings and products that are more energy-efficient, reduce waste and use limited resources throughout their life-cycle. Further to this, specifiers and designers can give preference to materials that will contribute to people’s health and wellbeing – another important element of sustainability that is often overlooked. . .
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By Bernard Otulakowski, Managing Director of SieMatic Kitchens
As someone who has a degree in Interior Design myself, I was delighted to be able to host a SBID breakfast meeting, and meet others whose business is also to ‘deliver a dream that the customer hasn’t seen yet’.
I’m enthusiastic about working with like-minded professionals to create the very best kitchens for our clients. Founded in 1929, it was SieMatic that created the world’s first handle-less kitchen in 1960 and we have been innovating and refining our kitchens ever since. It is our flexibility of design, quality and attention to detail that I believe make SieMatic the perfect partner for architects and interior designers creating their own kitchen concepts.
I also believe that, working in the luxury sector, we are all faced with challenges, but it is how we overcome these challenges that is the key. We believe in working with individuals who have the same vision to achieve the best, and that is why we have partnered with Nicholas Anthony to create our flagship London showroom on Wigmore Street, where the SBID breakfast was held.
As Tony Nicholas, managing director of Nicholas Anthony, explained at the breakfast, he has been working in this sector for 30 years (and his father 20 years before that) and offers a ‘best in class’ service. His large ‘Spirit of London’ designed showroom displays four kitchen concepts, along with a more private space that he would be happy for SBID members to use for meetings, if you simply contact the showroom to arrange (0207 935 0177)
SieMatic can provide high quality and flexible options for designers and there are many opportunities to work together. This view is echoed by Tony, who adds: “The SBID breakfast was very well supported, and attended by some excellent architects, designers and complementary businesses. One of its particular benefits, was that it gave us the opportunity to explain how, while we have our own designers in-house, we are very happy to work in support of interior designers and architects, using our expertise and high degree of flexibility in our kitchens to help them achieve their designs.”
We hope that SBID members will take the opportunity to visit the Nicholas Anthony showroom on Wigmore Street or one of SieMatic’s other showrooms around the country to explore how we could work together.
Author: Bernard Otulakowski, Managing Director of SieMatic Kitchens
Over the last thirty years or so, an interior design revolution has been sweeping the globe. Open-plan kitchens have become the new black of home design, at once fulfilling a desire for more space and uniting the two sacred family spheres of kitchen and living room. Indeed, according to a recent survey conducted by Houzz, only a third of homeowners considered increasing the size of their kitchens, but a whopping 77% intended to open them up to another room by knocking through a wall.
However, more recently, there has been a small backlash against the open plan system. Some feel that the idea is not without its drawbacks and that in fact, some of the very points listed as its advantages, actually detract from its appeal. So what’s the story? Here are some of the finer points of each side of the debate.
For Open-plan Kitchens
Entertaining others – Open-plan kitchens afford busy hosts the chance to put the finishing touches to their courses whilst still wowing their guests with amusing anecdotes and witty quips.
Parents of young children – Mums and Dads of young ones can now keep an eye on them when working in the kitchen to make sure they are not scrawling all over the walls or sticking their fingers into electrical sockets or other places they don’t belong.
Watching TV while cooking – You can now watch your favourite soap or sitcom whilst chopping parsley and prepping the salad.
Making smaller kitchens look larger – For those with space constraints, an open-plan kitchen can be the perfect solution in creating the illusion of spaciousness and alleviating a cramped or claustrophobic impression.
Against Open-plan Kitchens
Others can always see you entertain – With dinner parties, it is not always desirable to be in plain view of your guests. If disaster strikes in an open-plan kitchen and you drop a dish, everyone can see. Concealing mess, grabbing a breather or surprising guests with an unexpected addition to the menu is out of the question with an open-plan.
Your kids can see you, too – Which means no more surreptitious snacking or escaping their attention. Plus, they aren’t going to be young forever; and as they grow, you will probably find you naturally both need more time apart.
You don’t always want to watch or hear what’s on TV – Hate sports? Well forget about escaping into the kitchen to get away from the big game and the raucous revelry that normally accompanies it. The same applies with infuriatingly repetitive children’s programmes and teen shows.
Which Way Will You Go?
In the end, there are pros and cons to open-plan kitchens, which need to be considered when deciding whether or not to incorporate one into your home.
They can be great for those looking to expand a smaller kitchen and make it look more spacious, or for those more extroverted and comfortable constantly being in the presence of others. They are especially suited to couples who have no secrets from each other and can engender a shared sense of intimacy.
On the other hand, implementing an open-plan kitchen will drastically reduce the privacy in your home. An open-plan kitchen essentially means you have a kitchen with a blaring entertainment system in it, and a living room with a sink full of dirty dishes in it. As such, more introverted people may be happy with the traditionally closed kitchen.
Both approaches are not without merit, though you must decide which is right for you; taking into account your spatial, familial and personal circumstances.
Author: Rob Truslove, Owner of Pink Kitchen – the UK home of cute pink kitchen appliances and accessories.
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