The Latest Indoor-Outdoor Kitchen-Living Spaces from The Myers Touch

Award-winning kitchen designers, The Myers Touch are delighted to showcase their recent projects that enhance homeowners' sense of bringing the ‘outside in’ all year round.

Designer, Helena Myers explains “Homeowners want to engage with their outside environment in a greater way than ever before as it enhances positive emotions. By drawing in the sounds, smells and visual pleasures of their garden, they can fully enhance their sense of an indoor-outdoor lifestyle whilst being inside your kitchen.”

Renowned for creating kitchens with ‘Light, Space and Laughter’, The Myers Touch regularly collaborate with homeowners, architects and landscapers to not only create a kitchen-living space that looks and functions practically with a client’s outside space, but one that also provides a feeling of increased happiness and connectivity that allows families to eat, dine and relax together in one combined space.

By choosing complementary materials and tones from the outside, The Myers Touch designers regularly create harmonious interior schemes within kitchen design spaces that link both the inside and the outside. For example, blending natural, warm cabinetry, sleek worktops and a mix of materials such as slim wooden cladding merges seamlessly with the vibrant and natural colour tones of their outside. Designer, Keith Myers says “Enhancing the indoor-outdoor can be further achieved using textures that match the bricks of external walls. Using wood can elongate the space and timber brings warmth to cabinetry in cooler shades.”

The Myers Touch regularly work directly with homeowners who commission them to design a spacial remodel of their ground floor space so a larger, lighter and more family-focused kitchen-living area can be created which features a connection to their outside space. Designer Helena Myers explains; “We love to introduce the natural world into homes using a biophilic design approach in our kitchen designs. From large glass structural spaces to adding a feature glass window that reflects green foliage, herbs and plants in your garden to connect your kitchen with your outdoor space.”

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a kitchen renovation design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Celia Visser Design.

What was the client's brief? 

The expat owners of this 1990s architecturally designed home returned to New Zealand for their retirement and called upon the designer to renovate their kitchen living area. They wanted to ensure it would fit with the home’s existing architecture and, as avid cooks, needed a much larger space to comfortably use. The wanted to enhance the harbour views the room enjoyed which was constrained by walls on entering the space.

What inspired the design of the project?

The Clients brief & the house architecture. The home had quite industrial and native NZ timber features, especially the open stairwell which can be seen from the front and larder.

The clients had lived in a lot of Asian & Arab countries & had brought back a lot of treasures and special objects they had collected on their travels and wanted them to be displayed in the kitchen. The open shelves were designed to match the stairs, like a commercial kitchen having all products on display.

The colour Palette was chosen to blend all these elements together.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

One of the main challenges for this project was that the kitchen’s size in proportion to the house size and function was very small. There was also an unused room behind the existing kitchen that could be incorporated, but the three dividing wall and posts were a major structural support for the three-storied home.

The removal of the structural and supporting walls was a big undertaking, this meant employing an engineer to redesign the house foundations and constructing new supporting steel beams.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The highlight was viewing the opened kitchen to the adjacent room for the first time. This increased the space to double in size while exposing the beautiful harbour views which had been hidden from many areas of the entrance & living room. It was a very special moment when the client saw what a difference the larger space would have on their lives & especially being able to see the harbour from all angles while she cooked – a moment to remember.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

I entered and won the SBID award KBB category in 2018 & love that these Awards have grown to be such a force globally & I feel they are so prestigious and recognised now. It helps my credibility as a designer both in New Zealand & Internationally. I can market my award as being at the top of my career globally so it’s a very special award for me.

If I have a great project I want to enter for the recognition it gives, even to be a finalist is a great accolade.

Questions answered by Celia Visser, FNKBA, CKD/CBDNZ PDINZ, Celia Visser Design.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a contemporary family home design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Designck.

Designck was commissioned to design the interior for this large contemporary new build. Part of this project was the kitchen, wine room and powder room. Robin Caudwell wanted to keep a feeling of warmth throughout the home. His clients have a large extended family and friends and entertain regularly; it was essential to make the home stylish, inviting, and relaxing, that everyone could enjoy. Using a mixture of different textures and tones, with carefully placed statement pieces such as the Titanium Gold Granite Island top, he feels that he has achieved a remarkable outcome for the clients.

What was the client's brief? 

I was engaged to design several areas of this luxury new build, which included the kitchen, outdoor kitchen, evening room, wine cellar, and powder room. The client is of Asian descent and have regular, large family gatherings, it was important to them that the kitchen was equipped with expansive storage for food, good prep areas and gas in the principal cooking area. Their wine collection needed to be showcased within their evening room. They wanted a warm and inviting powder room for their guests.

What inspired the design of the project?

The anchor for my design was the stunning Titanium Gold granite I chose for the island, and it has become a statement piece within the room. I used Lux board, which I reversed, and utilised the matte side that complements the Laminam in Moro that I picked for the expansive front door and a large fireplace.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

On this particular project, there was a requirement for several air-conditioning return vents of which we didn't want to put on show. I came up with a solution to conceal the vents above the cabinetry, extending the height of just the doors to  give the kitchen area a cleaner look without showing the numerous vents required.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

For me, it was seeing how the different rooms come together with a common theme whilst keeping their individual identities. And as a bonus, when I told the clients that we have been shortlisted for the SBID Awards, they were over the moon.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID Awards are renowned as the pinnacle of the design industry's awards. It’s one of the few awards that becoming even a finalist is a mammoth effort, and if I was fortunate enough to win, it reinforces why I love this creative industry being recognised for my passion, and time that I have poured into this project.

Questions answered by Robin Caudwell, Principal Designer, DesignCK.

The Myers Touch is delighted to announce the launch of their own-brand kitchen and furniture range named Möbelife which forms part of the new brand kitchen displays in their award-winning studio based in Winchester.

German-made, Möbelife has been introduced to answer consumers' desire for an entry-level contemporary kitchen collection that offers a range of styles, finishes and material choices in high-quality, functional and beautiful cabinetry. The range includes a wide choice of laminate, lacquered, coloured matt, ceramic and concrete effect cabinetry that can be coordinated with a range of worktops and splashbacks.

Made to last, the carcass, shelves and sides are all 19mm thick to provide durability and quality. The back panels are 8mm thick and grooved all around. Important design details include concealed shelf supports, lasered edges, cushioned hinges and aluminium corner profiles on the plinths.

The comprehensive range includes design options such as pocketdoor cabinetry, pull-out storage systems, shelving units and a range of cutlery drawer finishes so that The Myers Touch design team can continue to offer customers a superior range of cabinetry without compromise.

The range also extends harmoniously into other kitchen-living spaces such as boot rooms, walk-in pantries and utility rooms that can match or contrast with the style in the main kitchen to ensure spaces remain clutter-free, clean and fully functional.

In addition, furniture options can easily be incorporated into the rest of the home such as dressing rooms, wardrobes, shoe cupboards, shelving systems and living room furniture to create a seamless and contemporary interior look in a home.

Director, Keith Myers of The Myers Touch says “As part of our studio remodel, we are thrilled to be able to showcase our own-brand kitchen and furniture range which will be one of three new kitchen brand displays we will be offering customers. Our high-quality cabinetry and worktop collections are available to customers now in a choice of contemporary tones and materials that will allow our design team to create personality and interest in each kitchen design.”

The Myers Touch creates kitchen spaces based on a holistic design approach that stems from a deep understanding of their clients, how they want to interact as a family and live and work with the space around them.

They also offer customers an interior design service suggesting beautiful wall or floor tiles, lighting and furniture to create a kitchen that is not only functional but creates a room of beauty that allows their clients to entertain, cook and relax in a space that is personal to them.

The Möbelife kitchen and furniture range available exclusively from The Myers Touch starts at £25,000.

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Founder of Ledbury Studio Charlie Smallbone has stepped back in time for his latest project, creating the beautiful Stroud Kitchen for the owners of a 16th century Cotswolds home. The results speak for themselves - but the quirks of a home built when the first Queen Elizabeth was on the throne nonetheless provided Charlie and his team with a few challenges. Here he talks us through the project.

Why did your clients first approach Ledbury Studio?

Our clients sought us out because they wanted a kitchen that would be in sympathy with the age of the house but that also had a contemporary look. Our projects range from Georgian townhouses to warehouse conversions, so we’re accustomed to striking this balance with many of our kitchens. This is why the owners came to us the minute they’d exchanged on the house.

This is an unusual house, what challenges did it pose?

The original kitchen had a small scullery attached. We knocked through the dividing wall to create one large space for cooking, eating and entertaining. However, the age of the property meant that none of the walls were straight and there were a lot of original features to account for. Plus, the low windows and doors, original brickwork and huge fireplace all had to work in harmony with the kitchen furniture.

How did the layout come together?

We designed the island as the main working area and this houses the hob, prep space and plenty of storage, as well as a breakfast bar. As you stand behind the island, you can see a central dividing wall ahead, which is where the oven housing is situated (see image 4). The sink is in the corner and the fridge-freezer is on the other side of the dividing wall, next to the door to the garden (see image 5). At the other end of the island there are steps down to the utility room and a door into the dining room. Although it's one large space, there are clearly defined zones of activity in the kitchen

What unites the different elements of the kitchen?

We used a range of finishes so that the various elements of the kitchen have their own identity. However, there is also a unifying theme: they are all designed to look like pieces of furniture. From the island to the oven housing, the fridge-freezer and wine storage, and the sink area – each resembles a bespoke freestanding piece. These include some clever design ideas: for example, to hide the electricity meters, we designed a shallow-depth cupboard (see image 6) that we've turned into a feature as a bar area with aged brass shelving above.

Can you talk us through some of the beautiful materials you used?

The ‘Choppy Wood’ carving on the back of the island cupboards and meter cupboard is a signature Ledbury Studio finish. It's created by hand-carving stained oak to form a textured surface that chimes well with the unevenness of the dark wooden beams in the room.

For the oven housing and fridge-freezer, we selected a patinated copper. The oven housing is visible from the breakfast bar, and there is a small drinks area next to the fridge (see image 7), so both pieces needed to be decorative. However, they are also practical: there is pan storage below the ovens and a large breakfast cupboard and larder sits alongside the fridge-freezer and wine storage (see image 13).

Adding contrast to the dark oak furniture, the sink area is in white-painted oak, while the worktops are Stone Italiana Ambra quartz, an excellent hardwearing choice for the working areas of the kitchen.

And the finishing touches?

To add some glamour, the sides of the island are in Verdigris copper, which ties in beautifully with the oven and fridge-freezer housing. Meanwhile, the worktop on the island is edged in aged brass (see image 9), mirroring the handles used throughout. Finally, possibly my favourite feature, is the aged brass and oak screen (see image 10) that sits beside the stairs to the utility room. It’s for safety, but who says it can’t be a sculptural piece at the same time? Overall, I think the kitchen looks like it has always been there, which was what we intended, but it also adds a large dose of contemporary wow factor!

Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £70,000.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features an open-plan kitchen design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Concepts by Gavin Hepper.

What was the client's brief? 

We were engaged to transform the interior spaces of this new build into an elegant Australian home, reflecting a modern European luxury. To bring a WOW factor, being a family home the kitchen in particular needs to be durable and functional for a large extended family that enjoy cooking and entertaining. The client also requested a specific ‘morning’ zone for a coffee and juice bar, and that the space is able to be occupied by multiple people simultaneously. And where possible, the use of products with a sustainable nature was preferred.

What inspired the design of the project?

Drawing on the materiality elements of traditional European luxury interiors of beautiful marbles and metallic finishes and ornate details, we have then interpreted these materials for a modern Australian lifestyle. With a background in joinery, I wanted to bring a handcrafted bespoke furniture element to the project. Specifying a Neolith Sintered Stone in a modern 12mm profile has facilitated some great detail within the design, working with a family run Australian business with a strong sustainability focus to handcraft the timber features and panels really highlight these elements. Working the design to achieve a balance of the scale of the island, anchoring the kitchen within the open plan living area whilst keeping the rest of the space light and provide a seamless transition and flow throughout the home.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Being engaged in the project well into construction of the property set some challenges for us, as there had been several significant oversights that we had to deal with.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Collaborating with some great brands and suppliers to deliver such a detailed orientated project, working alongside our team of trades to deliver our clients forever home, having clients that welcome you into their homes with such faith and trust to build a space for them to be able to create new memories with their family in, this is the ultimate highlight on our Oxford Project.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

To provide an international platform for great functional and beautiful Australian design.

Questions answered by Gavin Hepper, Creative Director, Concepts by Gavin Hepper.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a light and airy kitchen design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Bocchetta Interiors.

What was the client's brief? 

The Slipway is a modern new build home in a tranquil setting by the sea. The owners already had a very clear idea of what style they wanted their home to have, but they commissioned Bocchetta Interiors to pull a cohesive scheme together. They liked the idea of each room flowing from one room to the next with beautiful, quality materials, lighting and FF&E. The main large open plan kitchen and living space was the most important room to them and needed to have the ‘wow' factor, especially as it has the most enviable Harbourside views.

What inspired the design of the project?

The inspiration was the amazing location. We needed to encapsulate the calmness of living by the sea and hearing the water and clinking of boats. We wanted to keep a light and airy feel with subtle hints of luxury and pops of coastal colour and artwork. The builder/developers Ash Haus and Glass Harbour Group were such a pleasure to work with. Nothing was too much trouble, even if it meant adding a last-minute steam room or intricate wall paneling with hidden door.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

I think the trickiest part was getting a kitchen layout to work with the breadth of space. The wrong kitchen design could have easily ruined the space and been too dominant. The developers and clients were delighted when Siematic Chichester came on board and produced a truly stunning kitchen design that seriously impressed whilst still being sympathetic to the surroundings and other elements in the room.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

One of our favourite commissions was to design a custom made 3.4-meter-long dining table with hand polished metal gold base and Silestone top. We worked with the clients to make sure the shape was just as they wanted, oval and wide in the middle to make conversations with everyone around the table easier. The gold of the table perfectly matches the gold trim in the kitchen and further gold pieces around the room.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

We have been a member of the SBID for many years, so we know that their awards are well respected within the industry. It was also the perfect opportunity to showcase work that we are very proud of.

Questions answered by Lucinda Bocchetta, Owner and Founder, Bocchetta Interiors.

Ledbury Studio creates kitchens that are uniquely personal to every client – a point happily noted by the owners of this stunning home in Poole. “It was love at first sight when they saw the eclectic range of materials on show at our studio in Notting Hill,” says Ledbury Studio founder Charlie Smallbone. This, coupled with Ledbury Studio's skill for mixing and matching these beautiful materials to create truly bespoke designs was perfectly aligned with the clients vision for a contemporary kitchen that oozes wow factor.

Extensive building work was required to create the light-filled, open-plan space that now exists. To divide the large space into smaller areas of activity, Charlie designed a screen in black-stained oak and aged brass to frame the kitchen. From this vantage point, the eye is automatically drawn to the striking mirrored splashback embellished with aged copper. It provides a stunning backdrop to the island, another talking point thanks to the verdigris copper panels edged in black-stained oak on one side and the black-stained oak cupboard doors surrounded by aged brass on the other.

To pull the various metallic elements together, Ledbury Studio’s design included an aged-brass rack over the island. This creates a small space to display beautiful objects.

Injecting a neutral note is the poured concrete flooring and the base cupboards that run in an L-shaped configuration to the island. Made from oak and painted white to allow the beauty of the grain to shine through, the cupboards are topped with a pale quartz worktop and feature patinated brass surrounds and kickplates to coordinate with the other cupboards in the kitchen.

Also sharing the space is a bank of built-in tall cupboards illuminated by an LED surround. They incorporate a large larder for food storage, ovens and a fridge, and the cupboard fronts are made from liquid metal in a specialist shagreen finish. Aged-brass handles unify the look. "Every Ledbury Studio kitchen is truly unique and this one was no exception," says Charlie. "Our clients were thrilled with the result, and in particular, with the range of materials used."

Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £70,000.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a modern and contrasting kitchen design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Extreme Design.

The monolith kitchen sits within a newly built private residence on the outskirts of London. Our clients purchased the original property in 2010 with a bold vision to replace the existing structure with a new unique and ambitious dwelling.

After being introduced to the project in 2017, Extreme were commissioned to create a kitchen design that not only compliments the architectural cues of the property but also reflects the client’s vision that was to run throughout every detail of the interior.

The angular shapes of volcanic rock formations and contrast of glowing lava flowing through fractures within the earth’s surface had formed the basis of the client’s bold design narrative. Inspired by geographical features, they wanted the kitchen design to not only reflect this distinctive concept but also be a welcoming and warm environment for the family.

What was the client's brief? 

For this client, it was clear that their love of art would be present in every detail of their newly built home. Drawing influence on architectural cues of the property, such as poured concrete, monolithic columns and organically shaped metal, the client wanted this unique kitchen to stand as a piece of art in its own right, whilst also becoming a pleasant environment for the family to enjoy every day.

What inspired the design of the project?

Extreme’s unique approach to design gave us the freedom to design every element of the client’s kitchen, creating an environment with its own identity that works harmoniously with the rest of the home. The angular shapes of volcanic rock formations and contrast of glowing lava flowing through fractures within the earth’s surface had formed the basis of the client’s bold design narrative. Inspired by geographical features, they wanted the kitchen design to not only reflect this distinctive concept but also be a welcoming and warm environment for the family.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Our ultimate challenge was to bring the angular stone island and floating breakfast bar detail to life. Starting with a conceptual sketch the island as designed to feature angled stone sides and back panel which also had to be calculated and engineered to work as a support to the cantilevered breakfast bar.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Our favourite aspect of the project was working with such a bold design brief that allowed us full creative license to create an entirely original design. Drawing upon the properties architectural cues and introducing geographical elements into the project allowed us to elevate the design and create a living space which not only fulfilled the clients’ requirements of a warm and welcoming environment, but also showcased specialist skills in the stone angular features and array of beautiful materials and finishes.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID awards represent outstanding achievements and celebrates design creativity and excellence worldwide. The awards are a great opportunity to bring recognition to those within the design industry. At Extreme, it is our vision to make an impact on design in this country and the awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase our work.

Questions answered by Jade Jones, Design Manager, Extreme Design.

A spacious kitchen for eating and entertaining was an essential for the Italian family who moved into this stunning home in Ascot. Their first decision was to relocate the existing small kitchen into a generous extension. Next stop was Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio, to request a show-stopping kitchen design imbued with his signature mix of materials. The result is a stunning kitchen that’s perfect for busy family life.

Charlie’s design centres around a generous island that’s hand-painted white and wrapped in a hard-wearing Calacatta Quartz waterfall worktop. The island is positioned below a roof lantern that floods the room with natural light throughout the day; a trio of decorative pendants provides effective task lighting at night.

“The couple wanted a sleek, contemporary aesthetic for their kitchen, so we chose grey-stained natural oak for the base cupboards,” explains Charlie. “Then, to create a contrast, the island cupboards are also oak but stained white. Staining timber in this way allows the natural beauty of the grain to shine through.” A large double larder and a breakfast cupboard flank the wall run. The doors are also grey-stained oak with exquisite brass inlay in a diamond-shaped design. “And one of my favourite elements is the liquid pewter finish with shagreen-like texture we created for the wall cupboards in between,” adds Charlie.

The adjacent wall is dedicated to the practicalities of the kitchen: a bank of ovens and a dedicated fridge and freezer separated by an impressive wine cooler. Huge slabs of porcelain in a Cararra marble finish were chosen for the floor as a final touch to this fabulous open-plan kitchen where practicality and glamour go hand in hand.

Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £50,000.

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