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.
About Ledbury Studio
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.
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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.
Some spaces lend themselves particularly well to a generous injection of moody hues and this kitchen in Hackney, London, is one of them. Wall-to-wall bi-fold doors drench the space in natural light, allowing designer Charlie Smallbone of Ledbury Studio to dabble in a decadent mix of dark materials and bring a sense of drama to the bright space.
Typically for Ledbury Studio, metal punctuates the design, most notably on the front of the tall fridge-freezer, which is clad in aged verdigris copper panels. Subtler touches range from a strip of aged brass that runs along the top of the stained oak cupboard doors on the base run to a brass undermounted sink and aged brass handles on the island cupboards. Bringing the metallic elements together is a Stone Italiana Ambra worktop that combines the beauty of natural stone with the performance of hard-wearing quartz.
Continuity is essential when a kitchen is part of an open-plan space, and to strengthen this kitchen’s connection with the adjacent dining area, Charlie’s distinctive Choppy Water design is hand-carved onto the end panel of the island and on the cupboard in the dining area. As a side note, the cupboard comes complete with a built-in wine cooler, wine rack and a fluted-glass cupboard for glassware, making it a super-handy addition.
Storage is a crucial aspect of all Ledbury Studio kitchens. In this one, a large larder cupboard fitted with doors, racks, shelves and drawers offers a wealth of space for everyday cooking essentials. Open shelves above the sink serve a more decorative purpose, letting the homeowner showcase some of her favourite accessories to personalise the space.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the owner of an Edwardian villa in the New Forest would be looking for a classic kitchen to match her house. In fact, nothing could have been further from the truth. Her reason for approaching Ledbury Studio in the first place was because she was looking for something a world away from the standard Shaker look.
“When I first met our client, not only was she undertaking a big move from the Midlands to the New Forest, but she was also embarking on a sizeable kitchen project too,” recalls Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio. “She knew she’d be spending most of her time in her new kitchen, as it was roomy enough for both a large island with breakfast bar, a separate dining area, and plenty of tall cupboards for storage.”
To bring the required contemporary aesthetic to the room, Charlie designed furniture that combined beautiful book-matched walnut veneer with hand-patinated zinc panels. The zinc panels are edged in the same walnut and the cupboards feature aged-brass handles. This juxtaposition of timber and metal is a signature feature of the Metallics Collection from Ledbury Studio, giving Charlie’s kitchens their unique look and feel.
The stunning island – topped with an Ambre quartz worktop – is an obvious focal point, but you also can’t ignore the imposing Housekeeper’s Cupboard behind it. Charlie designed this piece of furniture to mimic the cupboards beloved of the original residents of Victorian and Edwardian homes, so it seems fitting that there is a contemporary version in this house. It has space inside for the microwave and breakfast items, with pan drawers below and fluted-glass cupboards on either side lit from within to create a display. There is also a tall larder next to the fridge with pull-out freezer drawers, and sufficient cupboards and drawers elsewhere in the kitchen to keep it clutter free without any need for wall cabinets.
“What’s so pleasing about this kitchen is that one of the pieces I designed for it has already become one of our client’s most treasured possessions,” says Charlie. “The bespoke walnut table was made from a single piece of walnut, which we then embellished with aged brass. We designed a banquette seat also made from wood and upholstered in leather. The banquette needed to be durable enough for the other important member of the household, my client’s gorgeous Dalmatian, to be able to lounge in comfort too!”
Bringing the whole design together – and adding an additional contemporary feel – is the chic terrazzo floor. Again, it’s a great hardwearing choice for a dog owner, and the shades of grey perfectly play off the tones of the zine panels above. Both homeowner and her canine companion are delighted with their new kitchen!
When it comes to challenging the limits of what materials can do, Ledbury Studio is building something of a reputation. The latest design, the Camden Kitchen, is a textbook example of this, combining beautiful materials and artisanal techniques to stunning effect. Ledbury Studio founder Charlie Smallbone talks through how the Camden Kitchen was realised.
Our client has a strong sense of style, so was already full of ideas when she came to see us. I really like that because the design process should always be a collaborative one, and is personal to each client. In this case, the room was being extended into the garden beyond, and we were tasked with designing a relaxed and informal space for cooking and entertaining.
I had decided to use English and European oak throughout the kitchen, and we took particular care to select oak all from the same batch. The result is that the grain matches perfectly and can be seen to run across the width of all the drawers, it’s a really satisfying detail. And for the full-height cupboards, we introduced a design motif that completely belies the practical nature of the fridge, freezer and larder concealed behind.
The show-stopping island top is a work of art by Lara Bohinc of Bohinc Studio. It’s a selection of Italian marbles, inlaid into an aged-brass edge trim, in a selection of shades that elegantly complement the muted colours throughout the rest of the kitchen. For the long runs of worktop, we specified Ambra quartz, for natural-looking veining in a hard-wearing manmade material.
We’ve employed our signature use of metal with patinated zinc panels on the cupboard to the left and on the extractor hood, where it’s trimmed with aged brass. There is an antiqued glass panel surrounding the extractor, which reflects light from the garden around the kitchen. And possibly my favourite detailing is the delicate fluted oak on the ends of the island, which is echoed in the fluted Ambra quartz splashback.
As this was to be a room for entertaining, our client particularly requested a screen she could pull across to divide the dining area from the kitchen when required. I was inspired by a ‘70s design the client found in an antiques shop, to create this screen of brushed and polished stainless steel in a striking geometric pattern. It’s a great finishing touch to this beautifully eclectic kitchen.
Charlie Smallbone needs little introduction. The founder of iconic brand Smallbone of Devizes, he has been pushing the boundaries of kitchen design for over 40 years. Charlie’s latest venture, Ledbury Studio, was born of his desire to harness the beauty of original materials whilst creating practical kitchens that exude style and elegance.
Charlie Smallbone of Ledbury Studio has unveiled the Marquetry Collection. This stunning new bespoke kitchen has its debut in the studio of interior design and architectural practice, Hill House Interiors. Charlie is renowned for his luxurious design style, razor-like attention to detail and commitment to innovation – and the Marquetry Collection is no exception to this. Here Charlie reveals all about Ledbury Studio's latest offering.
The brief was an interesting one! We were asked to conceal the conventional elements of the kitchen behind beautiful cupboard doors so that the generous open-plan space can instantly switch from living to dining to cooking.
To achieve this, we specified two sets of pocket doors that slide back to reveal appliances and a wealth of storage. Particularly savvy are the walnut veneer larder pull-outs that we installed either side of the bank of ovens. Although narrow, they are great for stashing all the cooking essentials you’ll need to access at a moment’s notice.
In keeping with Ledbury Studio’s signature aesthetic, The Marquetry Collection is a contemporary take on traditional artisanal skills. Directional veneers were applied by hand to form a decorative pattern and inlaid with aged bronze. Bespoke handles, also in aged bronze, add the finishing touch.
The front of the island is clad in solid brass which has been distressed by hand, then aged and patinated. As a design feature, it injects texture and provides a contrast with the smooth marquetry panels. A porcelain surface wraps round the solid brass panel, chosen for its combination of stylish good looks and hardwearing properties. Non-porous porcelain is also a practical choice for the integrated sink, and creates a beautiful backdrop to the open shelving.
By locating the hob on the island, we have maximised the sociability of the space. While preparing dinner, the designated chef can carry on a conversation with whoever is perched at the breakfast bar or sitting at the dining table.
Open storage never fails to inject a generous dose of personality into a kitchen. Although our brief was to hide the majority of the kitchen, it was important the design shouldn’t just be a blank canvas. So, by adding bespoke walnut shelves above the kitchen sink we provided space to express some individual style.
What strikes you about this West Sussex kitchen on first glance is the sheer number of finishes and techniques on display. Testament to the craftsmanship and skill involved in creating it, the space has been transformed from its previous incarnation. “When I first visited the house, the kitchen was dated but the room as a whole was bursting with potential,” remembers Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio. Here, he reveals how he channelled his client's love of antiques and eclecticism to turn it into a sociable space designed for serious cooking.
The couple are keen on entertaining, but the kitchen also has to function as an ad-hoc office, as our client's partner works from home. And then, because our client works in an auction house and loves antiques, they wanted us to take an eclectic approach to the design with a rich mix of materials and finishes. In this case, less is not more! My brief was to create the feel of freestanding furniture, rather than of a fitted kitchen – so it looks like somebody has gone out and bought lots of lovely pieces. As such, the kitchen we designed for the couple is a beautiful, informal, living, dining and kitchen space that ticks all boxes.
When the couple visited our Notting Hill showroom, they instantly fell in love with our signature Metallics Collection copper-fronted cabinets. Naturally, we integrated two into the design — either side of the window for a lovely framing effect. The copper is a living finish that will mature over time, developing a rich patina.
The painted cabinets were given a primer in our workshops and then hand painted in situ by our artist Emma, in close collaboration with the client. The beautiful burnished paint effect was inspired by the grey-green elements in a favourite copper vase. There are four hand-painted layers, one of which is a tinted pearlescent. This makes the paint shimmer, so the colour isn’t flat, and it’s this that unites all the finishes in the kitchen.
This tall freestanding piece acts as a breakfast cupboard housing a coffee machine, toaster, kettle and all other breakfast paraphernalia. It has the aged-pewter finish on the doors, over which we've put a protective finish so that fingerprints don't mark it and the surface is easy to clean.
The cabinets below the breakfast cupboard feature a pattern we call Choppy Water. Solid oak panels were carved and then stained dark to create the effect. If you look carefully, you’ll see that it’s been finished with gold-leaf appliqué, which injects a dash of glamour into the kitchen. Both the wood and the appliqué are protected by a 5% sheen lacquer. The Choppy Water finish has also been used on the appliance housing opposite.
We used the same work surface throughout, which is a man-made quartz called Arabesque from Stone Italiana. It is a very practical solution — non porous, hard wearing, resistant to heat and scratching, and does not require sealing. What’s more, it allowed us to seamlessly incorporate a sink, also in Arabesque. Losing the join lines between the worktop and the sink lends the kitchen a sleek look.
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This London pied-à-terre is a masterclass in open-plan living. Despite its relatively compact proportions (5m x 7m), the homeowners wanted to slot in a well-equipped kitchen, dining and living areas. Charlie Smallbone of Ledbury Studio was tasked with designing a kitchen that would both furnish the space and enhance its overall look.
“Just because a kitchen is bijou, it doesn’t mean it can’t be big on style, and I think this project perfectly demonstrates this,” says Charlie. “We have hidden much of the functionality behind closed doors meaning that all you can see is a collection of handmade pieces of furniture. So, whether the family are dining at the table or lounging in the living area, they always have a beautiful view.”
To ensure the kitchen is a seamless extension of the living area, Charlie opted not to install wall cupboards above the base cabinets. This created space for floating glass shelves, allowing the homeowners to weave in a touch of character with plants and decorative objects. A hanging rail was also added, retaining the much-coveted open feel whilst keeping kitchen paraphernalia close to hand.
Charlie’s greatest challenge was to fit all the functional aspects of a kitchen into the single wall of furniture. “It was tricky but I am happy with the final arrangement, which incorporates a lot of storage as well as all the essentials,” he explains. “It features a stone sink and Miele induction hob sandwiched between a tall, integrated fridge-freezer and larder cupboard at one end, and a dropped-down worktop with storage above it at the other.”
The cupboards themselves feature pewter fronts, which speak to the homeowners’ eclectic style. Made from sheet metal that is hand textured with hammers and heat, and given an aged patina using acid, the surface is then sealed with lacquer so that it stands the test of time. The cupboards are finished with concave stainless-steel handles that have been blasted to dull the shine and darken their appearance.
Bianco Macaubas Quartzite was specified for the worktop; a hardwearing but stunning natural stone with rich marble-esque veining. Charlie paired this with a Verre Eglomise splashback, whereby pure gold leaf was applied to the reverse of toughened glass and antiqued. Not only does it look stunning, but its reflective properties help to bounce light around the room and increase the feeling of space.
Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio, and his team faced a significant design challenge in this latest project. The existing kitchen of a 1920s house in North London was long and narrow with very little natural light. Located to the rear of the house and accessed via an adjoining dining room off the entrance hall, the advantageous lofty proportions of the space were unfortunately complicated by three different ceiling heights (the consequence of crude building works some 30 years ago). At the back of the kitchen was a door leading to a former cold store that had been converted into a cramped utility room. Here, Charlie reveals how they created the stunning new space.
Firstly, I wanted to get more natural light into the space. To achieve this, the utility room was replaced by a small lean-to extension accessed via glass doors at the rear of the kitchen and we also installed a large roof light.
Secondly, the client was keen to push the cupboards as high as they could to maximise every inch of storage space. However, at the same time, they wanted to retain the original coving. My solution was to put coving on top of the furniture and use this as the lighting recess that runs all the way round the room. The recess then joins seamlessly with the ceiling coving above, which in turn becomes part of the furniture. It is a great way to link the architecture of the room and the furniture, making them appear as one.
We chose fluted glass for cabinet fronts to keep the design light and airy, but without having the contents on display as you would with open shelves. The worktops are hard-wearing Classico Marble Arabesque quartz coupled with Verre Eglomise splashbacks, whereby pure gold leaf was applied to the reverse of toughened glass and antiqued. Demonstrating an eye for detail, the client requested a floral design be gilded onto the Verre Eglomise surface behind the hob, transforming it into a standout feature.
The kitchen is mainly taken from our Ledbury Shaker collection, but the client was also keen to introduce our signature use of metals. We added aged brass to the edge of the cooker hood and also used it for the plate rack’s supporting brackets, the hanging rails mounted on the splashbacks and the cupboard handles.
The client is a prolific cook with a library of recipe books now housed in a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf within easy reach of the prep space. There is a generous breakfast cupboard too, combining a wealth of storage with dedicated space for microwave and coffee machine. Space to store wine was another priority, so we integrated a wine storage appliance into the design, in addition to the open wine storage in the mint-coloured cupboard. To the right of this is a walk-in cupboard for the boiler, and a slot for the washing machine and tumble dryer, stacked one on top of the other to maximise space.
Finally, the units either side of the range cooker constitute one of the most important parts of the design for me. What looks like multiple wall and base cupboards are actually two complete pieces of furniture.
Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio, has garnered a reputation for collaborating with talented artisans. His latest project in Wimbledon is no exception. It features stunning stained-glass windows by celebrated artist Brian Clarke that strike a colourful contrast to Charlie’s cool, industrial-inspired design.
“As a lover and collector of modern art, our client wanted a minimal look to the kitchen that would allow her paintings, as well as the stained-glass windows, to really pop,” explains Charlie. To achieve this, Charlie used aged, hand-finished solid zinc doors from the Metallics Collection on the side of the island facing the room. Elsewhere, the cabinetry features a specially commissioned paint-effect created onsite by Ledbury Studio’s resident artist Emma Culshaw Bell. “To maintain the less-is-more approach that our client covets, all cabinets are handleless to create a sleek, unfussy look,” adds Charlie.
Two sets of natural oak drawers with exposed dovetail joints inject a craft-inspired vibe into the pared-back design. Airy Concrete Caesarstone was then chosen for the worktops; a perfect complement to the concrete flooring. The finishing flourish is Crittall patio doors that open into the garden – an essential element of any industrial-inspired kitchen.
“This is a kitchen that works on so many levels,” concludes Charlie. “It’s a highly functional family kitchen, a great open-plan entertaining space – that links so well with the garden – and the backdrop for some truly stunning pieces of art. I couldn’t be more delighted with the finished effect.”
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