Herne Bay

Matisse was approached by our clients to collaborate with them for the renovation of the kitchen space in their beautiful waterfront house in the heart of Herne Bay.  The clients are very well versed in design principles so had specific thoughts and ideas they wished to incorporate into the layout to create a sleek and streamlined kitchen design. 

The clients explained that they also had future plans to convert an adjacent outdoor courtyard area into a family room and bar area using the same look and feel of the new kitchen so the design needed to be future proofed to allow the two spaces to flow seamlessly. 

As the kitchen area is also adjacent to an outside deck area which perches above the water’s edge, the harbour view is the hero in this setting.  However, the clients wanted the kitchen to express their love of contemporary design, to be family friendly and to fit in perfectly with the existing features of the house.  The outcome - a beautiful streamlined Arclinea kitchen design suitable for the family of four’s day to day use plus providing functionality for entertaining.

As space was limited due to the adjacent formal dining area along with existing bifold doors opening onto either side of the kitchen area, the new cabinetry design had to allow for circulation and access to the outdoor areas.  The cabinetry was therefore designed for tall units along the back wall with a large island sitting between the cabinetry and the formal dining table.  This design also accommodates the clients’ future plans for the creation of the new adjacent family room and bar area.

To create the appearance of integration into the existing space, a bulkhead was built above the cabinetry on the back wall.  As the integrated fridge was installed on the back wall, an allowance for ventilation was made within a 30mm negative detail between the cabinetry and the finished bulkhead.  The bulkhead also provided space for the integrated extractor ducting to be connected to the existing outlet on the exterior wall.

The clients have a strong passion for cooking and entertaining, so the design allowed for ample storage and accessibility to the various appliances as per their brief.  This was achieved by incorporating Arclinea’s clever storage modules into the design through a combination of pantry units, large drawers and an integrated accessory shelf with LED lighting on the splashback on the back wall.  Under the high wall cabinetry, subtle lighting creates reflections on the benchtops and warmth in recessed areas.