We won Kitchen Design of the Year!!

11th October 2019

By Collette Black

Yesterday afternoon Zoe and I took a trip to the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Holborn to attend the 17th annual Designer Kitchen and Bathroom Awards. This year we were up for Kitchen Design of the Year under 25K, much to the surprise of a lot of our fellow attendees… “I thought all your kitchens were super expensive?!” to which we pointed out that we’ve made a beautiful Insta-worthy kitchen for just £5,000 with 8 pieces of our standard-sized Shaker furniture, hardware, a sink and some very clever upcycling from the owners – you can check out the Leicestershire Kitchen in the Woods here. deVOL isn’t about being super fancy and unaffordable, it is about beautifully crafted furniture, designed and handmade in England. It is about simplicity and authentic style, natural materials and a desire to champion artisans and creative folk, whether it’s cupboards, ceramics, metalware or the beautiful rooms and imagery we create.

This grade II* listed building was once home to the original Freemasons’ Tavern before becoming a hotel in 1909.

 

Anyway, I digress, back to the awards… We were absolutely thrilled when they announced that we had won Kitchen Design of the Year for the third year running!! The accolade went to the amazing Bath, Larkhall Kitchen, a beautiful glasshouse extension on the back of a Recency-era artisan’s cottage. It was designed by the lovely Emma, who’s been part of the deVOL team since 2014. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend so we had to collect this one on her behalf. We also have to give a big shout out to the very cool owners who, along with their very talented builder Andrew White, were the masterminds behind the incredible structural design that cleverly incorporated the beautiful Bath stone wall. To us, this is the perfect example of how to do a kitchen extension that feels modern and light yet still really sympathetic to the character of the original building.

Our expertise was sought out for the cupboards, they wanted something different yet simple, something handmade here in England from British timbers… so of course, it had to be our Sebastian Cox Kitchen! This design is similar to the Real Shaker Kitchen in the sense that it is a modular range of furniture. A collection of cupboards handmade to standard sizes and priced individually. They’re not just off-the-peg ready-made cupboards though, each one is made to order, with the option of choosing bespoke sizes to work around any awkward or unusually shaped spaces. Every single cupboard, piece of hardware, sink, tap and little extra will always be individually broken down by cost on your quotation so you know exactly where your money is going. This means we can work to lots of different budgets and create award-winning kitchens that don’t break the bank. For me, it’s the interesting mix of soft natural textures and industrial styling that really makes this kitchen stand out. Here is a closer look at the winning project…

A clever design of sleek Crittall-style windows and doors transformed this awkward nook into an enviably stylish kitchen full of sunshine.

 

Our Sebastian Cox cupboards are handmade in Leicestershire from English beech, an abundant but under-used native timber.

 

One of the owners is a top chef who uses this amazing room to host private dinners, so it had to be impressive and as practical as a professional kitchen.

 

If you have ever visited the beautiful city of Bath, you will instantly recognise this honey-colored stone, it gives this kitchen a real sense of identity and history.

 

Our Sebastian Cox cupboards are stained so that the colour sinks into the very fabric of the wood and you can still see the beauty of the natural grain.

 

Chunky concrete worktops created a really industrial feel along with the vintage lights from Felix Lighting Specialists and MGS tap.

 

The incredibly cool owners, Hannah and Michael, worked with their deVOL designer, Emma, to create this award-winning kitchen. Hannah and her family run a very stylish fashion company called Maze and Michael is a professional chef –www.wildforkwest.co.uk

 

Adding a modern extension to an old home is always a worry, but this clever couple got it so right! I love the cohesion between all the glazing and those dark frames.

And here it is… Kitchen Design of the Year 2019!!

 

Once again thank you to Designer Kitchen & Bathroom and all the judges, congratulations to Emma and the other brilliant winners and contenders at the show, and of course, thank you and congratulations to the fantastic owners who have created such an incredible home – we really do have the coolest customers!!

Take a look at our new brochure for more inspirational projects from homes all over the country.

If you would like to chat with our expert designers about creating your dream deVOL Kitchen, please do get in touch with our team at enquiries@devolkitchens.co.uk.