Studio Merlin completes the renovation of a North London apartment and its kitchen for founder Josh Piddock. Embracing the vibrancy of its Stoke Newington siting, the rejuvenated cook space enjoys an injection of colour, contemporary shaping and a considered array of finishes – including Caesarstone’s premium surfaces.
The galley kitchen often gets a bit of a bad rap. It can be claustrophobic, over-filled with cupboards crawling up the walls and quite frankly, it’s not a plan that’s conducive for cooking – particularly the collaborative kind. Then, if you’re brave enough to add darker hues to the mix, well the kitchen can become something of a shadowy corridor, which doesn’t quite stand up to the tranquillity Studio Merlin founder Josh and his partner sought.
But, never ones to go by the book, in this new renovation Studio Merlin turn everything you thought you knew about the galley kitchen on its head. The kitchen here is wide. Open. Split into two functional halves that pack a punch with deepened blue hues. Where previously most would assume darkened cabinetry would surely pull the walls in, here it creates a restful ambience, contrasting softly against the pale pink walls.
Keen to hear more about the kitchen, enki speaks to client-cum-designer Josh Piddock to hear all about the design and his black book of kitchen suppliers.
What were the main things you wanted from the renovation?
“As a doer upper, we had the opportunity to completely start again and wanted to rethink the layout for the entire floor, how it worked and how it felt. We wanted the space to offer ample storage space and yet retain a feeling of warm minimalism. We wanted to use the form of the kitchen to create a multifunctional space suited to our daily routine.”
And, in particular, what was it you needed from the kitchen design?
“We wanted the kitchen to feel open and spacious volumetrically, so avoided having low and high level wall units. Functionally, building the key features of the kitchen around the chimney alcoves was very important to the success of the space. We are very happy with the ‘open larder’ above the integrated bench, and the space afforded for the oven and downdraft extractor on the other side. It’s the perfect amount of utility space, whilst still feeling minimal.”
Briefly walk us through the design elements of the cook space.
“We divided the kitchen into two distinct sides of a galley kitchen layout. There was the cooking and preparation area, which were low level units only – so that we could include a linear suspended pendant light fitting and retain a feeling of openness in the space. And then we have highly functional compressed storage on the other side. This sees floor-to-ceiling cupboards create ample storage, a portal door though to the stairs and the sink area.”
What cabinetry did you use?
“We used Reform CHP cabinetry as we loved the colour matching potential, customisation and quality integrated handles.”
And for surfaces you went with Caesarstone, why?
“We wanted a worktop that would compliment the pink and blue colour palette by offering a neutral tone with subtle variation.”
Did you always want open shelving?
“We were set on including open shelving from the beginning of the project because we wanted a place to display things that mean a lot to us, in a curated and composed way.”
How does the kitchen relate to the rest of the living space?
“The kitchen flows from the living space thanks to the continuing material finishes and a lack of threshold. We wanted the two spaces to feel like a continuation of one another, but clearly zoned. This we achieved though the Douglas Fir goalpost opening.”
What inspired the colour palette?
“All paint colours are Farrow & Ball. We call the colour palette ‘Pastel Franco’ due to its nod to the French flag. The deep blue is offset by a pastel plaster-like pink and a neutral, bright white to bounce light around the space. The colours are Hague Blue, Setting Plaster and All White.”
How has the design improved your day to day living?
“The design has allowed us to create specific places for the specific things we do in the day, including Yoga in the morning in the Galley kitchen, and chatting or reading on the in-built Caesarstone kitchen bench seat.”
Project details:
Location: Stoke Newington, London, UK
Architect & Interior Designer: Studio Merlin (see more of their work here)
Structural Engineer: Elliott Wood
Contractor & Builder: H Quality Construction
Joinery & Cabinetry: Reform CPH
Flooring: Dinesen
Lighting: Muuto; Flos; Louis Poulsen; HAY
Kitchen Worktop: Caesarstone
Appliances: Fisher & Paykel
Tapware: Lusso Stone
Notable Furniture: Ercol
Photographer: Richard Chivers
For more from Studio Merlin, head straight to their website here.
Or if you’re looking for more renovation inspo, click here for enki case studies.
