Kitchen Tour: A Sustainable Design for a Midcentury London Flat
The designer of this petite cuisine has taken his cues from the 1950s, when the home was built, but added a modern edge
This zingy small kitchen is in a flat on the fifth floor of a late 1950s-built block, part of the Dulwich Wood Park Estate in south-east London. The building was designed by the renowned midcentury architecture firm, Austin Vernon & Partners.
With the flat having such modernist credentials, Douglas Sutherland of Koivu wanted to honour its history when he redesigned the flat’s kitchen. “The [building’s lift] still has the original Formica in it,” he says. Both he and the owner were keen for something period-sensitive. “Part of the brief was that the kitchen should be in keeping with that era,” he says, “and the Formica, the colour, and the wood detailing all came from that.”
With the flat having such modernist credentials, Douglas Sutherland of Koivu wanted to honour its history when he redesigned the flat’s kitchen. “The [building’s lift] still has the original Formica in it,” he says. Both he and the owner were keen for something period-sensitive. “Part of the brief was that the kitchen should be in keeping with that era,” he says, “and the Formica, the colour, and the wood detailing all came from that.”
The worktops are birch ply laminated with Formica, and made in-house by Koivu. “Plywood is much more durable than chipboard [a common material for laminate worktops] and the laminate is as heat-resistant as Corian or quartz, but much cheaper.
“The finish is matt, so it looks contemporary. It also has an anti-fingerprint finish and small scratches in it are repairable. It’s really good stuff,” he says. “On top of that, it requires no templating, meaning it can go in on the same day as the kitchen.”
Laminate worktop in Polar White; laminate on units in Levante, both Formica Infiniti.
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“The finish is matt, so it looks contemporary. It also has an anti-fingerprint finish and small scratches in it are repairable. It’s really good stuff,” he says. “On top of that, it requires no templating, meaning it can go in on the same day as the kitchen.”
Laminate worktop in Polar White; laminate on units in Levante, both Formica Infiniti.
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The upstand is the same as the worktop, with the plywood edge left bare (but treated) on the top edge.
As well as being taller, the units are also non-standard widths. The two cupboards on either side of the sink are 430 millimetres wide and the drawers are 690 millimetres wide.
The trio of soft-close drawers includes a slimmer top drawer with a cutlery insert, and a deep bottom drawer for pots and pans. On either side of these there are cupboards with shelves inside. The sink cupboard has a bin in it.
Dish drainer, Joseph Joseph.
As well as being taller, the units are also non-standard widths. The two cupboards on either side of the sink are 430 millimetres wide and the drawers are 690 millimetres wide.
The trio of soft-close drawers includes a slimmer top drawer with a cutlery insert, and a deep bottom drawer for pots and pans. On either side of these there are cupboards with shelves inside. The sink cupboard has a bin in it.
Dish drainer, Joseph Joseph.
Only one of the cupboard fronts seen here opens; the right-hand one is a fixed panel, hiding the back of the washing machine.
The full-height cupboards on the right are made from Douglas fir plywood with an Osmo oil finish. The left-hand one conceals a full-height fridge-freezer; the middle one contains a single oven with storage above and below; the final door is a full-height larder, which is 590 millimetres wide and double depth – 900 millimetres – as it extends into a room next to the kitchen.
“There’s an amazing amount of storage for a small kitchen,” Sutherland says. “Non-standard sizes really do boost storage, because you can use every available bit of space.”
Sustainability is a recurrent theme for Sutherland, and all his kitchens are low-VOC and made from sustainable wood, including Finnish birch plywood.
“Plywood is very eco-friendly,” he says. “It’s also very hard-wearing – the point of our kitchens is that they last longer. They’re waterproof and completely rigid, so they can be reused – either as a kitchen or as something else. This is all becoming more and more important. Also, for every kitchen product, we donate to the Woodland Trust.”
The full-height cupboards on the right are made from Douglas fir plywood with an Osmo oil finish. The left-hand one conceals a full-height fridge-freezer; the middle one contains a single oven with storage above and below; the final door is a full-height larder, which is 590 millimetres wide and double depth – 900 millimetres – as it extends into a room next to the kitchen.
“There’s an amazing amount of storage for a small kitchen,” Sutherland says. “Non-standard sizes really do boost storage, because you can use every available bit of space.”
Sustainability is a recurrent theme for Sutherland, and all his kitchens are low-VOC and made from sustainable wood, including Finnish birch plywood.
“Plywood is very eco-friendly,” he says. “It’s also very hard-wearing – the point of our kitchens is that they last longer. They’re waterproof and completely rigid, so they can be reused – either as a kitchen or as something else. This is all becoming more and more important. Also, for every kitchen product, we donate to the Woodland Trust.”
“The sink is made from thicker-than-average stainless-steel. It feels nice and strong,” Sutherland says. “It looks as if it’s undermounted, but it’s actually flush – there’s 2cm of stainless-steel on the worktop.
“The worktop goes all the way up to the window; this creates a deeper working surface,” he says. “Also, a worktop meeting a windowsill can make for a messy join, so this is a nice way to do it.”
Sink, The 1810 Company.
“The worktop goes all the way up to the window; this creates a deeper working surface,” he says. “Also, a worktop meeting a windowsill can make for a messy join, so this is a nice way to do it.”
Sink, The 1810 Company.
The backsplash behind the hob is made from matt black mosaic tiles with white grout. An integrated extractor is hidden inside an MDF box, painted to blend in with the walls and ceiling.
Integrated extractor, Elica. Induction hob, Siemens.
Integrated extractor, Elica. Induction hob, Siemens.
“It looks a bit different, partly due to the dimensions, but also the style of the doors,” Sutherland says of the kitchen.
The 3D feel to the fronts of the units can be seen clearly here and in the previous picture. The doors and drawer fronts sit forward of the framing, which is bare wood rather than laminated.
On the tops and sides of the doors, and the tops of the drawers, there’s a 20 degree slope, which functions as a finger pull.
Another design detail that makes the kitchen stand out is the end panels. Here, you can see one of these on the peninsula, clad in the same laminate as the doors. The insides of the doors are also the same orange laminate finish.
The 3D feel to the fronts of the units can be seen clearly here and in the previous picture. The doors and drawer fronts sit forward of the framing, which is bare wood rather than laminated.
On the tops and sides of the doors, and the tops of the drawers, there’s a 20 degree slope, which functions as a finger pull.
Another design detail that makes the kitchen stand out is the end panels. Here, you can see one of these on the peninsula, clad in the same laminate as the doors. The insides of the doors are also the same orange laminate finish.
On integrated appliances or larger doors, where a firmer grip is required to open them, Sutherland incorporated a scooped handle on the inside. This one is on the larder door.
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Tell us
Which element of this kitchen do you like the best? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
More
Browse more kitchen photos for design inspiration
Find a renovation professional in Singapore
Who lives here? A professional man who works in art
Location Dulwich, south-east London
Property A two-bedroom flat
Kitchen dimensions 2.7metres x 3metres
Architect Douglas Sutherland of Koivu
Budget Approximately £20,000 (for the units, worktops and appliances, all fitted)
Photos by Altan Omer
Sutherland enjoys making a kitchen that’s perfectly adapted to fit the space available and to suit his clients’ needs – and that often involves straying from standard dimensions.
In this case, the client is tall, so Sutherland designed the kitchen to be taller, too, with worktops at a one metre-height, rather than the standard 90 centimetres. “People don’t always realise you can have that,” Sutherland says. The plinths are shorter than usual, too, at 12 centimetres rather than 15 centimetres. “I prefer the look,” he says. “Everything is bespoke.”
A knock-on benefit of these measurement tweaks is that lower plinths and higher worktops also make for a little more storage space in between.