Central Eating

Interiors - Kitchens

The lifestyle of the modern family means that they use a home in a very different way to previous generations. This revolution has been brought about by a move towards more casual living over the last three decades, aided by the revolution in home technology.

As a result, rooms are becoming far more multi-functional and no longer have to be assigned a specific purpose (such as a home office or television room) as the activity can move with the individual.

In addition, the development of the full time working family, rather than stay-at-home parenting, can necessitate creating areas in your home to provide natural meeting spaces for your family. The most obvious place for this to happen is in the kitchen, as everyone gravitates there at some point simply to eat.

Home cooking trends also to mean your kitchen is less likely to be ruled by the family meal creator – particularly as the average person now spends less than 30 minutes preparing a weekday meal. So it could be one of the underutilised resources in your home.

Families have often traditionally had an informal eating space in the kitchen (be it a breakfast bar or small table), but people are now seeing the benefit of opening up their food preparation areas and integrating them into everyday living spaces.

This trend means that the kitchen is definitely becoming the heart of the home, wrestling dominance from the living room. To achieve this successfully you do need to incorporate a number of key elements and this is where space and planning is vital.

Obviously, you still need somewhere to prepare and cook meals. The preparation element is essential so you should never compromise on worktop space when designing any area. Worktops in a modern kitchen often get “eaten up” by the various essentials that we all now have (microwaves, blenders and coffee machines seem to be firm fixtures – so you have to plan accordingly).

However, a good size, formal dining table and chairs helps to create a further focal point. This is not only for dining at, but also where family members can multi-task while keeping in contact with the person creating a meal.

Finally, a comfortable seating area, with access to a television, in the vicinity of the table and kitchen areas means that your “together time” is naturally extended as people move from table to seating, rather than migrating to their own personal areas.

Our pictures feature a kitchen living area that we created in a large period property.

Cooking was a critical function of this area, as our client was a keen amateur chef, so it was essential that we provided a kitchen with really usable cooking spaces. We wanted to evoke elements of the art deco with a modern twist and to create a practical living area which could be both relaxing and invigorating.

Our emphasis was on durability, style and storage as the room needed to service not only the family, but to act as a focal point for entertaining – so it was essential that the worksurfaces could stay relatively clutter free.

Chiselwood, cabinet makers who specialise in bespoke kitchens (01522 704446; www.chiselwood.co.uk), created and manufactured a wonderful design which incorporated all the best elements of art deco with a modern twist.

The units were crafted in walnut with burr walnut panels and the interiors of the cupboards were lacquered in loganberry and lime cordial. Star galaxy granite tops, which are perfect for pastry, added a stylish and hardwearing finish.

Despite its large proportions, the galley style design ensured that the kitchen was logical and easy to use.

We echoed the natural tones of the kitchen in a Bitter Chocolate Hussar Limestone Floor with white and grey veining. The floor patterns were all designed to flow from the shapes of the central reservation, linking all areas of the room together. Chiselwood also made a table and chairs, echoing the woods and design of the kitchen units. These were covered in Phaeton by Osborne & Little, a stunning yet incredibly practical fabric.

The fireplace from Chesney was used to define a grand focal point and hint at baronial dining halls. It also provided the perfect location for the remote controlled TV, housed in a complimentary wood frame. The TV was mounted on a movable wall bracket so that it could be angled towards the cooking area if required.

A bespoke club chair and chesterfield sofa upholstered in Zoffany Rossini Stripe were used to create a conversation area around the Andrew Martin side table.

The feedback we get whenever we create this type of living space is that the rooms end up being the most used in the house and in the majority of cases our clients find that they spend an increased amount of quality time with their families.

Jamie Hempsall, BIID is an award-winning interior designer. You can contact him on 0800 032 1180 or visit his website www.jamiehempsall.com

Making adults feel at home once the toys are put away

One of the challenges with which we are frequently presented is the best way to design a true family room where everyone can relax, play games or watch TV. The main problem being that "family" areas frequently become "child dominated" with parents having to put up with lots of toys and mess.

A couple who recently engaged our services have two children under five and were fed up living in a cluttered space. They wanted a room that would allow the children free rein during the day, but revert to an adult friendly space in the evening.  The design key to achieving this goal is storage, and this design has it in spades without compromising on style.

The first item I designed was an oversize leather ottoman – one of our favourite problem-solvers. It is a versatile piece of furniture and something many homes that are short on space could benefit from.  The large surface makes it the perfect place for playing board games, while the padded leather top and carefully calculated height ensure it also makes the ideal foot-stool.   I sometimes incorporate hardwood centres surrounded by cushion, which make it more usable as a coffee table, but these are never quite as comfortable.  

A large, low ottoman provides masses of space for toys of a variety of sizes.  For those with really small children I would recommend a hydraulic hinge to avoid any accidents with trapped fingers.

The two bespoke cupboards contain a large amount of shelving behind mirrored doors at the top and mesh panel doors at the base. The top section was designed to hold books, DVDs and CDs without any visible mess. 

The lower section served a different purpose in each cupboard. One cupboard remained the property of the junior children with maximum space for storing larger items, such as toy pushchairs. The other cupboard has a lock and more shelving and holds the majority of the clients' audio visual equipment, which is operable without need for the cupboard to be open.

From the outside, the cupboards look identical, which is critical when placing pieces either side of a fire if your design is going to succeed.

A bespoke surround for the TV ensures it does not dominate the room and ties in with the cupboards on either side.

Young families need plenty of fun, so the strong colours of the furniture and rug were chosen to invigorate and enthuse. The soft textures also feel warm and tactile and are amazingly resilient to wear and tear. The softer shades of the walls and cabinetry act as a soothing backdrop and ensure that any evening transformation is perfect.

This particular room does not benefit from terrific external light, so I added the large wall mirror and mirrored doors of the cupboards to help reflect extra light in and around the room.

The combination of overhead and wall lamps ensure the perfect range of lighting from high to muted, depending on who would be using the room. A conscious decision was made to avoid using table lamps to minimise the risk of potential accidents as small children career around the room.

Contemporary side-tables reflect the modern taste of the couple and provide the ideal place for a gin and tonic or favourite book in the evening when this is once again an adult space.

Finally, a remote-control gas fire completes the cosy feel of this room and ensures heat without any hassle when required.


Jamie Hempsall is a member of the British Institute of Interior Design. Contact him on 01777 248463, follow him on Twitter or visit www.jamiehempsall.com

Jamie Hempsall Interiors transfer formal to fabulous

Yorkshire Post - Mid Week Life & Style Section - 23rd September 2009

Interiors

It can be a wrench when you are considering re-decorating a room, particularly if you have spent considerable money on it in the past and it is wearing well.

I always advise clients to “leave well alone” if they have a room that they are regularly using and that is in good repair. However, I often find people are not making the best use of the space available in their homes by keeping entertaining space, such as a formal sitting room, when it would be better employed as an everyday area.

The idea of formal space is ingrained into many of us, but in this day and age is it really practical or pleasurable to dedicate rooms to your occasional guests at the expense of your everyday life?

With some of the amazingly resilient fabrics now on offer, you can ensure that a switch from formal, can still be fashionable and cope with even the hardest use by toddlers and young children – not to mention the odd careless adult!

I was recently invited to a home which had an attractive formal sitting room that the owners only really used at Christmas and the odd family gathering. It was still in excellent condition so the decision to change it was an important one and needed to have extra impact at the end.

The house had been extended in the 1970's which added extra length to the room, but meant the fireplace now appeared off-centre.My remit was to create a comfy sitting room for everyday use, with bomb proof fabric to accommodate heavy use by grown up children and grand-children. It had to be a room that everyone really wanted to go in everyday to relax; snug and cosy for winter was a must!

Firstly, I designed a warm colour palette - banishing the previous creams and yellows to make the room less intimidating (and more stain resistant!).

The room needed additional natural light, which was introduced by using Roman Blinds, rather than curtains and adding a large mirror at the furthest end of the room and behind the shelving in the library unit; reflecting light from windows directly opposite them back into the room.

New coving was used to disguise a difference in room height between the old and new house, as well as providing a channel for hi-fi wiring.

To avoid major re-development work the real fire was replaced with a remote control “living flame” unit: ending trips outside for logs and providing more interactive entertainment as the flames lit up at the touch of a button. The fire was housed in a bespoke library & storage unit, designed with a mixture of fake and real storage that allowed us to visually re-align the fire and re-position it back into the centre of the room.

More theatre was added by incorporating a flat screen TV hidden behind the fire and revealed by a remote control rise & fall system. Perfect for hiding the TV away when not in use.

Comfy and spacious sofas and chairs are critical to the success of any family sitting room. These were designed to specifically accommodate our clients’ leg and lounging requirements and were covered in soft, crushed velvet that is unbelievably hard-wearing!

Finishing touches included a tactile cushioned carpet, wall lights with silk shades to tone with the sofas and a console underneath the mirror.

The end result was a 30% increase in everyday living space and the transformation of a rarely used formal showpiece into a room that is now the heart of the home. Not to mention a very happy family.
Jamie Hempsall is a member of BIDA and one of the region’s leading interior designers. Visit him at http://www.jamiehempsall.com/ or check him out on Twitter!