5 design tips to steal from this renovated kitchen in London’s Knightsbridge

If you’re renovating a period property, you’ll need kitchen ideas that are firmly of the here and now, while being both mindful and respectful of the past. 

Inside a home in London’s upmarket Knightsbridge area, Eggersmann Design was charged with creating a kitchen as part of an expansive renovation. 

With the rest of the Grade II-listed home designed by British interiors guru Katharine Pooley, the kitchen needed to provide a high quality update to the home while nodding to its period features. 

Gary Singer, owner of Eggersmann Design, gave us a tour of the stunning end result and shared the design pointers that you can adopt in your own kitchen. 

1. Balance period sympathy with and contemporary flare

‘Our client renovated their Grade II listed home to the highest standard,’ said Singer. ‘They wanted to respect the period of their home and asked us to create a kitchen that blended effortlessly into the home.’ 

While the doors for the tall white cupboards and breakfast bar boast 19th century-reminiscent paneling, the rest of the room is highly contemporary in its kitchen remodel ideas, including brushed stainless steel appliances from Gaggenau and a modern breakfast bar countertop with slick lines, as well as the grey oak veneer cabinets on the lower half of the kitchen, which have no panelling at all. 

2. Make an entrance with a statement door 

First impressions are important, and this kitchen makes a very good one indeed. ‘We proposed several ideas and the client picked our favourite – to create a very raised profile door that looks more like decorative wall mouldings,’ said Singer. 

Visitors enter the kitchen through a double fronted entrance, welcomed by a stunning set of glass-paneled doors. Framing the window panels and forming a hatch over them are glowing brass details, a warming contrast to the surrounding white woodwork. 

3. Indulge in luxurious quartzite countertops

Countertops need to be practical, but they can also steal the show as a statement element of your kitchen. 

‘Our favourite stone of all time, Taj Mahal perfectly balances the warmer tones of the veneer, the light marble floor and the white lacquered profiled doors,’ explained Singer. 

The luxury quartzite stone looks similar to marble with its natural veining, features sandy undertones and is highly durable. This kitchen not only uses it on the worksurfaces, but explores alternative breakfast bar ideas by running it up from the worktop to the wall to frame the television. ‘The chic door panelling and beautiful Taj Mahal are a perfect match of contemporary design,’ Singer added.  

4. Combine closed storage with elegant glass cabinets 

A beautiful kitchen needs good kitchen cupboard storage ideas – ones that keep things neat and tidy, but also allow a little bit of personality to creep out. 

‘In what seems like a rare project nowadays, this kitchen is very much in its own room,’ said Singer, ‘Our favourite part of this process has been creating a functional space with lots of clever storage and display space without letting the kitchen overpower the room.’ 

A combination of plenty of closed cabinets and glass cabinets to display the client’s collection of ornaments and prettier glassware, the kitchen strikes a balance between packing in as much storage as possible and adding visual interest. 

5. Don’t be afraid to mix your metals 

If you thought your metallic hardware could be one tone and one tone only, think again. While the cupboard handles, faucet and oven are all in silvery-toned metals, flecks of gold come courtesy of the stovetop and the door details, adding to the subtle warmth of the quartzite.  

‘The mixture of cool chrome and stainless steel with other more warm metal fittings again gives the kitchen a subtle balance and understated grandeur,’ said Singer. 

Kitchen design / Eggersmann Design

Photography / 7am Creative