Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom – March 2015

Unless you have nerves of steel and a
never-ending budget to match, few can
put together a radically new interiors
scheme with complete self confidence.
Whether it’s that nagging voice
reminding you of resale value and
over-capitalisation, or the fact that there
are too many options out there to
consider, when it comes to new design
projects the experience of a professional
is almost always golden. Our case studies
in this issue all reflect this. From the tale
of an East London family who extended
their kitchen in order to make space for
an added bedroom (Light and Inviting,
page 46) to the three sets of couples who
successfully reconfigured their houses in order to open their kitchens to the garden and views beyond (Island View, page 26, Front to Back page 36 and Another Level page 56), all of this issue’s schemes were greatly enhanced by the design experts and kitchen specialists who advised. On that note, how many times have you sat with friends in their new kitchen and they have bemoaned the fact that they didn’t leave enough room at the island for all the bar stools they needed, or that their dining table is just a smidge too large for their newly created open-plan space? With so much focus on the cooking engine of the kitchen, too often are the all-important seating arrangements left until last, which is why we’ve called on the professionals for their design advice again in our Take a Seat feature (page 84). We also interview hotel interior designers Toni Chi (page 112) and Kit Kemp on (page 162), and if that wasn’t enough design inspiration for you all wrapped up in one magazine, turn over to page 116 for our round-up of the current top 10 bathroom trends and for bedroom lighting inspiration in Bright Ideas (page 138).