Recently I was invited by kitchen designers Nicholas Anthony to their flagship store in Mayfair for a relaxed evening mingling with fellow foodies and interior experts. As we chatted the night away the chefs took centre stage, using a wonderful large kitchen island (definitely one of my kitchen goals!) to give us a live cooking demonstration.
…of course lucky us – we then got to eat it all!
An Oyster Meister (who Oliver and I agreed had a striking resemblence to David Tenant) was also on hand.
He shucked oysters for us as we looked on, so they were undoubtedly the freshest I’ve ever eaten. Served with shallot vinaigrette, red and green Tabasco, black pepper and lemon juice, they were simply delicious. I was so impressed that I had a second helping later on.
If one thing is for certain it’s that the evening hasn’t done anything to quell my desire for a beautiful bespoke dream kitchen! As the demonstrations continued we slipped away from the crowd to take a closer look around the showroom and have a good old play with everything on display.
I’m the type of person that ‘oohs and ahhs’ at soft closing drawers and has to open every cupboard to see what clever storage solutions lie within, so I was in my element. Oliver had to show me how to open the doors on one set because I was struggling… (possibly the result of one too many glasses of champagne?!) They were touch sensitive and a gentle push was the trick! With no handles it made the kitchen look wonderfully minimalist.
My own kitchen, in comparison, is a typical budget MDF design with beige tiles and chipboard countertops typical of new builds from 10 years ago. There’s nothing awful about it but in an ideal world I’d love to rip it out and start again completely from scratch to create a space perfectly suited to my needs – my dream kitchen!
My budget won’t stretch to a complete refit at the moment but the kitchens at Nicholas Anthony got me thinking about what my main kitchen goals are and thus what I should focus on saving up for. Here’s what I came up with:
I’ve started to look into whether it’s possible to keep my existing units but have the countertop and tiles replaced – I think that would give my kitchen an instant facelift and, if I choose the right materials, increase it’s longevity.
I fell in love with the sleek and ultra modern look of this kitchen in particular; especially the glass splashbacks. Without tiles you get a really clean look that opens up the space and helps it flow – perfect in a smaller kitchen. Plus I imagine it would be a fair bit easier to wipe down so I wouldn’t have to suffer the heart palpitations that come every time I splash bright orange bolognese sauce onto my white grouting!
I have a really cheap oven which I tried to replace a year ago, only to find out that the wattage regulations have changed since my house was built and modern appliciances aren’t compatible. After seeing all of the features on the Gaggenau ovens in the Nicholas Anthony kitchens I’m thinking that it’s time to start investigating how much it would cost for an electrician to adapt my fittings so that I can freely choose a smart, modern appliance.
Why should I bother though? Isn’t an oven just an oven? Maybe this is so if all you’re going to use it for is heating things up, but I love nothing more than a good baking or cooking session. One of the ovens had a compact warming drawer perfect for proofing bread and a steam function. You can even add an integrated appliance to the mix with a fully integrated espresso machine meaning I could free up valuable space on my countertop. And who doesn’t want a perfect coffee in the morning?
Another great gadget I’d love? A tap which both chills and boils water – no need for a kettle! We have one at work and it’s so handy having the right temperature there instantly! The fittings that power it are all hidden under the sink.
I’ve been inspired by the clever solutions for maximising shelf and cupboard storage seen at the showroom and already have some ideas on how to recreate this at home. Watch this space – if it works I’ll be sharing it with you in a future post!
A big thanks go to Nicholas Anthony for providing such wonderful hospitality and a great deal of inspiration for my dream kitchen! What would feature in YOUR dream kitchen?
Disclaimer: This post isn’t sponsored, I was just inspired to post after my visit!
