Shields Road is a bold kitchen centred around a diverse, layered palette of materials. The design balances these rich finishes with a considered layout, creating a space that feels both expressive and highly functional.

The client’s brief was clear; steel, timber, glass, and moments of surprise and colour; nods to the mid-century while still respecting the character of the Victorian building. 

The layout was reworked to open up the room and concentrate cabinetry across two walls, introducing a sink beneath the picture window (with peaceful garden views) and framing the chimney breast as a key feature.

Each wall of cabinetry was defined by a contrasting material - brushed stainless steel on one side, framed American cherry on the other - meeting neatly beneath a striking butter-yellow wall cabinet.

This interplay of materials gives the scheme its structure, but the broader mix of finishes add depth and character. Textured glass blocks, hand-glazed Victorian tiles, natural cork, recycled Smile Plastics surface, quartz stone and stippolyte frosted glass all feature, carefully balanced to feel cohesive rather than overwhelming.

A suspended American cherry wall unit displays the client’s crockery behind sliding glass doors, freeing up the lower cabinetry for food storage, larger cookware, appliances, and integrated bins. 

At the centre of the space, a bespoke rolling island was designed and built by our team using glass blocks, with floating stainless steel shelving and a recycled Smile Plastics work surface. Mounted on heavy-duty castors, it can be tucked neatly beneath the sliding wall unit when more dining space is needed, or positioned centrally to provide additional prep and storage.

The tiled chimney breast is a direct reference to the traditional victorian tiles in the communal hallways of the tenement building. We specified hand glazed tiles in a deep, crackled ‘teapot brown’ colour, running from worktop to ceiling. A curved version of the tile softens the edges. A further tiled recess includes a hidden LED strip for use when cooking, and allows the range to be tucked into the old fireplace position.

Every element of this kitchen is truly bespoke: there are in fact no units of a ‘standard’ width or depth at all, with each cabinet made to suit the unique proportions of the room.

Materials: American Cherry, Brushed Stainless Steel
Finish: Osmo - Poly-X Raw
Hardware: Blum hinge and drawer runners
Worktop: 20mm quartz stone, 5mm solid steel
Floor: Portuguese Treasures, natural glue-down cork tiles
Appliances: Smeg and Bosch
Glazing: 4mm Stippolyte, Forsyth Glazing
Taps: Dowsing & Reynolds - reeded mixer tap
Island: Solid stainless steel, glass blocks
Island Surface: Smile Plastics ‘Slate’, 12mm
Handles: 8mm D-handles, brushed stainless.
Lighting: Phloc, Tala

Photography — Richard Gaston
Styling — Studio Kumari