Generally I like to think of myself as an early adopter, always on the look out for new ideas and trends, and after a few glasses of wine I might even suggest being a little ‘down with the kids’, (cue cringe) but I confess there are a couple of parties I’ve joined very late… It was a long time before I would ditch my boot leg jeans for skinny ones, but as a curvy 5ft 3.5 you can hardly blame me. When I finally discovered the TV series 24 I had 8 box sets to catch up on, and I was still toting a blackberry until last summer, although I blame my former employer for that one. I’m ashamed to say it’s also taken me a while to really embrace the copper trend. When it first poked its nose into the interiors world I was convinced it was going to be a one season fad, that would leave the charity shops stock piling copper accessories. But two years on I have to admit it’s probably here to stay. Now I’m still luke warm about polished copper unless its subtle. Possibly because I’m imagining the cleaning required to keep it shiny…… I mean, come on, copper baths? You’re havin’ a larf. But I do love a bit of patina, particularly if it’s got a green hue to it. Industville have a fabulous range of industrial lighting and bar stools and I’m a massive fan. I have their pewter pendants in my kitchen, and I LOVE their vintage copper version. Now thats the patina I’m talking about.
Old factory vintage copper pendant light from Industville
But for me the best thing about the copper trend has actually been the spin off – the whole metallic movement. We can now choose gold, brass, silver, copper or bronze, plus polished or antique finishes and a million tones in between. Fabulous. Which is why my latest job has been named Project Donatella, i.e. its rockin’ more bronze than Ms Versace after a long Italian summer.
So my client is buying a new kitchen from Cockermouth Kitchen Company, who I have a partnership with. She has chosen the kitchen and work surface she wants but has no idea what to do with the rest of the room and wants my help. She has picked very simple contemporary lacquered slab doors in a matt off white finish, and polished steel bow handles.
The acrylic quartz effect worktop she has picked is grey with specks of white and brown.
Mistral Ignea worktop by Karonia
It’s impossible to form any ideas until you’ve seen the room and the house it sits in, but the minute I did I knew what the new kitchen needed was a metallic touch of the coppery/bronze variety. I ran this suggestion past both the homeowners while I was there and they liked the idea so I was off to a flying start.
Back home, I started with the tiles. I wanted something big for the floor with lots of texture and shades of colour that would hide dirt and paw prints (remember we live in Cumbria – rain and dog central). It was love at first sight when I saw these in Topps. But at £54 a square metre I was going to need some alternatives.
Metalik wall and floor tile from Topps
So I found these equally lush tiles suitable for walls or floors at aptly named Walls & Floors who I use a lot as they have a huge range and great prices, and their VIP service for trade customers is top notch. No they didn’t pay me to say that – its just true. These are only £29.95 a metre so a big price difference for tiles that don’t look that different.
Hellion Gold floor tiles from Walls & Floors
and then I stumbled across these lovely bronze armour tiles. You need to sit down before I tell you how much they are……£9.95 a metre – a billy bargain.
Bronze Armour floor tiles from Walls & Floors
So floors sorted and onto walls. The kitchen is lacking in natural light, so even though the doors are off white I’m still going to suggest we keep the walls light and limit tiles to the areas around the sink and cooker so we can continue the metallic scheme. Number 2 on my list are these from Topps – they’ve got everything, colours, texture, patina…..they’ve also got a price tag though which is why they’re number 2. We won’t need much for the areas I’m proposing but they are over £200 a metre…
Copper Fusion Modular Mix tiles from Topps
I toyed with a very simple but chic copper coloured glass splash back for a while, but that was even pricier and it would have needed cleaning every 5 minutes which nipped that in the bud quite quickly. So these are my number 1 choice. Still not cheap at around £150 a metre but mosaic isn’t cheap and with my plan we won’t need much.
Copper mosaic tiles from Walls & Floors
Next on the list – seating. They are having a breakfast bar which will be 1.4m by 90cm. Sounds big, yes? But they’re a family of 5 and the client would really like 5 stools. So do the math – they need to be narrow. They also need a seat height of around 65cm to work with an 80cm counter, which is 10cm less than a typical bar stool. I was gutted when I saw these beauties from Swoon and realised they were too high…..
Copper and steel Orson stool from Swoon Editions
So I’m suggesting these Xavier Pauchard Tolix style copper metal stools from Cult Furniture. They’re a little more industrial than I had been thinking about, but they’re the perfect size and colour and are only £69 each which is important when you’re buying 5.
Xavier Pauchard Tolix style copper metal stools from Cult Furniture
Next major decision – lighting. Recessed spotlights are a no-brainer because of the lack of natural light, and there will be in cupboard and under cupboard lighting but I think every kitchen should have some feature lighting, particularly if there is a seating area. The room has the height for pendants, but not so much that I’d recommend one large pendant, and as the bar will have 3 seats on the long side I’m suggesting 3 smallish pendants. Remember how I said I’m luke warm about polished copper unless its subtle? Well how about these smoked glass and copper pendants for sleek, stylish and subtle?
Marlowe smoked glass and copper pendant lights from Habitat
Me being me, it isn’t enough having contemporary and industrial elements in a room I need to add something else. The client told me she wanted a contemporary kitchen but nothing uber modern. They had some really nice antique art deco furniture in their dining room which they’d picked up from a local dealer for a bargain. Both these facts suggested to me they might appreciate a nod to the past in their kitchen which led me to this clock which will match the dark wood window frames and the metallic tones. And if they don’t like the £120 price tag I know I can pick something up on eBay or when I’m out treasure hunting for less – if I’m lucky I might even find something original.
Newgate vintage inspired sunburst clock available in John Lewis and Heals
So here’s the final mood board. The client hasn’t even see this yet so you’re getting a proper exclusive. I’ll fill you in on the rest of my ideas if she gives it the thumbs up. I’m seeing her later this week so fingers, legs and eyes crossed please.
