The kitchen can be one of the most important rooms in our homes. We cook in it, we entertain in it, we make personal and family decisions in it. If kitchen walls could talk, it would be able to write many beautiful stories of daily life in full detail. So when time comes for a make-over, we arduously put all effort to designing and styling our Kitchen because we all aspire to not only have the heart of the home in perfect working condition, but to also have a functional space that please us.
With this thought in mind, I look into five British companies I consider the best at giving beautiful, functional and pleasantly satisfying kitchens because I think having a Kitchen you love and enjoy looking at and working in helps make the demands of everyday life more delightful and rewarding. Some of the companies have been around for years but some are relatively new independent businesses with a growing presence in the industry.
First on my list is a company called Plain English Kitchens. This Suffolk- based company started when a married couple decided to design, produce and install their own kitchen after failing to find a company that fitted their traditional style and fascination with “the Georgian sensibility of form and proportion”. As their story goes: they “painted it blue, a magazine came to take some photos and Plain English was born”.
photo : Plain English
The company specializes in a particular classic style evocative of a certain historical period that had far-reaching influence in houses across the globe. The American Shaker style in particular, is a pared down adaptation of British Georgian with its more simple cabinetry and functional form that can be found in kitchens of Colonial America, in towns inhabited by the Shakers- a reformed religious group who immigrated to the New World from Old England.
Another constant favourite kitchen company DEVOL plays on a variation of the Georgian Style with similar cabinetry and hardware details. DeVOL cupboards are made from fine-grained north American tulip wood sourced from accredited sustainable suppliers, cut and shaped into units paired with cupboard doors made from maple. All bespoke details of their kitchens are also handmade to quality standards which can set it apart from similar companies around. Although in my opinion, the main aspect that sets this company apart from the others is the variety of choice born from collaborations with specific designers and artists. My particular favourite is the Sebastian Cox Kitchen which was born out of a collaboration between DeVOL and British furniture designer Sebastian Cox. This relationship produced simple functional pieces that resonate utilitarian but classic shaker in colours making it a very easy style to use in any home.
Burnhill Kitchens Tonbridge holds a special place in my heart only because it was my go-to Kitchen company when I was specifying our family home. I was on a tight budget and had a limit to what I could spend kitting out a space I knew was going to be the most important part of the entire build. It had to be pleasing and functional but within a certain price. Burnhill Kitchen Company checked all my boxes. They helped me realise my ideas in such a gentle but efficient way that I managed to get everything I needed within budget. My kitchen is a very neutral modern space but the company also has an entire range of styles that can reflect your personal taste.
Our family kitchen by Burnhill Kitchen Company
A classic Burnhill Kitchen
Sustainable Kitchens was a kitchen brand I serendipitously discovered browsing Instagram (as I always do), and on following on to their site, I was instantly drawn in. The main point that caught my attention was the their ethos on working within the parameters of what is sustainable-they source their wood through their partnership with the “Avon Need Trees” project where a new seedling is planted to replace every tree cut down. The workshop constantly works towards managing and recycling waste materials as best they can so not much is thrown out, only re-used in many ways to limit their “carbon footprint” . I like the way they thrive to always source local too. This may be just another kitchen company but the fact remains that it will be one of the companies I would seriously consider on my future projects.
Photo: Sustainable Kitchens
Photo: Sustainable Kitchens
The fifth company I thought worthy of attention is called Custom Fronts, because of the five companies featured on this post, this one is the easiest, most economical yet stylish way to furnish a working kitchen without need of an interior designer to design it, nor a builder to install it. Yes, it is a kitchen company but as the name implies, all you ever will need to get a totally refreshed new sparkling kitchen are custom fronts, or customised unit doors to help change an entire look. The company works to suit off-the-shelf IKEA kitchen modules so technically the only major expense should only be the customised doors and worktops which come in all shapes and finishes. Their website is also a joy to look at and very user-friendly that enables you to get a good idea of costs while designing and fitting out your new virtual kitchens simultaneously in one go.
Photo: Custom Fronts
Nordic wood ply by Custom Fronts
I would be able to keep going on about kitchens and recommend companies that I love ( and I do have a lot I love), but I leave you with these five best because I can only be true to what I think works best should I be given the chance to do my kitchen again, and again, and again five times over. These companies each have distinct styles that elevate any given kitchen so I think it best to recommend my favourite five and hope that you dive in and commission one of them for your own kitchens very soon!