Room of the week – retro kitchen

This weeks Room of the Week is a kitchen that mixes different styles of furniture and fittings to create an eclectic look.  The kitchen from the House to Home galleries demonstrates that combining new and old, if done successfully, works really well.

The kitchen units used here are very simple white units which provide a good base to the kitchen style.  If you are planning to mix up the furniture style of your room it is a good idea to keep one aspect simple to allow the more eccentric elements to shine.

Ceramic sinks are very popular way to combine old style with the new, the Pendle sink below is manufactured by Shaws of Darwen who have been making sinks for over 100 years.  This is a Belfast sink as it features the weir overflow, whereas a traditional Butler sink doesn’t have an overflow.  The design difference is due to a plentiful water supply in Belfast in past times, but the Butler sink originated in London where water was more scarce and wastage was not to  be encouraged.

The chunky reclaimed table works really well in this kitchen to give a contrast to the modern white units.  EatSleepLive is a good supplier of furniture manufactured using British wood reclaimed from demolished churches, schools, mills or houses.  They have a wide variety of furniture and will make tables to any size.

With an older style table it is often more interesting to use a mixture of dining chairs in different styles.  The A56 chair below designed by Xavier Poulard and  manufactured by Tolix.  Available in 3 colours it can add another layer into the eclectic mixture and contrasts really well with the solid wood of the chunky table above.

Mixing styles can create a great look, and often look less ‘designed’ than if you choose a very contemporary style.  This looks works really well if you are able to use some of your existing furniture in the new kitchen – it adds a sense of fixtures and fittings belonging in your home.