Carefully Curated | A Sleek Serenity Kitchen

Welcome to the next blog in our Carefully Curated series, dedicated to helping you create your perfect kitchen, irrespective of your style preferences.

Designing your dream kitchen can be a difficult task, typically involving a substantial investment when building or renovating your property. We’ve enlisted the help of some of our experienced team members to share their ideas when it comes to creating their dream kitchen, from colour schemes to top essential design elements, all to aid you in planning your new space. Having seen thousands of beautifully designed Real Kitchen projects, our team has a wealth of experience and is well-equipped to offer advice and inspiration to help you bring your dream kitchen to life.

Next up in our series is Leah, our Marketing Executive who is responsible for managing our Real Kitchen projects and developing our Instagram and Facebook channels. Leah, known for her love of organisation and everything having its rightful place, would love her home to be calm and minimalistic.  In our Q&A with Leah, find out more about how she would create a stylish, organised kitchen.

Describe your dream kitchen?

Working in the kitchen industry, it is easy to observe amazing kitchen designs on a daily basis, but seeing so many has allowed me to refine these designs to create my dream kitchen. I’d love a large open-plan kitchen, with large windows that would flood the space with natural light and a set of French doors that would open out onto a patio area.

I love kitchens that are modern and fuss-free, giving the illusion that they are always tidy yet ready to be used without having to clear space on the countertop. I would opt for very modern elements throughout the kitchen to reflect my vision of a minimalistic look, so my style would fall into the Sleek Serenity category.

My top must-have items for my ideal kitchen would be…

• A large kitchen island with plenty of space for cooking, baking and food prep.
• Integrated appliances to create a streamlined look.
• Deep drawers and full-height wall cabinetry to maximise storage space.
• A connecting utility room to store cleaning appliances and products, as well as providing additional storage.

“I love kitchens that are modern and fuss-free, giving the illusion that they are always tidy yet ready to be used.” – Leah, STORI Marketing Executive

What cabinetry & colour(s) would you opt for?

For my kitchen cabinetry, I would choose Zola Matte, I adore the look and feel of it. The slab door will aid in creating a clean look while the matte will help in creating warmth in the space.

I would opt for a classic monochrome colour palette for the kitchen cabinetry while using small pops of colour to add a contemporary look to the space. Cannon Black and Brilliant White are my top choices, using Cannon Black for the kitchen island and Brilliant White for the rest of the wall cabinets.

Instead of using traditional handles, I’d choose our handleless rail system in aluminium to create a sleek, linear look throughout.

What key design features would you include to achieve your aesthetic?

There are a few design features that I’d love to help me achieve my Sleek Serenity styled kitchen; a submerged sink and integrated appliances are a must in keeping the space fuss-free. I’d love a dedicated space for dog beds and bowls in the kitchen, so my 2 dogs feel very much at home in the kitchen!

The main feature that I’d love to incorporate is a secret space behind my splashback (matching the worktops, off course) to hide some of my appliances such as my toaster and air fryer, keeping them neatly tucked away would keep the countertops mess-free! My ideal kitchen would have a place for everything, keeping the space clutter-free and easy to clean!

L-R: Integrated appliances – Zola Soft-Matte in Indigo | Dedicated space for dogs – Winslow in Pantry Blue | Submerged Sink – Strada Matte in Cashmere

How would you style your space?

I would keep things modern and sleek, opting for a similar colour scheme for accessories, using black, white, and silver as the main colours, while introducing some elements of blue to add a pop of colour.

I love the idea of a contemporary, marbled countertop (1) with the addition of a boiling water tap in black from Quooker (12) to compliment my colour scheme. My preference is for minimalistic styled pieces for items sitting on the countertops, such as this stunning aluminium kettle and toaster (3) and the essential tea, coffee, and sugar canisters (10).

For little pops of colour in my kitchen, I’d add some blue tea towels (2), blue glass lighting features (8) above the island and this gorgeous blue crockery from Denby (13).

For furniture, I would opt for modern, black pieces to tie into the style of Zola, like this dining table and benches (7) and these sleek bar stools (6) for around my kitchen island.

For final finishing touches, I’d add monochrome dog beds (4) and bowls (5) for my pampered pooches, a classic salt pig (9) for cooking delicious meals and a modern, statement clock (11) to tie the whole area together.

Accessory Shopping List

• Countertop | Cosentino
• Tea Towels | Matalan
• Kettle & Toaster | Zwilling
• Dog Bed | Settle Beds
• Dog Bowls | Not In The Dog House
• Barstools | Wayfair
• Lighting features | Energy Light Bulbs
• Salt Pig | Denby
• Tea, Coffee, Sugar Canisters | B&Q
• Clock | Amy’s Deco
• Hot Water Tap | Quooker
• Crockery | Denby

Explore More with STORI

Looking for more inspiration? Visit the Real Stories section of our website to see some recently completed projects by our network of approved retailers throughout the UK & Ireland.