If you’re fortunate enough to have a huge kitchen space, then installing a mega monolith island at its centre will instantly turn the room into a more practical, multifunctional layout. With distinct zones for food prep, cooking, serving meals and washing-up, an island allows you to do all these tasks and more while chatting with family or friends at the same time. No more turning your back on guests or being banished to a different room while everyone else gets on with enjoying themselves! An island makes for a much more sociable space, any time of the day and any season, too. Islands really come into their own during the winter months with Christmas and New Year celebrations taking on a much more interactive role, especially when laced with champagne and canapes on top. And don’t fret if your kitchen is less than roomy, as islands come in all sizes to suit any scheme, big or small.
Benefits of island living
Kitchens with an island offer so many benefits for everyday use. They will instantly create extra workspace and storage as well as providing the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch, catching up over coffee with friends, helping children with their homework as well as working from home or sorting out that never-ending life admin at the laptop with a coffee to hand. Whether it’s open-plan or broken-plan, island kitchens offer so many benefits and with different sized designs to choose from, it’s usually possible to fit one in. As a guide, the minimum space around an island should be 1000mm or ideally, 1200mm. This allows enough room to walk around the island with ease, as well as being able to open appliance or cabinet doors without obstruction. Our collections of classic and contemporary kitchens are available with islands that can be designed with any configuration of an integrated hob, oven, sink, storage and worksurface overhang for a handy breakfast bar. Choose an island to match the rest of your cabinetry in the same door style and colour for a co-ordinated look or go for a contrasting design, material or finish for statement style with instant impact.
Planning the perfect island
Here at Symphony, we have 50 years’ experience designing kitchens to complement all styles of interior. So, no matter what variations you need or how you want your island to look or be designed in terms of practicality, we can help. And whether you prefer open-plan or broken-plan, there is a kitchen style with an island to suit. Broken-plan layouts are the latest trend in kitchen design. These can be created by the use of zoned areas. The room has a spacious open feel with freestanding furniture such as an island, along with half-height walls, screens, shelving, dining table, bookcase, sofa, coffee table and so on, to create distinct areas for cooking, food prep, relaxing or entertaining. Open-plan schemes on the other hand are simpler. These can be created using just an island unit in the centre of the space. If you have a large area to plan for, check out our Princeton smooth Shaker design, which comes in Providence Blue, Pearl Grey, Indigo or Chalk White. It’s a contemporary take on the classic cabinet design and suits all styles of property, from new-builds to country cottages. The island is large enough for multitasking, with space for food prep, cooking, serving, eating and relaxing over coffee or a glass of wine with friends.
Princeton in Providence Blue and Chalk White
Traditional style
For a more traditional look, our New England design is a beautiful in-frame door that can be painted in any shade from our carefully selected paint palette. We love the Atlantic Green colourway with a feature island that includes a classic Belfast sink and open storage on one side with closed storage on the other. Add glazed dresser and plate rack display cabinets and you’ll instantly enhance the timeless appeal. Our traditional ranges also include the Wexford, Ashbourne, Austin, Cranbrook and Langdale designs, all of which can be created with an island at its centre.
Contemporary cool
For something sleek and seamless, we also offer a fantastic variety of contemporary and handleless kitchens. Our New York, Woodbury, Plaza, Alta and Linear Avant designs for instance can really suit smaller spaces thanks to their fuss-free slab doors. And with a compact island added in the centre, even the tiniest studio or apartment kitchen can become and instant multifunctional area perfect for modern living.
Linear Avant in Black & Caramel
Virtual reality with our Kitchen Designer
To help inspire you with ideas for islands, colour palettes, cabinetry styles, work surfaces and all the finishing touches, visit our online Kitchen Designer. This easy to use design tool allows you to create your dream kitchen in a virtual way, choosing your preferred style then pairing it with complementary or contrasting colours, worksurfaces and handles for an instant view of any number of creative ideas.
For more advice and information on how to create your dream kitchen, visit our Dealer Locator to find your nearest retailer.
When planning a perfect interior, many people’s wish-list is for a calm and organised home. There’s nothing quite like having plenty of storage with a place for everything and everything in its place. With this in mind, one of the biggest trends right now is for a dedicated laundry room to take the stress and strain out of the kitchen. Laundry rooms are a hardworking hub of the home and there are so many benefits if you can make the space to slot one in.
Co-ordinate with the kitchen
Our selection of laundry cabinets and accessories have been designed to make laundry days easier, quicker and less of a chore. You can choose a modern or traditional style to complement your décor and property. As our laundry, larder and base cabinets, with internal fittings and added accessories, are available across all our kitchen ranges, you can have a co-ordinated laundry space and kitchen for a cohesive look and feel throughout. We love the Urban White design shown here, as its clean and fresh feel is perfect for laundry rooms with a cool and calming look.
Look for dedicated storage
Our Laundry Room Cabinet for instance, is a real game-changer. Perfect for storing away an ironing board, vacuum, broom and all those cleaning products and items that you don’t want on display. To make your cabinet even more organised, we have a shelf & dustpan holder set that can be fitted to the inside of your broom or base cabinet as well as a chrome iron holder, which can be fitted to the side panel inside a 600mm larder or base cabinet. And to keep your mop or broom out of sight yet easy to access, our broom or mop holder can also be easily fitted inside a larder cabinet.
Use the vertical space available
Many homes struggle for space and it can be difficult to see how everything can fit in. With a little careful planning, you can create savvy storage solutions that allow for quick and easy access to household essentials while also keeping them out of sight when not in use. A great tip is to use the vertical space available, rather than look at just the floor space. Our Cabinet with Pull Out Ironing Board is a great space-saver, as this 500mm wide unit features either a door or drawer below with an ironing board cleverly hidden away that easily pulls out when needed.
Practicality is key
Our Cabinet with Laundry Basket meanwhile is a wonderfully practical 600mm wide base cabinet that allows you to store dirty washing out of view until laundry day. With two removable baskets, it’s ideal for sorting whites and darks before washing.
When it comes to home cleaning, our Cleaning Agent Rack will make this chore so much easier thanks to the detachable carry basket that allows you to simply pick up and take with you as you move from room to room. It can be fitted into any full height base cabinet with a minimum width of 400mm.
Stack your laundry appliances
Make laundry days even easier with a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer and store that freshly washed and ironed laundry in our Laundry Cabinet with Mesh Shelves and Sink Liner, which can be designed with a 500mm larder cabinet for the ultimate laundry room storage solution
Utilise internal fittings and fixtures
Our 500mm Cloaks Cabinet with Hanging Rail, Mesh Shelves and Liner is also a great addition to your space and is perfect for hanging up coats and keeping shoes and boots tidy and tucked away.
Our selection of cabinets with internal fittings are designed to make your life simpler while co-ordinating with your chosen Symphony kitchen design, so contact us today for more information about how we can help to transform your home ready for a fresh new start.
Want to discuss your ideas further? Please speak to your nearest retailer to discuss how you can add a utility room to your kitchen by using our dealer locator.
Kitchen trends may come and go but when you want an enduring classic, there’s nothing more timeless than a traditional in-frame design. These styles are so-called because the cabinet door or drawer sits within a frame, which is attached to the front of the carcass, adding an elegant detail while also strengthening the unit thanks to its traditional method of manufacture. This gives the cabinets enhanced structural integrity, as the frame reinforces the cabinet, boosting its longevity and stability so you can be sure that your kitchen will last for years to come in both style and substance.
A true in-frame cabinet is the ultimate in traditional kitchen design and here at Symphony, we offer the perfect solution with our New England collection, which brings together classic craftsmanship and subtle detailing to add sophistication and style to any space.
New England is a paint to order range, which is available in 22 beautiful colours – Chalk White, Harbour Grey, Cashmere, Stone, Clay, Platinum, Pearl Grey, French Grey, Providence Blue, Cooks Blue, Sage, Atlantic Green, Fern Green, Dusky Pink, Carmine Red, Cobble Grey, Anthracite, Midnight Blue, Indigo, Hunter Green, Bottle Green and Black – so there’s something for everyone, from subtle and muted tones to deep dramatic shades and bold brights.
Shown above in Anthracite and Chalk, New England is a versatile collection that can be given a modern twist by your choice of colour, as this monochrome scheme demonstrates. You can also add sophistication as well as practicality with a classic island as your room’s centrepiece. Islands are perfect for adding extra prep space to your kitchen along with storage – both open and closed – and somewhere to sit and chat over coffee, enjoy breakfast and socialise with guests while you cook.
For a mix and match colour combination, why not consider contrasting colours such as our Chalk White teamed with our new colour, Carmine Red? We love the idea of using Carmine Red for the island, turning it into even more of a statement piece within your kitchen and balancing it out with neutral tones throughout the rest of the scheme.
Our New England collection is the epitome of English country living, mixing antique touches and textures with a dash of modern styling for today’s multifunctional and eclectic interiors. The great thing about an in-frame kitchen is that it’s a really versatile design that can accommodate a broad range of cabinet door designs, catering to both classic and contemporary tastes.
Go for an enduring and neutral paint to order colour for the timeless look, such as Atlantic Green below, or be bold with a striking shade or an on-trend darker finish. You can also enhance the classic look with a Belfast sink, glazed dresser cabinets and pantry or make it more modern with open shelving, built-in appliances and an open-plan layout.
Details such as a traditional pantry can add a sense of luxury to your in-frame kitchen as well as plenty of convenience with quick and easy access to culinary necessities such as everyday essentials as well as baking ingredients, spices, dried goods, bottles and more. They can also be used as a handy breakfast cupboard and with plug sockets fitted, can be utilised for the kettle, toaster and coffee machine, too.
In-frame kitchens bring a nostalgic elegance to your home with their vintage charm reminiscent of mid-century design combined with modern practicality. Our New England collection offers all of this and more, with a luxurious finish for a premium look and feel, perfect for period properties or adding charm and character to a modern new-build.
For more information on our New England range, speak to your Symphony retailer who will help guide you through your kitchen transformation journey.
For Sheila Dearns, a former language teacher for 32 years, living with MS meant that as her condition progressed, she found her kitchen ill-equipped to cope with her changing needs.
Sheila’s home is a bungalow in the centre of Chelmsford, where she has lived since 1996. It was when her MS began to leave her with little energy that Sheila decided to retire in 2010 and since then, she is finding it harder to ‘load bear’ and now classes herself as a full-time wheelchair user.
It was when Sheila was left an inheritance from a relative that she began to consider making some practical changes to her home. The former kitchen was narrow with no accessible workspace to prepare meals. In fact, Sheila had to chop vegetables on the dining room table instead. With little energy and as a full-time wheelchair user, Sheila needed something to change in order for her to continue living independently at home.
Her friend’s sister, Teresa Shaw; who owns the company Onyx Rehabilitation Ltd that helps people with life-changing injuries, put Sheila in touch with leading designer of accessible kitchens Adam Thomas of the Adam Thomas Consultancy. It’s thanks to Adam’s input and collaboration that Freedom by Symphony have transformed the lives of so many people by empowering them with a sense of independence, enjoying accessible kitchens that are both practical to use and stylish to look at.
Adam worked with kitchen retailer Blaines Interiors to create an accessible kitchen for Sheila that now works as the hub of her home. The project began by knocking down the wall between the former kitchen and living room to create one larger, open-plan space. Sheila moved out while the work was being done and the result is a fully wheelchair-friendly area with widened access to the garden, too.
“Working with Blaines, we designed a fully functional and accessible kitchen,” says Adam, “which now includes I-move pull down baskets, allowing Sheila to access top shelves in wall cabinets without standing up from a seated position along with a 2.4m Rise & Fall worktop, a lovely feature that Sheila can adjust to suit her height so that she can use the worktop, sink with front access tap and hob when seated in her wheelchair. It’s a really flexible solution, as it can also be used by family and friends in the rise position. We also included a lowered dining table on hairpin legs for wheelchair access underneath, a pull and twist larder for easy access to dried ingredients, corner Le Mans storage and a combination oven, which suits Sheila’s style of cooking.”
Sheila and Adam worked closely with Anthony Elsey from Blaines Interiors, who was a wonderful source of inspiration and ideas. Sheila wanted her kitchen to be calm and soothing with a brightly tiled splashback to add a statement look. “As a one-stop shop, Blaines takes clients on a seamless journey from conception to completion,” says Anthony. “This includes personalised consultation, expert advice, meticulous planning, flawless installation and the final finishing touches. Our team of designers are not only creative but also empathetic and supportive, ensuring that every client’s needs are met. They take pride in designing kitchens that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also affordable and accessible to all.”
Design manager Anthony has experience in working with young people and adults with special educational needs and disabilities and is fully committed to serving Freedom clients by creating fully functional and accessible kitchens. Blaines Interiors has two Freedom showrooms with four operational displays, where customers can explore and experience their designs first-hand. Their reach extends across the entire Eastern region, serving Norfolk, Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
Sheila now has the hub of the home she really wanted. “I can now cook for myself and use all the facilities,” she says. “My energy also now lasts longer too, as everything is made so much simpler for me.”
For more information on our range of specially designed Freedom kitchen features click here.
To find your nearest Freedom retailer click here.
Paint to Order Colours
Find the perfect colour scheme with our choice of on trend finishes
Chalk White
Harbour
Cashmere
Stone
Clay
Platinum
Pearl Grey
French Grey
Providence Blue
Cooks Blue
Sage
Fern Green
Willow
Dusky Pink
Carmine Red
Caramel
Anthracite
Midnight Blue
Indigo
Hunter Green
Bottle Green
Black
Paint to Order Colours
Find the perfect colour scheme with our choice of on trend finishes
Chalk White
Harbour
Cashmere
Stone
Clay
Platinum
Pearl Grey
Providence Blue
Sage
Fern Green
Dusky Pink
Willow
Paint to Order Colours
Find the perfect colour scheme with our choice of on trend finishes
Chalk White
Harbour
Platinum
Pearl Grey
Stone
Sage*
Fern Green
French Grey*
Providence Blue
Cashmere
Dusky Pink
Ivy
*Please note these paint colours are not a match to the Laura Ashley paint colours of the same name.
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