From brickwork to breakfast bars: Architect Nick Berzins on designing kitchens that make life better

Architect Nick Berzins shares his approach to designing warm, characterful kitchens for family homes – and why the secret lies in good layout, great materials and personal collaboration…

“It’s very rewarding working on people’s own homes. Getting to know them, understanding how they live – that’s what makes a design meaningful.”

Nick Berzins is a North London-based architect building a reputation for his personal approach, thoughtful details and deep respect for how families live. In this Q&A, he talks us through two recent projects – in Highbury and Palmers Green – where cabinetry by Naked Kitchens helped shape welcoming, well-used spaces full of character.

From oak beams and exposed brick to layout-led design thinking, Nick’s answers offer a quietly inspiring look at kitchens that are beautiful, functional and enduring...

Can you tell us a bit about your architectural practice and your approach to residential design?

I set up Berzins Architects in 2022 after working in the family Architects’ practice for the majority of my adult life. I am a sole practitioner and currently don’t have any ambition for that to change. I enjoy getting to know all my clients, and I believe that personal service is one reason I have so many repeat clients. The same private residential clients put their trust in me as Architect to deliver the project to meet their aspirations. Listening and understanding their needs and those of their family is crucial in every scheme. The majority of my projects involve the clients’ own home, when the proposal needs to consider the function of a family home above all else and needs to be tailored to their specific requirements.

How did you come to work on the Highbury and Palmers Green projects? What were the clients looking for?

The clients at our Highbury project were delightful and came via a recommendation from a previous home extension project 10 years ago. They waited while I was in the process of setting up Berzins Architects. Their initial brief was clear for a mansard roof extension, general house renovation, and ground floor rear extension. Together we developed the scheme to provide an enlarged open plan kitchen and dining room, exploring options for extending. They followed my recommendation for a pallet of contemporary materials, which were complementary to the existing fabric of the house.

The Palmers Green scheme differed in that the clients are friends of mine and have a child in my daughter’s local school. They also have strong views on helping and supporting one’s local community, with many of the selected finishes coming from local high street shops. While it is not always straightforward working with friends, I feel they had confidence in my ability to provide a professional service and produce a design that stood out from the typical rear extensions in the area.

What principles guide your material and layout choices?

For me, function and how the spaces are used is the key to any design. If the layout does not work for the client, their family (or pets!), then you haven’t fulfilled your obligation as an Architect. Material choices are often developed through discussions with the client, be it via personal suggestions, or through understanding their preferences and tastes. They also need to relate to the context, the surrounding/neighbouring buildings, existing fabric of the home, and occasionally, existing furniture and fittings.

What’s your process when it comes to kitchen design — how involved do you like to be, and how do you collaborate with suppliers like Naked?

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It needs to function well in its use, its connection to and relationship with the rest of the house. Hence, the layout of the kitchen is key to the majority of residential project commissions, where the proposed design includes the complete kitchen layout. This provides the principle, from locations of appliances, sinks and services, islands if relevant, breakfast bars etc. Once this principle is agreed with the client, then it is the right time to bring manufactures like Naked on board. Typically I have provided cabinet layouts, but in-house designers accurately set out cabinets to their carcass dimensions. This may result in suggested ‘tweaks’ to the proposed layout, where expert advice and suggestions are welcome, with the final design being a team process.

How do you balance modernisation with character in period properties like these?

The balance of modernisation with period features may be in material choice and form. At Highbury in particular the extensions are built in London yellow stock brick externally and internally to match the existing house fabric. The use of oiled timber, such as exposed oak ceiling beams - a material common in Georgian building - can be adapted to more contemporary design internally.

Palmers Green is similar. White external render matches the existing house typology, as well as the internal use of oiled oak herringbone flooring and painted cabinetry. While these are modern interventions, the materials are ‘at ease’ in the context.

The exposed brick and generous glazing in the Highbury kitchen give it a distinctive warmth and texture. Was that part of the original building, or something you introduced?

The exposed brick and more extensive glazing were not an inherent part of the existing building. The lower ground floor was below ground level, and contained a relatively small kitchen and dining room for a 6 member family. It was also dark being below ground level, with access to the rear garden via old small timber French doors. Therefore, the need for natural light was a key design approach. We were extending out into the garden to provide a larger open plan kitchen dining room, potentially making the centre of the house even darker. The large expanse of glazing to the rear extension, as well as large rooflight to the extension roof, provide the natural light as well as access to the rear paved terrace. A much improved relationship between the exterior and interior from the existing Georgian plan.

The exposed brick, oiled oak joists and oak bench seat, as well as the RAL colour choice of the aluminium glazing, all formed a palette to provide a tactile warm environment. Initially walking around the clients home, they had many items of timber furniture, some of which were heirlooms. Any modern extension needed to blend into the existing home and also reflect the family.

There’s a lovely sense of openness and flow between the kitchen, living space, and garden. What were you aiming to achieve with the layout, and how does it support day-to-day life for the clients?

A connection between the rear garden and the inside was lacking. In building the rear extensions, we also dug into the raised garden in order to provide a terrace and seating area, accessed from both extensions. The extension also includes a glass to glass corner window with bench seat, providing a seamless link to the outside and a space for relaxing and reflection. This transparency between kitchen, dining and terrace allows one to communicate between spaces, and appreciate the garden and exterior.

The Palmers Green kitchen feels warm and full of character, with beautiful finishes and natural textures. What were the key ideas behind the material palette and overall atmosphere?

This was my first completed kitchen with Naked. It sprang from a suggestion to my client that I’d seen illustrations of this kitchen manufacturer’s product in publications and on social media. I liked the style of cabinet doors with the coloured finger holes. The clients were sold and promptly drove out to Norfolk to visit the workshop.

We started with the brief of new oak flooring throughout. Naked’s style of timber cabinet doors with a modern twist of colour was a perfect material balance sympathetic to the house aesthetic, while providing a contemporary variation using a traditional material.

How did you integrate the kitchen into the broader architecture of the space – especially with that large open-plan room and its strong visual connection to the garden?

The existing house followed a typical house typology of terraced houses in the area, where the kitchen was separated from the rest of the house within a very small room. The result of building a rear extension and opening up the ground floor, created a drastic improvement to family life. While open plan living is not for everyone, for this family who enjoy cooking it meant an improved social interaction between parents and children, while also providing that sense of space and natural light. The new kitchen island becomes the focal point. One cooks on it, sits around it on the breakfast bar as a family, then also becomes the focal point when entertaining.

Why did you choose to work with Naked Kitchens for these projects?

It all began when I just liked their style of cabinets. The relationship and projects have continued due to the service Naked provide and the delivered product. For example, at Palmers Green Naked worked hard to accommodate the proposed slide-and-hide pantry doors we needed. When the kitchen was delivered, all the cabinet finger holes had the wrong colour inserts. Without fuss, the entire kitchen was collected the next day and returned to the workshop, and re-delivered the following week with the correct inserts.

Every client, as well as myself, has been very happy with the service and quality of each delivered kitchen. Their cabinets and doors may not suit every design and brief, but when they are compatible, I have no reason not to suggest Naked.

When suggesting a kitchen supplier to a client, one needs to feel confident that the product will meet your and the clients expectations. Working with Naked continues to be a welcome team process, collaborating with the Architect to fulfil the design intent. To date, the post-design service and the quality of workmanship make one confident to continue recommending Naked to clients.

Any particular features or finishes from Naked that you or the client especially appreciated?

I particularly love the timber detailing of the spice racks and shelves which is revealed when opening the pantry doors. The reeded glass to the Dining Room drinks cabinets were a great feature at the Palmers Green project.

What kind of clients or briefs are you most excited to work on at the moment?

I get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction working with small domestic clients. It is very rewarding working on peoples’ own homes. Meeting clients face-to-face and getting to know them is not something that every Architect has the opportunity to do.

Finally, what makes a kitchen really work — for you, and for your clients?

I’d say the kitchen has to function. You have to be able to use it in a way that fits with your needs and which is compatible with your lifestyle, as well as achieving a final product which is beautifully constructed and designed.

For Nick, a successful kitchen isn’t about a particular aesthetic or trend – it’s about how well it works for the people who live there. When layout, materials and functionality all work in harmony to make daily life better, that’s when it becomes something special – something that’s built for life.

See more of Nick's work at berzinsarchitects.com