Genius joinery: 7 brilliant bespoke kitchen creations

St Albans Cottage was a classic kitchen challenge. The client – architect Jake Lai – wanted to transform an awkward Victorian house into a modern, minimalist haven, which he did by filling it with Naked Kitchens cabinets in a beautiful brushed Limed Oak finish.

The trouble was the size of the space: too wide for a galley kitchen, yet too narrow for a full kitchen island. 

We solved this by custom-designing a narrow kitchen island on wheels, with flush finger-pulls detail instead of mounted handles. It’s a completely unique item, which provides loads of practical storage and work surface, but also makes the whole space sing.

2. The Chelsea bar and drinks cabinet

We’ve built plenty of beautiful drinks cabinets, but for an all-out showstopper, this has to be our favourite.

Shaker doors in a custom green open to reveal a stunning bar with glasses racks, wine storage and a bespoke hot drinks station complete with integrated coffee machine. Who wouldn’t want one?

3. The Highgate island

Hewn from a single slab of dark marble and set on an American black walnut frame, the island is a work of simple, stark beauty – and the star of the KBB Award-winning Highgate kitchen.

And while it looks like a minimalist sculpture, it’s a practical piece of hard-working furniture, incorporating a very solid storage shelf and a cooking hob.  

4. The Houghton’s double height island

Bespoke isn't just about solving tricky problems with space - it's about expressing yourself. This is for the Houghton kitchen certainly one of the more unusual islands we’ve made… A freestanding, pink, Shaker-style unit with drawers and cabinet storage is at a height suitable for food preparation, while adjoining it is a lower-height dining table with a stunning brass tabletop.

It’s an extraordinary mix of traditional and contemporary, with oodles of character.

5. The Elmham seating nook for a family kitchen

Designed by our own Jayne Everett, the Elmham includes a wonderful feature for the ‘kitchen as heart of the family home’.  A handy storage area that doubles as a charming little reading nook with lighting and shelves: just perfect for the kids to perch on while the grown-ups are cooking.

6. The Rudham ‘islet’

We love the gorgeous reeded red timber in the Rudham kitchen –  it gives it a deeply satisfying texture. And equally satisfying is the innovative little circular island (an ‘islet’, perhaps?) – an original feature that makes for a perfect spot to chop veg or gather together with drinks. Great for a small kitchen space.

7. The Wolferton’s secret home office 

More and more people are using their kitchen as a study – so why not do it properly? It looks like a kitchen cabinet, but slide back the pocket doors and there’s a completely bespoke home office… We had great fun designing and building this one: the future of working from home?

If you can dream it for your kitchen design, we can probably build it!

Get in touch – we’d love to hear about your one-of-a-kind kitchen ideas and apply some genius joinery to make it come to life.

See also:

What is a bespoke kitchen?

Kitchen inspiration: mixing and matching different cabinet styles for visual effect

Choosing colours for your kitchen – an expert guide

Small but beautiful: A complete guide to designing and maximising the space in a small kitchen