The Horners

When the Horners first approached us to discuss their bespoke kitchen in York, they were considering buying kitchen door sets to fit over standardised kitchen carcasses; a common approach taken by those after a specific aesthetic without the cost, flexibility and longevity of a solid bespoke option. Still, having met our team while visiting our showroom, they decided to opt for a Wood & Wire hand-made kitchen. Looking back, they’ve told us just how relieved they are that they went for a completely bespoke solution, agreeing that the feel of a kitchen with solid plywood cabinets and doors is very different from one with chipboard carcasses; in their minds, it’s an investment rather than a practical requirement.

The space – an extensive kitchen extension onto an adorable Victorian terrace in the heart of York – offers two exits from the building into the walled garden beyond, either side of an unapologetic structural ‘I’ beam overhead, painted in a wonderful sunny yellow. On one side of the beam, we created a galley kitchen leading to the first single-glazed door, comprising a tall integrated fridge/freezer, tower unit inclusive of 2 Siemens ovens, overhead cupboards and backing tray drawer at floor level, storage cupboards, a Peka pull-out unit and a three-drawer base unit under a 5-ring gas hob. Above this, sliding cupboards house the integrated extractor while a double layer of illuminated open shelving showcases the family’s decorative kitchen wares. To the centre of the room, directly under the ‘I’ beam a double-fronted run separates the kitchen from the diner while providing storage to both activities. Here, on the kitchen side, the integrated Siemens dishwasher, recycling unit and under-mounted Franke stainless steel 1.5 sink and matching tap sit alongside additional kitchen storage cupboards.
Facing the dining room, a combination of two open, illuminated shelving units with cupboards underneath, two further units with double doors, a single-door cupboard, and a three-drawer unit provide ample space to store family necessities.

Opposite the kitchen, at the entrance to the diner, we designed and fitted a floor-to-ceiling sliding door cupboard in waxed birch ply for housing utility items like the vacuum. All remaining faces of the kitchen and diner are laminated in blue colour, apart from the sliding cupboards above the hob, which remain in birch ply with pops of blue inset into their round inset handles. Worktops are a glacier white Corian with curved upstands, which lead into a triangular, white, mosaic splashback. Our clients completed the area with white walls and ceilings and a herringbone parquet floor.

Kitchen Cabinets   -  Birch Plywood    |    Worktop  - Glacier White Corian | Kitchen Doors and Drawers  -  Blue Laminate    |    Appliances  -  Siemens