The Et Lorem bespoke kitchen team were asked to create a dramatic in-frame kitchen for a new-build home in Buckinghamshire.

Designer Jade Jones from Et Lorem’s Beaconsfield Design Studio brought her expertise to this particular project.

Q: What were the design priorities for this project?

From the beginning, the scope of the project was to balance aesthetics with practical design features, creating a high-functioning kitchen space to be used by everyone in the home. Our sole aim was to design something truly personal for our clients, featuring a careful balance of contrasting materials, symmetry and a streamlined look.

Q: How did you answer the brief?

We had a close working relationship with the homeowners and so we were able to take on the role of guiding them through their choices of style and materials. They wanted a large feature island, and that now acts as a centrepiece, showing the luxurious design elements to their best advantage. We created a thoughtful combination of materials that felt calm and harmonious, and the whole kitchen-living space uses a strong colour palette with textural contrasts.

Q: The kitchen was for a new-build family home, how did that work practically?

The property was already quite far along in the build schedule when we became involved. Our role was to work within an established architectural framework. Key spatial decisions, including the overall layout, room proportions, coffered ceiling and internal door positions, had already been defined by the wider design and construction team.

We focused on how the kitchen could best sit within those parameters, ensuring it felt fully integrated rather than placed within the space.

We refined the layout, circulation and design to ensure the kitchen worked practically for the clients’ day-to-day use, while still responding to the architecture of the home. The result is a kitchen that feels cohesive and resolved within the structure of the building.

Q: How did the kitchen plan and colour scheme evolve?

During our initial discussion, our clients favoured traditional light grey perimeter cabinetry, and a dark blue feature island, but were open to other suggestions. We suggested a move away from the mainstream, with a mix of dark, Shaker-style cabinetry combined with timber accents to provide a signature blend of contrasts, materials, symmetry and lighting. We had a similar display in our Reading showroom and our clients loved the idea of a more transitional style of furniture and deeper colour palette.

Q: What are the details of the cabinetry and surfaces?

The cabinetry is a bespoke, handmade in-frame design, hand painted in Artillery Ground ™ No. 164 by Mylands. The deep green-brown colour has a matt, natural finish – it’s one of our favourite shades as it works as a strong contrast to lighter work surface colours.

To create a symmetrical element and to bounce light around the room, we positioned glass display cabinets above the wash zone. This created an ideal storage space for glassware, with easy access. For the handles, we chose a mix of Belgravia bar and T-handles by Hendel & Hendel which ensure every door and drawer is easy to open and close, with complete comfort.

There’s a fully integrated fridge freezer to the left of the cleaning and cook zone, which naturally enhances the workflow, keeping fridge-sink-oven within easy reach. The soft white sink provides a natural visual link between the work surfaces and back splash.

Q: What storage elements do you think work particularly well in this project?

The breakfast cupboard is my absolute favourite, delivering style and substance for our clients. It’s extra-tall, providing a good amount of space. It improves the work flow, providing a dedicated space for all the small appliances, which frees up valuable storage in the main kitchen area.

I also like the walnut design elements, both hidden and exposed, providing a contemporary twist against the deep paint colour of the cabinetry. Walnut features on the low-level display area which is part of the main island. This open shelving unit is perfect for the family cookbooks and board games.

The breakfast bar at the end of the island provides an ergonomic work station, an extra space for dining, socialising or just contemplating the garden!

Q: What do you think are your most successful design elements?

The Ariastone Calacatta in shades of gold, honey, amber and grey used for the full-height splashback and 50mm work surfaces is vein-matched to ensure a flawless look. The island features a central cooking zone as well as dining space, and we included an EVOline ® BackFlip socket solution for connectivity and power. It’s a great solution for using smaller electrical appliances on the island, such as a whisk or blender.

The breakfast cupboard features Ariastone Calacatta Gold again, but with a slimmer 20mm work surface. The work area is used for food prep, bread making, baking and hot drinks prep away from the main cooking zone.

As our clients love home cooking and entertaining we chose a pair of Miele ovens and a flush mounted induction hob with integrated extraction. The all-black appliances are from Miele’s Kitchen range, offering a sophisticated alternative to stainless steel.

Q: What is your advice for someone starting to plan a new kitchen?

Start by considering how you want the space to feel and how you will use it every day. A successful kitchen is shaped around real routines, creating an environment that feels calm, intuitive and personal. It should also feel at home within the architecture of the property, sitting naturally within its proportions, materials and character.

Luxury today is defined by experience as much as aesthetics, with technology playing an important role. Every element should be carefully curated for you personally, from materials and layout through to storage and zoning.  Then, the kitchen becomes a tailored environment that reflects how you live, cook and connect with others. That is what creates true luxury.

Q: Do you have a certain style signature or feature that you use in most of your projects?

Each kitchen we design is uniquely individual. By working hand in hand with the finest kitchen furniture, surface and cooking technology brands we can ensure the defining qualities that are specific to each of our clients. We then transform schematic concepts into unrivalled kitchen-living projects that are perfect for that particular client. Not being bound by the limitations of a single product line means we offer a very specific and personalised service, ensuring that every project is different.

Q: Are projects still extending beyond the kitchen?

Yes, absolutely. In fact, we increasingly see continuity in design across the wider home, where adjacent spaces are considered as part of one cohesive living environment rather than separate rooms.

Utility rooms and boot rooms remain essential, offering practical separation for everyday life while maintaining a consistent design language throughout the home.

Alongside this, we are also seeing more expressive opportunities emerging — from media walls that integrate seamlessly into living spaces, to bespoke home bars that introduce a more social, characterful element within the home. These areas allow for a different kind of creativity, where function meets personality.

Ultimately, it is about designing with continuity in mind, ensuring every space feels connected, considered, and part of a wider architectural whole.

Q: What are your colour predictions for the rest of 2026, going in to 2027?

Warm neutrals will continue to provide a calm and grounding foundation in the kitchen, with a layered blend of timeless white, taupe and mocha to bring much-needed softness and light to such a busy area of the home. For anyone wanting a more saturated colour palette, the kitchen is taking inspiration from the great outdoors with a confident shift towards green and blue in all forms. Think muted sage and olive through to deeper, darker heritage shades. Suitable in both classic and contemporary kitchen interiors, earthy tones will also creating living spaces that are fresh and timeless at the same.

Project by Et Lorem, 45 Station Road, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 1QG. T: 01494 311156, E: info@etlorem.com Also at 2^nd Floor, Saxon House, 44-52 Oxford Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 7LA Follow the team on Instagram @et_lorem_ltd. All cabinetry is bespoke and hand-made.

Work surfaces and splash back  in Calacatta Gold, Ariastone

Sinks, Subline sink in Silgranit soft white, Blanco

Taps, Patinated brass by Quooker

Cabinet hardware, Hendel & Hendel

Back Flip socket in work surface, EVOline