The story: The new owners had recently purchased this Grade B listed apartment in Edinburgh when they approached Kitchens International to provide a design for what was to be a major all-inclusive renovation of the property.

The designer: Heather Oliver at Kitchens International (www.kitchensinternational.co.uk)

Designer Q&A:

Q) What was the brief from the client?
The clients were looking for a minimalist design that complemented the height and scale of the period room, but which would not overshadow it or distract heavily from the original features. Being listed, the property also came under specific constraints imposed by City of Edinburgh Council in relation to the kitchen design. The biggest constraint was that the kitchen must be fitted on the north wall of the room – a particularly challenging proposition given that also on this wall was the door through to the private quarters of the property from the kitchen and living spaces.

Q) How did you set about answering that brief?
I came up a solution that took on the concept of a continuous run of tall housings on the north wall with a simple, clean island. Within this wall I concealed a full internal fire door clad in furniture material, allowing it to blend in with the rest of the surrounding Leicht tall housings. Also included in this bank of cabinetry is a tall pocket door housing containing the sink, dishwasher and boiling water tap, as well as the oven, combination microwave, warming drawer, full height fridge-freezer, two pull-out larders and full depth stacked wall units. The island is a much simpler affair with induction hob and downdraft extractor, full depth pan drawers, integrated bin and a Liebherr dual zone wine cooler.

Q) Which products did you use and why?
I used Leicht Ceres Lava kitchen cabinetry with a Ceres magnolia island complete with Contino handleless furniture, all from Kitchens International. I also selected 58mm Vanilla Corian worktops for their simple elegance and soft touch.

Q) Was there any building/renovation work involved?
Yes, the whole apartment was refurbished.

Q) What elements do you think make the scheme so successful?
The clients loved the dark Leicht Lava door colour but were concerned it might be out of place in the room. It does look great though, especially when contrasted with a colour-matched paint on the ceiling. The bright orange walls and bar stools add a splash of bright colour, giving a contemporary edge to this traditional room.

Q) Any advice for someone who may be planning a new kitchen?
Try to include an island, as it provides a sense of inclusion rather than isolation from the rest of the home. Go for tall pantry units with internal pull drawers, as they are less of a manual strain and contain less weight yet give greater capacity. There are many new great storage solutions, which are worth every penny.

The details:
Kitchen cabinetry by Leicht, from Kitchens International, www.kitchensinternational.co.uk
Worktops by Corian, www.corian.com
Appliances from Siemens and Liebherr, www.siemens-home.bsh-group.com and www.myliebherr.co.uk
Boiling water tap from Quooker, www.quooker.co.uk

Hayley loves: the quick and easy way that clutter can be cleared from view; and, of course, the stunning Georgian architecture of the property.