At the edge cutting

ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT ROOM IN THE MODERN HOUSE, THE KITCHEN CAN MAKE OR BREAK A SALE.

ALEXANDRA GOSS EXPLORES THE SHARPEST DESIGNS FOUND IN PRIME LONDON’S KITCHENS

HEAT OF THE MOMENT Opening spread, left to right: This Hampstead home, redesigned by MW Architects, benefits from an open-plan kitchen, with Pluck's warm London Plane wood surfaces and Atlantic Blue cabinetry; the 8 Eaton Lane residences, sold through Knight Frank, boast bespoke kitchens with statement lighting and showstopping materials This page, top to bottom: Design studio Albion Nord was tasked with giving the OWO Residences by Raffles a timeless ambience, as reflected in this elegant breakfast nook and Smallbone kitchen in the reflection; this Sloane Square pied-à-terre's kitchen was given a marble monochrome refresh by Naomi Astley Clarke

The kitchen has come a long way. Once hidden from sight and used only for preparing and storing food, it has become the heart of the modern home – a place for eating, entertaining and enjoyment.

London’s most exclusive property developments are leading the way in creating jaw-dropping kitchens that blend practicality and theatricality, so when their sleek surfaces are pulled away, they reveal the very latest appliances for creating culinary masterpieces. No longer a cookie-cutter afterthought in a residential scheme, these custom-made, cutting-edge rooms take centre stage.

Take The OWO Residences by Ra es, which are the first major development in London to feature kitchens by the luxury furniture maker Smallbone. The kitchens in the 85 residences, which cost from £3.95m to £30m (theowo.london), are practical yet dramatic, with oakveneered cabinets in hand-finished grey hues and antique brass detailing, Brazilian Taj Mahal stone worktops and glazed cabinets. All feature top-of-the-range Gaggenau appliances in a tonal Anthracite finish.

“Each of The OWO residences is unique either in shape or aspect, but the governing rule was that they all carried the same level of luxury and attention to detail,” says Iain O’Mahony, director at Smallbone (smallbone.co.uk). “They also had to work as practical kitchens that are used every day. We believe the result is not only beautiful, but will also function for the most enthusiastic home cook.”

Equally show-stopping are the bespoke kitchens at 8 Eaton Lane, a new collection of 42 exclusive residences by the developer CIT Group that cost from £3.75m , through Knight Frank and Savills. These feature hardwood timber floors, Calacatta Do Brazil quartzite worktops and splashbacks with fluted marble finishes. The handcrafted cabinetry is painted in Farrow & Ball Purbeck Stone and features nickel-finish ironmongery, while the rooms are fitted with Gaggenau appliances.

Indeed, the installation of high-quality appliance brands such as Gaggenau and Sub-Zero & Wolf is an important element of the capital’s best residential schemes – the latter feature in The Peninsula, Chelsea Barracks and The Bryanston, Hyde Park (thebryanston. co.uk). “Super-prime developers use only the best brands for their kitchen appliances, names synonymous with quality that will resonate with buyers the

ISLANDS IN THE STEAM Right, top to bottom: Sola Kitchen's brass island, which houses the hob, two ovens and a wine fridge, gives this loft-style kitchen in Crouch End serious wow factor; Clive Christian Furniture Co.'s statement kitchen solutions include this lantern-lit dining-counter island

Inspect THE GADGETS

Now that hot taps and built-in coffee machines are standard, here are the next-level appliances gracing the finest London kitchens:

• The pot filler is a one-arm, single-temperature faucet located above the stove, allowing you to fill pans without carrying them back and forth from the sink

• A wine fridge is an absolute must – but only if it has multiple climate zones for storing bottles of red wine, port, Champagne and white wine at their optimum temperatures

• Go big with a teppanyaki professional hob. “This will wow guests and is also easy to clean,” says William Durrant, owner of Herringbone Kitchens (herringbonekitchens.com)

• The vacuum sealer. “Professional chefs have used sous-vide cookery to create incredible results for years but it's only now, with the availability of domestic-standard vacuum sealers, that this style of cooking is a reality in the home,” says Simon Plumbridge, category manager at Gaggenau (gaggenau.com/gb)

• The urban cultivator. “This fridge-meetsgreenhouse allows you to grow your own herbs and vegetables in ideal conditions, 365 days a year,” says the interior designer Naomi Astley Clarke (naomiastleyclarke.com)

Poggenpohl Wigmore | 118 Wigmore Street | London W1U 3RT 020 7224 1986 | wigmore@poggenpohl.com | wigmore.poggenpohl.com

Poggenpohl Chelsea | 265-267 Fulham Road | London SW3 6HY 020 7730 7927 | chelsea@poggenpohl.com | chelsea.poggenpohl.com

Poggenpohl Hampstead | 477-481 Finchley Road | London NW3 6HS 020 7794 7801 | hampstead@poggenpohl.com | hampstead.poggenpohl.com

HOBNOBBING Below: Now the hub of the modern home, clever storage and clutter-free surfaces – as seen in this Studio Jay design – are essential for stylish urban kitchens. For busy Londoners, it's a space in which to cook, dine and socialise world over,” says Ricky Davies, managing director of SubZero & Wolf UK & Europe (subzero-wolf.co.uk).

Yet paired with this technical wizardry is a timeless simplicity. Many of the best kitchens are centred around a luxurious palette of natural materials – such as the Ratio kitchen designed by Vincent Van Duysen for the Italian luxury kitchen fi rm Dada, part of the Molteni Group (dada-kitchens.com), which marries vast expanses of warm oak with Italian marble. Provenance and sustainability are also now top of the agenda: for example, in 7a Charles St, a new Mayfair development by REDD, the walls around the breakfast table are made of fluted vegan leather and the kitchen was made in Britain.

“The wish list from high-net-worth buyers is green,” agrees Oli Deadman, head of design at Clive Christian Furniture (clivechristianfurniture.com). “We ’re being asked to integrate walk-in living fridges, fresh drawers and only sustainably-sourced woods and materials.”

So, what are the other ingredients of a modern kitchen around which all life revolves, from cooking and eating to homeworking and play? Space in city kitchens is often tight , so these rooms must multi-task, says Rhiannon Phenis, head of design at Sola Kitchens, which makes sleek, Scandinavian designs (solakitchens.com).

Surfaces should be clutter-free, so designers conceal everything from cables to cooker hoods. “Cookers with integrated extraction are deservedly popular – they eliminate the need for overhead extraction, which can be awkward to accommodate when space is at a premium , as is the case for many urban kitchens,” says George Glasier, co-founder of bespoke kitchen company Pluck ( pluck.co.uk), which sells cooktops with built-in extraction systems from German brand BORA (bora.com).

Storage is also crucial, with hidden pantries

Notting Hill

Barnes

The light-filled modern kitchen of this four-bedroom house in Barnes has built-in Miele appliances and a separate utility room. £1.55m through Marsh & Parsons

SOUTH QUAY PLAZA, CANARY WHARF

At South Quay Plaza, in Canary Wharf, residents have their own 56th-floor outdoor kitchen and bar. It’s equipped with a top-of-the-range grill, sink and granite worktops and has views across the capital. One-bedroom apartments cost from £720,000 through JLL

FINE DINING From top to bottom: The epitome of modern Scandi-styling with earthy green cabinets, antique brass hardware and a porcelain, this Sola Kitchens design complements the original architectural features of this Sussex barn; filled with expanses of light-giving marble-effect porcelain, pebble grey accents and a black-lacquer island, this Hampstead kitchen reflects Poggenpohl's ageless aesthetic and breakfast stations hugely popular, says Brenda Gibson, designer at bespoke kitchen brand Tom Howley (tomhowley.co.uk). “A breakfast pantry can incorporate your entire morning, from a professional co ee machine to a toaster and a whole host of cereal options for the kids. You can close the doors behind you, concealing all the mess and clutter until it’s time to tidy.”

Ultimately, however, the cutting-edge kitchen is all about creating a timeless aesthetic. In a recent project in Hampstead, James Kalozois, senior designer at Poggenpohl ( poggenpohl.com), kept the space clean and clutter free with marble-e ect porcelain, pebble-grey cabinetry, a striking pendant light and sleek, piano-black gloss lacquer on the kitchen island. Though the space looks ultra-modern, its clean lines and muted colour palette will always be fashionable.

“Poggenpohl is the oldest kitchen brand in the world and we ’ve been using the same drawer sizes and championing clean lines since 1892,” Kalozois says. “A colour like grey will never date and though black lacquer on its own is very modern , when paired with grey and natural materials such as marble it ’s ageless.”

Get it right, and a kitchen could even help sell a property. In December, Savills surveyed its agents across the country, asking them what they thought was the most important element of a home for their buyers. Nationwide, the kitchen came top, with 73 per cent agreeing, rising to 75 per cent for London-based agents.

“London’s prime kitchens often need to be environments that are beyond functional, serving as spaces to entertain, host and impress,” says Harry Buchanan, director of Jackson-Stops’ Pimlico and Westminster branch. “They act as interior design statements in themselves, with the power to make or break a deal among London’s high-net-worth crowd.”

The finest kitchens can even leave seasoned estate agents speechless. Paul Price, regional sales director at Marsh & Parsons, was wowed by the kitchen in Hamilton House, near Richmond Park, which he recently sold with an asking price of £7.25m. “It has bespoke units with a Sub-Zero fridge -freezer, an extensive range of built-in Siemens appliances and a wine cooler,” Price explains. “The kitchen island is enormous and the worktop is one big slab of Italian marble, which is very rare and was very di cult to transport.” L