Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make the difference. The cold side of the pillow, the letter in the post from an old friend, the first bite of that to-die-for pudding.
Much of the overall look of a kitchen will be about the big design decisions, worktop material, cabinetry, colour scheme. Just like life, however, the little things are where much of the real pleasure lies. Items like splashbacks and lighting details are a small but vital bit of the puzzle. Get them right and they are bigger than the sum of their parts.
It’s all in the design
Design is, when it comes down to it, about space, line, form, colour, and texture. If you get these design cues out of alignment you end up with a something that doesn’t quite sit right. Big problems, like an island at odds with the corner of the worktop, are easier to spot. Smaller details, like door handles that are mismatched with the cooker hood, are trickier to iron out. It’s there a talented designer can use small things to start really making a difference. Even things like location can change a design. A period house in London will need quite a different approach from a period house in Bristol.
Lighting
Lighting isn’t a small detail, but some of the elements are. Lighting is made up of task, accent, and general lighting. Accent lighting can really show off design details and tie the whole thing together. Surfaces can be highlighted, attention can be diverted, and moods can be altered.
Splashbacks
Form follows function. A splashback is there to protect your kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it look fantastic. A change in texture or a dab of colour using a splashback shows you’ve paid attention to the details. The Scandinavian Kitchen we designed used a design sympathetic material in a really clean way. A ‘Scandi’ often needs an accent colour, you could look at making the splashback the accent, it all depends on the overall design. Combining the right splashback with some accent lighting can be a great look.
Handles
While handles must be in general keeping with the design (an ultramodern handle in an old-world design might be hard to pull off), there will be a huge scope within the available range. It’s worth noting that a Papilio bespoke kitchen is exactly that, we don´t have a ‘range’ of products, we find exactly the right part for the design in hand. Because of all these options, handles can have a pretty big effect on the look. Rail handles, mission ring pull, or simple groove. None of the above work? Handle-free, push-shut, doors it is then!
Fixtures
Items like wall sockets and light switches can really set off a design. Where they are placed is partly practical, but also feeds into the design. Likewise, the wrong fixture in the wrong place can distract rather than harmonise. There is a simply amazing number of types and designs of electric sockets and other fixtures. We´ll be able to find one that matches the design perfectly.
The joy of designing handmade kitchens is the freedom to express the design using these small details. As always the importance is in making the kitchen a great place to socialise and to cook in. Within that remains the possibility to create a truly stunning design that pays attention to the smallest details to pull it all together. If you want your kitchen to add up to more than the sum of its parts, we are Papilio and we can make it happen. Get in touch and we can help get you started.
