European Oak Kitchen

A desire to be creative, as well as reference her Danish heritage, was the driving force behind Tanja Johnson’s kitchen project, European Oak Kitchen. When Tanja Johnson and her husband Christopher moved into their home three years ago, the big selling point was the view from the front window. ‘We were just mesmerised,’ she recalls. ‘ e sea and hills beyond seem to stretch as far as the eye can see.’ 

However, the ground oor rooms didn’t take advantage of the property’s beautiful location at all. e kitchen was a small room at the back, and a redundant downstairs bedroom sat alongside, adjacent to the living room at the front of the house. ‘We quickly realised that if we used the bedroom as a kitchen and knocked through to the living room, we would be able to enjoy the views all day long from front to back,’ Tanja explains. Originally from Denmark, she is used to the clean, contemporary lines that her homeland is famous for. ‘I feel comfortable in open-plan, modern spaces, so I was keen to create something of that style here,’ Tanja says. For the kitchen itself, she wanted something unusual, and was delighted to nd a locally-based, award-winning furniture and cabinetmaker in David Watson, whose attention to detail and growing reputation really stood out. ‘Christopher and I were not on a tight budget as we both work full time, so we were looking for something special,’ says Tanja. ‘Working with David gave us free rein to get exactly what we wanted.’

The kitchen is completely bespoke and has been custom-made for the space. ‘ e style of the cabinetry is deliberately minimal so it almost disappears into the wall,’ Tanja explains. ‘But at David’s suggestion, we have added a sunshine yellow trim as a fun touch, which can easily be changed should we ever want a slightly di erent mood in the future.’

e concrete worktop o ers a tactile contrast to the ne craftsmanship of the wooden cabinetry. ‘I really like the combination of textures,’ says Tanja. ‘ e roughness of the material is so di erent to the awless nish of the oak door fronts.’ e concrete is not without imperfections, as you would expect: ‘It probably wasn’t the most practical choice,’ Tanja admits, ‘but I love its industrial aesthetic. I think it adds warmth to the otherwise quite minimal scheme.’ One very sensible choice, however, was the ooring. ‘We’re both keen gardeners, so I chose hardwearing Karndean Design ooring as it leads directly onto the garden,’ she explains. ‘ e dark charcoal tones are very forgiving of muddy boots!’ In a savvy move, the couple turned the original kitchen into a handy utility space: ‘Because the space is open to the living room, we have deliberately pared it back, as we didn’t want it to seem too kitchen-like,’ Tanja says. ‘ e new utility area is invaluable, as that’s where we can hide all the bulkier appliances. All in all, I’m delighted with the result,’ says Tanja. ‘We love the views front and back, and we have undoubtedly achieved the open, sociable space that we both wanted.’

sources: GoodHomes UK, August 2018

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