In the nearly 30 years since Christopher Peacock founded his eponymous luxury cabinetry company, he’s seen kitchen trends come and go, but well-made, straightforward designs will always stand the test of time. For one of his latest projects, the king of quality kitchens walks us through how he approaches putting together the home’s hardest-working room.
Where do you begin when designing a kitchen? For me, I usually start the process before I’m even inside the space. It’s important to be aware of the detailing, materials and arrangement of the rest of the home so the kitchen design is both cohesive and a natural progression. A big mistake is thinking of this room in a vacuum.
Walk us through your approach to the materials. The dramatic stone was the first thing I picked out. I considered it as a piece of art in guiding the rest of the scheme. For example, the gray and blue cabinetry colors were pulled right from the veining. Walnut has been around for a long time but there’s something about this particular wood that I just love. It brings such depth to a design and can simultaneously feel both modern and traditional.
How have kitchens evolved? Today, these rooms are not considered separate spaces. Instead, they often open up to living areas, particularly in cities and urbans developments. Because of this fluidity, I wanted the elements in this kitchen to read almost like furniture: The island, oven and wall cabinetry all become decorative pieces incorporating different materials and colors.
