Pocket doors open into side recesses to reveal a stunning home office

One of our most recent projects has been to create a bespoke contemporary home office in our client’s family residence. Designed by Darren Taylor, this modern English Oak desk is wide enough for two people to sit at comfortably. It features a specially sourced 3.6 metre x 80cm single piece of solid oak for the desktop which has been treated with a natural lacquer. The oak drawers beneath all have dovetail drawer boxes with one shallow depth and two deep drawers for each section. Hand-painted in Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore Paints, the cup pull handles are all polished brass.

Last year, I was seeking lighting and accessories for my new first floor showroom so I paid a visit to the impressive Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour in London and it turned out to be a very successful mission. This year, I decided to return to visit Focus 2020, the annual trade show for interior designers held there during London Design Week.

It was a very well-organised event with lots of staff on-hand to help and advise, given the current situation. The Design Centre is vast, so social distancing was not an issue and in all communal spaces I wore a face covering, plus there were digital temperature monitors located in every pavilion and thankfully mine was normal throughout my visit.

With the sun shining in through the glass domes that cover the Design Centre, it was the perfect day to visit and there was a lot to see. However, my focus was on showrooms that design occasional furniture. At Searle & Taylor, we design and make built-in kitchens and bespoke furniture for other rooms so it is useful to be able to recommend bar stools, accessories and freestanding pieces from other companies to our clients. We can even source lighting and furniture for them, if required.

Here are links to some of the showrooms I visited at Focus 2020

Tollgard

A curation of stunning contemporary design with many Scandinavian pieces

Showrooms

Ceccotti Collezione

Stunning and creatively designed furniture for living and sleeping spaces

Ceccotti Collezioni

Davidson

Luxury tables and furniture with a speciality in stunning coloured lacquer finishes

DAVIDSON London

Original BTC

Fantastic British handmade lighting that can also be seen at the Searle & Taylor showroom in Winchester

https://www.originalbtc.com/

I have actually been busier than ever since getting over the initial shock of having to close my showroom due to the Covid19 health emergency. We closed the doors on Monday 23^rd March after the announcement that evening by our PM, Boris and since then I have abided by the Government’s sensible approach of staying inside and social distancing when out and about.

This situation has made me think differently about my business and rather than fighting something that I really can’t do a lot about, I have instead decided to put this unprecedented downtime to good use.

I firstly needed to manage the expectations of our clients who were part-way through our installation process. They have all been hugely supportive and understanding of a situation that is out of all of our hands and, of course, they will be my first priority as soon as we are allowed back.

Since then, I have been working very hard every day installing a new display in my shop window. Thankfully I was able to take delivery of the new cabinetry and appliances just before shut-down following a major alteration of my ground floor showroom. We had recently  removed part of an internal wall to knock-through a new doorway to access my new first-floor showroom. This features two large stunning kitchen displays by ELK – Extreme Logic Kitchens and a future blog regarding this amazing Hampshire-based artisan brand will be coming soon.

I tend to perform all my own remedials, repairs and occasional installation work to support my past client’s kitchens as part of our after-sales service so consequently, I am fully ‘tooled up’.  After nearly 30 years in the business I also have the skill-set to fit my own kitchens and  I really, really enjoy it.

Being able to spend time alone with very little interruption, I have managed to single-handedly install what is a vast and heavy kitchen display together with most appliances. This furniture is part of an even larger overall display at the entrance of my showroom with tall bespoke cabinetry on either side of the doorway and a circular island in the centre. Each morning I have driven to work and parked opposite my showroom in the Hotel Du Vin car park, nipped across the road, opened up and then locked the door behind me in order to work safely alone whittling and fitting the new furniture.

When I finished building it and doing all I could, I then trusted my painter with a key and left him alone to hand-paint the complete display. This has changed from pale blue to Duck Green, a rich dark and sophisticated colour that Gavin, my design manager of 17 years spotted in Farrow & Ball in Winchester. He was spot on, and I am really pleased with it.

I just now need to wait for a delivery from blacksmith, Ged Kennett who is still managing to hand-make bespoke handles as he works on his own and will post them very soon. I am also going to install a highly fashionable and stunning quartz worktop and splashback by Radianz called Denali Cloud, which is off-white with a slight grey vein – a really popular look for kitchen worktops right now.

I have also installed a bank of new Miele Generation 7000 cooking appliances including the German brand’s fantastic combination steam oven above a single oven, which is housed above a large gourmet warming drawer; an excellent combination.

As soon as the new worktop is fitted, I can then install the appliance that I am most excited about: the new, award-winning Panorama Vented Downdraft Induction Hob by Belgian brand Novy. This is a powerful and quiet all in one appliance that incorporates the extraction tower within the hob itself that rises from the surface when cooking begins and disappears back into the surface when cooking has ended. I will be setting this to demo mode so that the glass tower will be continually going up and down for all passerby’s to admire.

I can’t wait to be open again and show the people of Winchester my handywork.

Until then, stay safe.

At Searle & Taylor we have partnered with Quooker for many years. A Quooker Boiling Water tap is one of our most requested appliances and one that we love to demonstrate. At our Winchester showroom we feature the recently launched Quooker Flex which we believe is a gamechanger in the kitchen because of its truly flexible functionality. No need for a kettle, no need for a filtered water jug – just the tap.

The Flex is the latest innovation from Quooker. A boiling-water tap equipped with a flexible pull out hose for hot, cold and filtered cold water. This makes it very easy to pour a glass of water, make a pot of filtered coffee or clean your pans quickly and effectively.

We are often asked if the Quooker Flex Boiling Water tap is safe? It is extremely safe thanks to the boiling-water stop. The Flex will not dispense boiling water when the pull out hose is pulled out. In order to get boiling water, you must also first use the (double)-push-and-turn handle. The insulated spout and fine aerated spray ensure no risk of scalding or burning.

Knocked over kettles cause hundreds of casualties each year, especially for young children. Such accidents are a thing of the past with the Quooker, thanks to its childproof handle and insulated sides that ensure it never feels hot to the touch. The water is boiling, but the flow is a fine spray rather than a solid jet, giving you plenty of time to get your hands out of harm's way. The boiling water control is entirely separate from the standard hot and cold. Safety and ease of use go hand in hand with the Quooker.

We are also asked if the Quooker is energy efficient? The patented insulation of its tank means that its standby consumption is less then 3p per day. It uses less electricity than repeatedly boiling a kettle. Most of all, having a Quooker Flex Boiling Water tap means that you have the convenience of all different types of hot and cold filtered water from a single tap.

Please come and ask for a demonstration at our Winchester showroom and you can view the benefits for yourself.

In March last year, I was delighted to be invited to a private view of the launch of the new Gaggenau Vario 400 cooling series; a modular range of refrigerators, freezers, fridge-freezers and wine climate cabinets which can be configured to meet an array of individual needs.

I am pleased to have our selection of the new Vario 400 series now installed in the Searle & Taylor Winchester showroom and the fridge, freezer and wine cabinet look fantastic installed side-by-side as a ‘cooling wall’ in a dramatic contemporary anthracite matt glass Intuo kitchen display on the ground floor.

As you would expect from a luxury brand like Gaggenau, there are a lot of stunning features that make this cooling system stand out from the crowd. The most innovative aspect is the Gaggenau opening assist system: push to open the handleless door and the mechanism will effortlessly open it for you – and this mechanism can also be tailored to excatly suit your requirements. Thanks to its ingenious proximity sensor, even the door‘s ice and water dispenser anticipates your needs and automatically activates the light and touch keys as you approach.

The doors to the larder fridge and integrated freezer open to reveal a complete stainless steel interior and dark anthracite anodised aluminium elements. Clear glass shelving and solid aluminium door racks are further complemented by a stunning atmospheric glow from the warm-white, glare-free LED lights.

The Vario wine climate cabinets in the 400 series take inspiration from the oak barrels used to age wine. Oak and dark anthracite aluminium bottle trays fully extend on telescopic rails to provide gentle support for the wine. Further safeguards are provided by the cabinet’s low vibration, humidity regulation, and the activated charcoal air filter which protects the wine from odour contamination. Up to three independently controlled climate zones can also be adjusted via the newly installed intuitive TFT display. This means part of your wine collection can be stored in cellar-like conditions, while bottles that should be enjoyed now can be served on demand.

We feature a wide range of Gaggenau appliances on display at our Ropley and Winchester showrooms. If you are ordering one of our kitchens with Gaggenau appliances, we can also organise for you to have a private appointment at the Gaggeanu showroom in Wigmore Street, London to view the full range.

Please call or visit us for more information.

At Searle & Taylor, one of the most exciting aspects of working in the kitchen design business is sourcing fantastic complementary appliances and products for our showroom displays that we believe people will love and want in their own kitchens.

We seek out exciting niche brands to bring them to your attention, and one that ticks all the boxes in the lead up to Christmas is the Kaelo integrated wine cooler that can be retro-fitted into your worktop.

The Kaelo is one appliance that is a must-have for anyone who socialises or entertains on a regular basis. It is designed to keep chilled wine or Champagne at the perfect ambient temperature when opened, so you can just relax and pour. Handmade in England, Kaelo uses a patented dry cooling system to keep the bottle within one to two degrees of its opening temperature with no need for ice or refills, and no drips. It is integrated into your worktop and just needs a plug, so if you have an open plan kitchen, your open bottle is always close to hand.

We have a Kaelo integrated wine cooler on display at both of our Ropley and Winchester showrooms, so please pop in or arrange an appointment and we can demonstrate it to you.