NicossiA

The brief was as clear as it was creatively generous: create something that has never been seen before, something entirely unique. Working alongside the talented team at Cat Dal Interiors, that is precisely what we set out to deliver with the Nicosia kitchen and bar.

This is a space that draws on a series of well-established design languages, then quietly reshapes each one into something more considered, more distinctive, and ultimately more enduring. The result feels fresh and expressive, yet grounded in a timeless sensibility. Familiar elements, transformed into something that is entirely and unmistakably Blakes London.

Worktops

The worktops and backsplash are a manmade surface called Neolith in a classic Gold Silk Calacatta marble print, Above the worktop, glossy zellige tiles introduce an entirely different quality, their handmade irregularity and light-catching surface sitting in deliberate and contrast to the smooth stone below. The two materials are separated by a slim marble display shelf that acts as a natural and elegant break between them.

SHELVING

It is the shelving, though, that provides specific interest to the scheme. Above the slim marble shelf an additional shelving style has been introduced in bold blackened bronze. The hanging shelf brings an altogether different energy, adding an industrial edge that draws the eye upward and away from the richly textured cabinetry below. Glass inlays ensure that the light from above can illuminate through the structure allowing it sit more delicately in the space. Two very different expressions of the same idea, coexisting along the same elevation and working all the better for their contrast.

The Design

Three distinct flat-fronted timber cabinetry finishes sit comfortably alongside one another, each bringing its own texture and movement without competing. Rather than simplifying the space, this layering is precisely what gives Nicosia its depth and character.

The upper wall units, both in the kitchen and on the dresser, are finished in polished plaster, lacquered for durability. It is an artisanal finish, applied by hand and built up in layers of varying tone to create dimension and a quiet sense of life. As the light shifts throughout the day, so does the surface, giving the space a constantly changing energy. The colour is inspired by Farrow and Ball Studio green with the coats getting lighter with each applied layer.

The lower cabinets are finished in stained oak burr, darkened to an almost walnut depth. Stained burr oak was chosen deliberately over walnut for it’s smaller, more delicate swirl pattern which offered the character and movement we were after without overpowering the other materials in the room. Walnut burr, with its bolder and more dominant figuring, would have been too much.

The final finish, and perhaps our favourite, is the black stained planked rough sawn timber on the island giving this monolithic 3.6 meter island it’s own identity. Where the polished plaster offers a refined matt lustre and the burl timber a dappled organic warmth, the raw sawn timber boards introduce something more grounded and tactile. It is this contrast that stops the scheme from feeling overly precious, giving Nicosia an approachability that sits at the heart of what we do at Blakes London.

Bar stools from Soho Home

HIDDEN FUNCTIONALITY

Much of what makes this kitchen function so well is precisely what you cannot see.

A common missnoma is that Beauty nesessitate a practicality compromise. Not when they are designed in tandem from the very beginning.

For all its visual richness, Nicosia is a hardworking kitchen built around the requirements of daily family life. Much of what makes it function so well is precisely what you cannot see.

As with most of our designs, functional elements are concealed behind considered and well-engineered joinery wherever possible.

The coffee station sits within a setback appliance garage, the worktop and backsplash material continuing seamlessly through the interior for both practicality and a clean, unified finish. LED strips routed into the underside of the shelves provide task lighting without any visible hardware, and the bi-fold door system means the cupboard opens fully without interrupting the flow of the kitchen during busy family moments.

The appliance garage has become one of the most requested features in our luxury kitchen designs, and it is easy to understand why. It keeps countertops clear and uncluttered, allowing the joinery, materials and detailing to remain the focus of the room rather than the everyday appliances that inevitably accumulate in a well-used kitchen. When closed, it disappears entirely into the scheme. When open, everything you need is immediately to hand, beautifully lit and perfectly organised. It is the kind of detail that makes a kitchen not just a pleasure to look at, but a genuine pleasure to live in.

THE DETAILS THAT MAKE DAILY LIFE EASIER

Nobody has ever got excited about a cleaning cupboard, but to design a kitchen without one is a mistake that quickly makes itself known.

A compact utility cupboard, tucked discreetly into the end of the tall unit run, is one of those quietly boring decisions that earns its place every single day.

The logic is simple, if the handheld hoover is not immediately to hand, charged and ready to go, it will not get used as often as it should. Keeping it housed, plugged in and out of sight means it is always there when you need it, without ever cluttering the space. The same thinking applies to the key hooks integrated into the interior. A small detail, perhaps, but one that adds a genuine layer of usability to the kitchen, making it that little bit easier to keep surfaces clear and the home feeling ordered.

Our mantra at Blakes London is that the best luxury kitchens are not just beautiful to look at, they are thoughtfully designed to make everyday life run more smoothly.

It is the considered details that you barely notice which so often make the biggest difference.

THE MOST COMPLEX PIECE IN THE ROOM? THE DRESSER UNITS.

Perhaps surprisingly, it was the pair of dresser units dividing the open-plan kitchen and dining space from the living room that presented the greatest technical challenge of the entire project.

At over three metres tall, these are not simply storage pieces, they are architectural elements that had to work across multiple functions simultaneously while feeling entirely effortless.

Fluted glass bi-folding doors to the front and glazed panels to the side ensure that the transition between the living and dining spaces remains open and light-filled rather than narrow or compromised. The glazing was critical here. A solid unit of this scale would have broken the flow of the open-plan layout entirely, so the fluted glass filters the view beautifully while allowing light to move freely through the space.

Within the two units, three separate chilled appliances are seamlessly integrated, a wide freezer drawer and a mirrored pantry on one side, and on the other, a wine fridge alongside a pull-out drinks mixer and bar drawer. Behind both units, antique mirror lines the back panel, reflecting light and adding considerable depth to what might otherwise have felt like a heavy and imposing piece of joinery. In the evenings, when the bar dresser is open and the hanging glass rack and wine display shelf are illuminated, the whole area takes on the warmth and atmosphere of a private members dining room. It is a fitting conclusion to a kitchen that revels equally in texture, originality and function. Nicosia does not ask you to choose between beauty and practicality. At Blakes London, we never do.