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A Blueberry and Platinum Grey Kitchen in Kingwood

Caroline had lived with the same classic shaker kitchen for 20 years. For her next one, she wanted to change everything: the colour, the style, and how it works day to day.

Home Inspiration A Blueberry and Platinum Grey Kitchen in Kingwood

Time for a change

Caroline’s last kitchen served her for 20 years. It was a classic shaker, and it had done its job. But when it came time to replace it at her home in Kingwood, near Henley-on-Thames, she didn’t want a newer version of the same thing.

She wanted something completely different: modern, and full of smart solutions that would make everyday cooking easier.

Platinum Grey handleless Nolte units with tall housing, built-in oven, wine cooler, black sink and Laminam marble-effect splashback

Blueberry, grey and a touch of black

The fronts mix two finishes. Soft Lack in Blueberry is a deep, inky blue with a soft matt surface that feels smooth under your hand. Velluto in Platinum Grey is a cool grey that keeps all that colour from feeling heavy. Black accents run throughout and tie the two together.

The worktop is Laminam Statuario Altissimo Natural. It has the white, softly veined look of Italian marble, but it’s much easier to live with: it won’t stain, and a hot pan won’t leave a mark.

Caroline in Her New Kitchen, Kingwood, Henley-on-Thames

Platinum Grey U-shaped Nolte kitchen with a Blueberry peninsula, bouclé bar stools and illuminated glass wall cabinets

neo Chef Experience demonstrating the built-in oven to Caroline in a Platinum Grey Nolte kitchen with illuminated glass wall cabinets

Swing-Out Corner Storage, Kingwood Kitchen

Illuminated Glass Cabinets for Glassware, Kingwood Kitchen

Black BORA hob with two burners and a built-in downdraft extractor, set into a white marble-effect Laminam worktop

Black Quooker Flex Tap and Undermount Sink, Kingwood

Everything within reach

Ingrid, Showroom Manager & Senior Designer at our kitchen showroom in Henley, began with how Caroline actually uses her kitchen. She put pull-outs almost everywhere and made sure the corners were easy to get into, so nothing gets pushed to the back and forgotten.

“After 20 years with one kitchen, Caroline knew exactly what had annoyed her: the cupboards you have to kneel down and dig through, and the corners you’ve given up on. So I designed those problems out. There are pull-outs nearly everywhere, and every corner is easy to reach. It’s the part you don’t notice in photos, but it’s the part she’ll notice every day.” – Ingrid, Designer, Nolte Kitchens Henley

When you’re replacing a kitchen you’ve lived with for a long time, think about what it got wrong as well as what it looked like. That’s usually where the best ideas start.

The details you see first, and the ones you find later

A feature as you walk in. A floating wall shelf in Blueberry matches the Soft Lack fronts. Next to it, glass cabinets with integrated lighting show off Caroline’s glassware. Together, they’re the first thing you see when you walk into the room.
Drawers that light up. Every nolteneo drawer box has its own lighting, so you can see exactly what’s in there as soon as it opens, even at the back.
A Quooker Flex tap. Boiling water on tap, plus a pull-out hose for rinsing the sink and filling pans.
BORA appliances. Including an induction wok for high-heat stir-frying, and a warming drawer that keeps plates and dishes hot until everyone’s ready to sit down.

Ready for something different?

If you’ve lived with the same kitchen for years and you’re ready for something different, come and see us.

At our Henley-on-Thames kitchen showroom, you can open a lit nolteneo drawer, feel the Soft Lack finish, and talk through what your current kitchen gets wrong with one of our designers. We’re a short drive from Kingwood, Sonning Common and the villages around Henley.