How Leo Wood, designer and former theatre producer transformed an awkwardly shaped kitchen/living area into a quietly dramatic space with a hint of 1970s chic.
Kitchen design isn't always straightforward - properties come with their own quirks. Designer Leo Wood, whose own home was longlisted for Riba House of the Year, and featured on Grand Designs, was tasked with designing a luxurious kitchen and living space for her clients in this unusual round tower. We spoke to Leo about her vision for the space, her influences, creativity, and practical tips for designing kitchens.
Leo "Our St Giles Camberwell project involved helping a couple to reimagine and refurbish their kitchen and living space. They live in an unusual round tower in south London and wanted to create an open plan living space, designing a new kitchen that would work better for them.
"As the space was so unusual and with a curved exterior that we needed to set the kitchen against, I called on the help of my favourite collaborator, Joe Morizzo (of Morizzo & Co architects), as I knew Joe and together we could devise a perfect kitchen that would fit the clients' requirements. And for me bringing an architect on board helped elevate the kitchen layout.
"Our clients had a clear vision for the space - they wanted a 1970s luxury vibe. So I thought an unusual red marble would go down very well.
"But our clients also appreciate minimal interior design so the other material choices we made - the second worktop in Solid Surface and Fenix kitchen fronts from Custom Fronts in a matching beige colour along with their elegant walnut fronts enabled us to achieve a more contemporary pared back look with a hint of 70s retro.
"I think when dealing with awkward spaces, playing with a couple of different materials across the kitchen helps break up the space and makes it seem larger and less dense.
"We had to fit a lot of "kitchen" in a small space so we created a floor to ceiling kitchen run along the back wall. As this can appear bulky, we broke it up by creating a "strip" of kitchen in walnut with the beige Fenix panels either side. This visual effect also accentuates the unusual height of the space and has zoned the kitchen very effectively.
"The Custom Fronts product range felt like a really good fit for the aesthetic of our project. We wanted materials that would feel unique, contemporary and high end. Custom Fronts walnut veneer and Fenix worked together as part of our scheme and they gave us invaluable technical support, taking time to adapt our technical drawings into a bespoke product list, ensuring no errors were made and that the install would be as seamless as possible for our contractor.
"We needed to be budget conscious and so whilst the client was able to pay for premium materials, we constructed these beautiful surface materials around and IKEA kitchen carcass, which is immensely effective
"This project, and all my work, mixes creativity and business savvy. In its broadest sense I feel that business can be deeply creative too. As a child I was always very drawn to art, music and performance and assumed I would end up a writer or an artist as I assumed that's what "creative" meant. But it's not the case. The combination of creativity and enterprise, of having a deep empathy for and interest in art and design but having strong business acumen, is my professional USP.
"When I left university I thought theatre would be my "world" of work and I spent a few years working as a theatre producer ,taking shows to the Edinburgh Fringe and once even touring a production of The Tempest around Palestine. But ultimately I realised that my creative skills were best channelled differently. So, via having a couple of kids and building a house with my architect husband, I started to think that I wanted to try my hand at interior design.Both jobs have SO many parallels - both are project-based jobs, where you need to be comfortable spinning a million plates and be incredibly resourceful, have a broad range of skills and be able to articulate and communicate a creative vision and be good with budgeting, marketing and with keeping colleagues and clients happy.
Thanks Leo, for taking the time to chat with us. We love the sense of subtle drama and restrained luxury in this space, and your thoughts on creativity and the skills needed for an interior design role, deeply resonated with us.
See more of Leo's work on her website https://www.kinderdesign.co.uk/
Photography
https://www.instagram.com/lewisgregoryphotography/
Worktop
https://www.mykitchenworktop.co.uk/
Architect
https://www.morizzo.co.uk/
