Kitchen Tour: An Architect’s Colorful Cookspace in a London High-Rise
Photography by French + Type,
courtesy of Studio Ben Allen
Join us for a tour of architect Ben Allen’s own kitchen in a duplex apartment in Keeling House, a brutalist tower in London’s Bethnal Green built in the 1950s. After being saved from demolition and granted listed building status in the 1990s, the interior was reimagined as white minimalist quarters, and Allen and his wife, Frances, lived with the existing setup for several years, until a chilly winter prompted Allen to rethink. Take a look.
Allen went with a space-saving galley-style layout with a long counter and room for a small table, as had originally been in the apartment.
The counter was tinted with Lanxess dye by the contractor.
Matte gray tiles from Villeroy & Boch form the wall-size backsplash.
The faucet is Dornbracht’s Tara Wall-Mounted Three-Hole Kitchen Mixer with the taps installed on the side.
New multi-paneled windows keep out the cold.
The late 1990s renovation had turned the space into an open-plan kitchen-living room.
“The oak window seat doubles as a large storage unit and shelves," says Allen.