Cutting edge kitchens

Interior designer Philippa Buckley recently completed the renovation of a kitchen in a Dublin 6 redbrick where she used this Mark Wilkinson New England kitchen supplied and fitted by Kitchen Flair in Sandymount.

It takes inspiration from the style of places like Nantucket: see the metal handles and simple detailing.

"We chose it because the style won't date. If you want a traditional kitchen, this is a good one with clean enough lines and although they can be expensive, the quality is there and that's what you pay for. Initially it seems a lot, but they're built to last."

Giving a guide price is difficult because the design is worked around your particular space, but think €30,000 to €50,000 on average.

The price can be much less if you cut down on extras.

The New England kitchen blends well with an Aga cooker but while the Dublin 6 house also has a conventional oven, Philippa used a commercial kitchen-style stainless steel hood rather than the wood covered version that is available in the Wilkinson style.

"The stainless steel contrast keeps the whole thing more modern," she says. The glass cupboards in this kitchen can be illuminated from the inside and a popular thing with new kitchens is to have a sound system fitted with the stereo hidden inside the island. Niall Robinson of a company called Decibel will do both this and kitchen mood lighting (dimmers everywhere, varying light for different tasks, spots over the island and so on). At Kitchen Flair ask to speak to the very obliging John Whittall.

Kitchen Flair, 6 Seafort Avenue, Sandymount, D4. Tel 01 2695370