Cover Feature
www.thedesignermagazine.com
27
kitchen design has on our environment.” Timber is an obvious choice for flooring,
again from sustainable sources, or salvaged from reclamation yards, which are also a good hunting ground for old doors that can be reused and fitted in an existing kitchen. Stone is another natural, long lasting flooring that can tick the eco box, for example Limestone Gallery’s Eco collection made from 99 per cent reclaimed stone bonded with 1 per cent natural resin. When it comes to worktops, less familiar
woods such as fast-growing bamboo are coming to the fore, as are recycled products, which include Cosentino’s Eco range (75 per
cent recycled raw materials – glass, porcelain, crystallised ashes and stone waste bound together in a resin base) and GlassEco’s worktops (incorporating 95 per cent recycled glass bottles and plastics). For walls or floors, tile options vary
from partially recycled (for example Fired Earth’s Cotto Porcelain tiles at 40 per cent) to majority recycled (such as Surface Tiles’ Ecotech at 70 per cent). Even paint has a place in the
environmentally friendly landscape with emulsions and oils created from natural ingredients such as beeswax and linseed, their colours derived from minerals and plants and their harmful emissions non- existent.
“When it comes to energy saving it is more common sense than ‘buy this piece of kit’ or ‘that energy saving device’
. Always buy
energy efficient appliances and always switch sockets off at the mains when not using them.”
Pam Heap, Stark Partnership
A HOT TOPIC “The one thing that has the biggest bearing on energy usage of anything in a house is the heating and hot water system,” says Pam Heap, architect and partner at the Stark Partnership. “Think saving energy means saving money.” With this in mind replacing an out-
of-date boiler with a more energy efficient model, such as a combi boiler, is a practical first step.
Underfloor heating is another money
and energy saver - it doesn’t heat to such a high temperature as a radiator, the heat rises and it lingers longer. Hard floors generate the heat better than wood, but it is not always the right choice, says interior designer Ruth Bond. “Underfloor heating is fantastic in new builds as it can be done with ground source energy, but it just doesn’t suit some projects.” When it comes to solar panels, the UK
weather is often a let-down, but now there’s photo voltaic panels that work on daylight and not just direct sunlight – they are expensive but are becoming more accessible.
Top: Pots of Paint’s Sky Blue on the wall and Creami on the island and all other painted woodwork
Above: The Shan Gara kitchen by Mark Wilkinson uses salmon skin that would otherwise by thrown away. It is ‘tanned’ to turn it into leather and can be stained any colour. Note the natural pattern of the skin
➔
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68