Celebrating 150 years of beautiful Stoneham Kitchens at Grand Designs 2014
2014 isn’t just the sixth consecutive year Stoneham Kitchens has exhibited at the Grand Designs Live show; it’s also the company’s 150th anniversary, so this year’s stand reflected a century and half of bespoke British design and furniture manufacturing expertise.
Stoneham’s stand was a show-stopper; the theme of established excellence and cutting edge innovation informed the design of the eight stunning kitchen displays, with the exciting debut of two brand new ranges showcased alongside established Stoneham favourites. Read the highlights from the show below.
New ranges
Stoneham Kitchens unveiled two brand new ranges, Fahrenheit and Fahrenheit Pro, at this year’s Grand Designs Live; the new ranges deliver the quality Stoneham is renowned for at affordable prices.
Grand Designs saw the exciting debut of the new Fahrenheit range in Lava Walnut: the focal island also featured the ultra-thin, ultra-durable Dekton worktops in Danae, the first time this new worksurface material has been displayed at a trade show in the UK. Featuring an integral Gaggenau Downdraft Extractor and Induction hob, the island provides the perfect area for cooking and dining, accessorised with a breakfast bar, grey leather stools and Gloria pendant ceiling lights.
The brand new Farenheit Pro full depth wall units in Volcanic Elm exhibited the latest “Natural Touch” wood grain doors, demonstrating the many new possibilities in minimalist kitchen design. New Duoflex flexible strip lights, that change brightness and tone from Cool White to Warm White to match other lighting features, were integrated into the worktop and Schuco Light Rail, highlighting the White High Gloss back panel and acrylic worktops in Snow Pearl, and contrasting perfectly with the dark wood grain.
Classic meets Contemporary
The first kitchen display united Knole FF Smooth Painted in Dove grey with an eye-catching island that blended brand new ranges, Bewl and Neame painted in Thunder Grey.
The Knole cabinetry contrasted black mirror glass panels with a glass splashback in White Rainbow Sparkle, and integrated Cool White and colour-change LED lighting set off this light-filled design. The striking Bewl and Neame painted island is as functional as it is beautiful; it features solid maple and walnut drawers, complete with built in lighting, and an integrated Gaggenau wine cooler. Bewl boasts flush doors, shown with Banister Chrome handles to complete the smart look. Neame offers a contemporary twist on an in frame style, with conceaed handles for a smooth exterior.
All the mod-cons
Each kitchen display incorporated the latest in kitchen technology produced by Gaggenau, from induction wok hob and Tepans to wine coolers, coffee machines, combi ovens and warming drawers.
Drawers featuring the new Blum Legrabox with black dividers and single lift-up and bi-fold wall units with Blum Avantos technology provide optimised storage, a key component of the design of Stoneham kitchens.
Stoneham showed off further expertise with a pull out larder for cleverly concealed storage space in the Infinity range in Snow. A natural walnut surround with Polyrey stainless steel centre provided the structure for appliance housing and a series of pull out drawers and tandem baskets. The design was finished with RGB Colour Change LED Lights around the edges, and LED Cool White Strip light with internal track system and sensor inside.
The lastest design trend
Debuting at last year’s Grand Designs, the Holwood and Darwin ranges returned to demonstrate recent developments in handle-less and integral recessed handle designs.
The Darwin in smooth painted Cashmere, the latest shade in kitchens, featured Stoneham’s signature curved units with integral recessed steel handles, Corian worktops in Antarctica and a glass splashback in Aubergine for a bold pop of colour. The flush Holwood cabinetry in Walnut provided a classic twist to the kitchen, and an integrated TV provided a glimpse of other Stoneham kitchen designs from the company showroom.
Stoneham designers once again showed their flare for creating fluid islands that are real talking points; the classic Strata range concave island featured a modern back panel in Anthracite and Black and White Alpi, with a Corian worktop in Antartica blended seamlessly into an Ice White breakfast bar.
150 years of British manufacturing
Visitors to the 85m² Stoneham stand were also treated to a timeline charting key kitchen and design trends and notable historic events; unfolding around the stand, it documented the beginnings of E.G Stoneham and Son as a wood turning business in Sidcup, London, in 1864 through to the present day. A particular highlight was a selection of Stoneham cabinetry products through the decades, from a mangle from the 1880s to an authentic 1950s Cambridge unit.
Whilst exploring the rich heritage of the company, the Stoneham stand also looked forward to the future of design, proudly displaying entries for Kitchen of the Future and Stoneham Doodle competitions by pupils from schools in Bexley and Bromley; it seemed only fitting to look forward to another 150 years in business by inspiring a new generation of budding designers and manufacturers.
To celebrate the milestone anniversary, this year’s Stoneham Kitchens stand was an unforgettable display of 150 years of inspiration, innovation and knowledge.
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