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Roots Own Range The following are just a few examples of kitchens we have designed and supplied.

'P' Shape Worktop A large kitchen for a couple who entertained a great deal was the challenge. They had a large separate dining room and so didn't need an eating area in the kitchen. Enter this creation (completed on a budget too!). The worktop is a standard laminate worktop with factory fitted solid maple edge (the maple matched the colour of the kitchen doors). As a social kitchen, with a fair number of gatherings this peninsular was raised to about 1100mm high. High enough to stand around and take nibbles from as well as comfortable to eat breakfast from (not shown in the picture were the existing stools the customer had, which were perfect for this height). Support for the worktop became part of its feature with the chrome plated column running from floor to ceiling. At the top of the column 3 halogen lights lit the circular part of the table. A moving glass shelf gave a useful part out of the way place to put things, and the chrome wire glass holder was a nice finishing touch. The P shape worktop, as it became known, was responsible for going £500 over the customers budget. I'm pleased to say they agreed it was worth it.

Light Columns There is often an odd space left in a kitchen. Sometimes the only thing you can do is use a filler panel, other times you may be able to make use of the space as a narrow shelf. In this kitchen we already had plenty of cupboard space and the customer didn't want any open shelves, the solution came to me in a flash of light!, or at least, 4 columns of light. The odd size space was covered by sandblasted panes of glass with screw fixings top and bottom. Behind each pane was a flourescent light and all 4 lights were controlled by a single switch behind the light pelmet. From the photo you can see the difference the sandblasted glass makes, the top left pane is shown removed which is why the other 3 panes have a softer look to them. We also had lights above and below the wall units controlled by a further two switches.

A Two Oven Design A kitchen with two ovens? Not just a luxury, in this kitchen is was part of the key to its practicle use. This large kitchen is in a local country farm house now used as a bed and breakfast, as well as a family home. So the challenge was to design not only a kitchen that looked nice, but one that would also be able to cope with a lot of hard work and lots of dinner parties. The two ovens lend themselves to two different types of cooking. One is a multi-function electric fan oven (with the element around the fan, therefore no pre-heating, even temperature throughout) best suited to cooking things that will be eaten shortly after cooking (fan ovens will dry the food as the cook, although this is not normally noticeable when cooking a meal to be served immediately) and the other is a gas oven (as gas burns it generates moisture which is why sponge cakes will last longer when cooked in a gas oven than when cooked in an electric oven. Although my wifes muffins only last an afternoon before they are eaten anyway!), which also had the added benefit of running from LPG (bottle gas) - very useful during the winter during power cuts as the guests still get to eat. Of course, all ovens (even gas ones) still need electricity to work, so this kitchen was also wired in a way that enables all the appliances and plug sockets to be switched from mains to generator power within minutes.

Tea Station One of the important tasks in a bed and breakfast is breakfast! Tea and toast by the tray full can be served quickly and efficiently from the 'Tea Station'. The unit to the right of the fridge was carefully designed to include a small sink with a tap that delivers boiling water instantly (from an insulated urn beneath the sink, so its more efficient that the original two kettles that were used), plenty of drawers for knives, forks and spoons, and the two tall dressers actually have false drawer fronts on the bottom. They are hiding two toasters, above which is storage space for bread, tea bags, coffee grounds, cups, saucers and so on. The American fridge is covered on either side by a pull out larder which carry all the jars and tins of food at the same time as making them easy to reach.

Concealed Plate Rack This plate rack is from the Crown Furniture range. Normally they are left open so you can see the plates, but they can also be hidden behind a door too.

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Website last updated: 09 August 2008 .