Dwindling congregations and societal changes may not be good news for everyone but for those in search of a unique and architecturally stunning property, these old church buildings are a godsend. Turning a church into a home requires a range of expertise so when these homeowners decided to install an edgy new kitchen, they chose award winning company, Parkes Interior Kitchens. Designer, Brain Parkes, reveals how, he and his team blended functionality with beautiful aesthetics to create a kitchen that’s quite simply, divine.
Once a place where people gathered to find spiritual sustenance, this Belfast church has been transformed into a home, it’s kitchen specially designed to nurture body as well soul.
“As the property had originally been a church, it had a lot of great features and very different dimensions,” Brian explains. “Some structural re-configuration created a small extension, providing the space where we designed and installed the new kitchen.” In contrast to the centuries old property, the owners opted to give the space a contemporary look.
“The client wanted to use some of the exposed brick and veer toward a more industrial type of style.” Brian says. “This involved a lot of detailed stud work around the tall housings which have no tolerance level. It was quite a tight fit and we were keen to ensure a perfect result so we project managed the building work.”
With the bones of the kitchen in place, the designer in conjunction with the owners set about giving it some soul.
“In any kitchen design it’s extremely important to get the interior just right,” Brian adds. “A major part of the overall appearance is down to colour and finishes. Fortunately Parkes Interior Kitchens, use 3D CAD programmes which clients find enormously useful. This technology bring the design to life and help clients visualise what the various colours and finishes would look like. In this case the homeowners were delighted when they were able to source a colour they’d previously seen in America. It was ideal for them and we were happy to help.”
In keeping with the industrial character, Brian introduced some stylish ideas, including the use of Dekton, a gorgeous material made from a blend of quartz, porcelain and glass.
“The worktop is 80mm thick Dekton,” he reveals. “It’s quite unusual but with a ‘waterfall’ edge, it has a very striking effect.”
Live edged shelving provided extra storage but, as Brian explains, it was also an opportunity to add an element of authentic beauty.
