Steadings Kitchen
A tactile renovation celebrating craft, collaboration, and the kitchen as the heart of the home.
The Steading Kitchen sits at the heart of a light-filled rural conversion originally designed by Crichton Wood Architects in the late 1990s.
Two decades later, it was ready for renewal — not a reinvention, but a sensitive update that respected the architecture’s flow and its relationship to the surrounding trees and courtyard.
Working with furniture designer Johnny Pang, we reimagined the kitchen as a calm, matte, and modern centrepiece — a place for gathering, conversation, and creativity.
Two decades later, it was ready for renewal — not a reinvention, but a sensitive update that respected the architecture’s flow and its relationship to the surrounding trees and courtyard.
Working with furniture designer Johnny Pang, we reimagined the kitchen as a calm, matte, and modern centrepiece — a place for gathering, conversation, and creativity.
Kitchen renovation · Interior architecture · Collaboration with maker
West Lothian, Scotland
Spatial design · Cabinetry design · Lighting · Material specification
2024
THE SPARK
The original steading conversion had beautiful bones: high ceilings, strong sightlines, and abundant light.
But twenty years on, the kitchen layout and finishes no longer matched the way we live and work.
We saw the chance to update the function while keeping the soul — using modern materials, smarter flow, and craft-led detailing to refresh the heart of the home.
The original steading conversion had beautiful bones: high ceilings, strong sightlines, and abundant light.
But twenty years on, the kitchen layout and finishes no longer matched the way we live and work.
We saw the chance to update the function while keeping the soul — using modern materials, smarter flow, and craft-led detailing to refresh the heart of the home.
THE CHALLENGE
The old layout was well-loved but dated: awkward appliance placement, inefficient island proportions, and glossy materials that reflected harshly under the skylights.
The brief was to keep the existing structure but refine it for modern life — improving flow, reducing glare, and adding warmth and practicality through material tone and touch.
The old layout was well-loved but dated: awkward appliance placement, inefficient island proportions, and glossy materials that reflected harshly under the skylights.
The brief was to keep the existing structure but refine it for modern life — improving flow, reducing glare, and adding warmth and practicality through material tone and touch.
Reflective surfaces were replaced with matte, tactile materials: honed quartz worktops, warm timber veneers, and soft, desaturated tones.
Partnering with Johnny Pang, we developed bespoke veneered cabinetry to reface standard IKEA carcasses, achieving a custom finish within a tight budget.
Cabinetry was stacked to full ceiling height (beyond 2.4m), giving a sense of generosity and craftsmanship while maximising storage.
The island became a social hinge: cooking on one side, casual bar seating on the other — where work, conversation, and family overlap naturally.
THE TRANSFORMATION
- Complete reconfiguration of kitchen layout and island
- Integration of bespoke veneered cabinetry and honed quartz worktops
- New plumbing, rewiring, and lighting to suit modern use
- Full-height cabinetry extending the volume of the space
- Matte, natural finishes to reduce glare and increase warmth
- Collaborative build with designer–maker Johnny Pang