The Benefits of Free Standing Kitchen Furniture
With the price of an average fitted kitchen often hitting the £10K mark and beyond, it’s easy to see why people are starting to think outside the box when it comes to kitchen design. Getting the balance of needs and budget right can be tricky, but a bit of lateral thinking could save you thousands. If you’re thinking of a redesign, or you’re just in need of more storage from the space you have available, have a think about whether a freestanding kitchen could work well for you. The Cotswold Company have a multitude of freestanding storage options that, if used cleverly together, could be the answer to your kitchen quandaries.
Work Surface
If you’re concerned that you might not get the same amount of work surface with free standing furniture, there are ways of getting what you need from the cupboards and sideboards we have available. We’ve collected a plethora of beautiful chopping boards which we love to display, but these are also crucial to the protection of our furniture your kitchen surface, particularly if its crafted with wood. Our Oakland Sideboard provides a large expanse of work surface that could be perfect as a work surface, but remember to always protect it when chopping!
You can combine this with some of our smaller items like our Cotswold Butchers Block, this featured as one of Period Homes& Interiors ‘top of the blocks’ in their June 16 edition.
If you want to make the surface of your sideboards even more durable and contemporary, you could customise them by using a zinc or copper covering. It’s relatively inexpensive and can tie your entire kitchen scheme together, which is great if you’re opting for multiple pieces of freestanding furniture.
High Storage
There are a number of ways to introduce some high storage to a free standing kitchen. You could opt to combine your freestanding lower units with some traditional fitted cupboards above and update the doors so that they complement whichever finish you’ve gone for below. A deep blue or green can work wonderfully with oak.
Alternatively you can introduce some basic shelving and use this to house things like bowls, plates, cups or your collection of kilner jars. Combine this with something like our Pigeon Hole Unit and you’ve got an ideal spot for herbs and spices.
If you want something that’s ‘all in one’ take a look our stunning dressers and display cabinets and with one purchase you can create a beautiful centre piece for your kitchen. With so many nooks, cubby holes and compartments it will soon become the hub of the house, with a little space for everything from the tape measure to treats.
Cupboard & Drawer Space
Though it’s lovely to display the odd item of interest out on your surface space, you need a decent amount of storage to stow away the items you don’t want in full view. Having enough cupboard and drawer space is therefore one of the key needs for any kitchen.
Cupboards and sideboards can give you a good combination of drawer space and internal shelf space, and with such an abundance of different shapes and sizes available, you can easily find the right configuration to work alongside your oven, fridge and utility layout.
We think our Cheltenham Cream Dresser gives you a winning combination of organised display space, concealed cupboards, with a little bit of surface area for fresh fruit and veg. It’s got all the essential ingredients needed for a modern country kitchen.
A Central Work Station
If you find yourself with an abundance of floor space and not enough storage or work surfaces, a kitchen island could be a useful thing to introduce. We love our Marseille Kitchen Island with its durable granite surface and neutral pallet that allow it to blend easily with existing furniture.
Kitchen islands provide a beautifully versatile area where you can prep your food, store your groceries and even stow away your wine. They’re often associated with large kitchen spaces but we’ve got a range of shapes and sizes that will work perfectly in petite places too.
Tall Storage
Sometimes you need to squeeze out every inch of possible storage space from the gaps you have available and if you’re doing this a Pantry Cupboard or Larder can give you the extra storage you need, while taking up minimum floor space. Their tall slender build can house an abundance of crockery, pots, pans and food, so adding one or two to your kitchen could solve all your storage needs in one easy step. Take a look at our Cheltenham and Caldecote Pantry Cupboards for the ultimate freestanding kitchen storage.
A wine rack might seem like a bit of an indulgence when you’re searching for kitchen furniture, but it can be a real storage asset in the kitchen, providing a home for any of your bottles, whether it’s an expensive wine or your supply of Ribena!
Our Wine Racks can also provide useful additional drawer, cupboard and surface space, so combining one of these with other freestanding furniture will give you a multitude of storage options. Their open design is aesthetically pleasing and they offer a home for tall bottles that can sometimes be problematic to house in traditional cabinets.
Utilising Corner Space
Fitted kitchens can often suffer from ‘dead space’ in the corners, so creating some accessible corner storage can really help you get the best from your kitchen space.
Take a look at our wide range of cupboards and you’ll find some beautifully crafted corner units in all shape and sizes, like our Oakland Corner Cupboard or our Oakland Corner Display Unit.
Tell us about what you’re planning for your kitchen and we’ll give you our tips on what to select.
