With the garden just outside and the house's 1920s character as a starting point, Johanna Bradford has created a kitchen where everyday life is allowed to take centre stage. Creamy white meets a blue kitchen island, stainless steel sits alongside marble, and brass hardware adds warmth. A personal space where every choice contributes to a feeling of home.
When the family renovated the kitchen, they chose to move it to a room at the back of the house. With patio doors opening onto the garden, the kitchen became more closely connected to both nature and life outside, where the children play. It is easy to open the doors and sit down on the steps with a cup of coffee.
– It feels as though the kitchen and the garden are one. I love that.
Johanna describes the kitchen as social yet cosy. It is a place to enjoy everyday life, but also a room where visitors quickly feel at home. That sense of comfort and belonging is an important part of the overall atmosphere.
The age of the house became the starting point for the kitchen's design. Classic rectangular tiles, a substantial cooker hood and a stainless-steel worktop combined with marble all reflect the character the family wanted to create. A creamy white shade forms the base, while the kitchen island has been painted blue to add another dimension.
For Johanna, much of the expression lies in the way different materials meet. Different surfaces and textures are given space, and everything does not have to follow the same direction to work together.
– I really enjoy mixing different materials and textures, and I think it is important to have contrasts that somehow attract one another.
The choice of untreated brass knobs alongside the stainless-steel worktop is one example. It is precisely this contrast between materials that appeals to her. The warmth of the brass and the stainless steel highlight each other's qualities and contribute to the character of the kitchen.
Hardware is something Johanna is happy to spend both time and consideration choosing. To her, these details have a significant impact on the overall impression and can completely change the expression of a room. In the kitchen, knob 411 in untreated brass adds a warm detail against the light fronts and stainless steel. On the blue kitchen island, the brass tone is repeated in cup handle 3922 in matt brass.
I think hardware can completely change the expression of a room, and I have always put a lot of care into choosing the right pieces.
Johanna Bradford
Brass knobs against the creamy white base. 
On the kitchen island, the warm tone of the brass meets the blue colour.When the conversation turns to choices that are often underestimated, Johanna returns to materials. Natural materials are something she is always drawn to, both for the way they feel and the way they look.
– I am always on team natural materials and think they make a big difference, both in terms of feel and appearance.
The same approach applies when she thinks about how a home develops over time. Materials should feel authentic and honest. Choosing something simply because it is on trend is not necessarily the way forward. For Johanna, it is about thinking long term and finding the foundation of your own personal style.
– That also makes it easier to build on your home over time and allow it to take shape gradually.
In Johanna's home, the overall design begins with how the family wants to live. The connection to the garden, the materials and the carefully selected hardware all contribute in different ways to a kitchen that feels personal and welcoming. A room to feel at home in, every day.
Materials, shapes and details make a significant difference to the overall impression. Here, Johanna has selected a few personal favourites from Beslag Design's range.
