All I want for Christmas…..is the perfect kitchen, please!

West Mill Heights, Edinburgh - EH13 0NX

With Christmas just around the corner, the turkey pre-ordered and industrial supplies of mince pies stored in the cupboard, we’re all gearing up to spend most of the festive period in one particular room in the house – the kitchen.

It’s this room that can make or break Christmas for those tasked with delivering the multi-course feast at the centre of the big day. With relatives to stay, mother-in-laws to impress and fussy eaters to accommodate, it’s possibly the most high pressure meal of the year. While children are dreaming of a white Christmas filled with presents and delicious food, much of the adult population is dreaming of the perfect kitchen in which to conjure a delicious stress-free, Christmas dinner.

What are the magic ingredients that make a perfect kitchen? 

Is a kitchen’s needs on Christmas Day a good blueprint for the ideal kitchen all year round?

From an aesthetics point of view, it’s a matter of personal choice whether you prefer country or shaker style, gloss finish or sleek handless cupboards. Whatever style you plump for, great kitchen design plus high quality kitchen units, expertly fitted and installed by experienced staff is the most important starting point. Add to the mix, modern appliances and luxurious add-ons such as warming drawers or boiling water taps, and the perfect kitchen becomes a thing of beauty as well as functional and easy to use.

Chesterhill, Edgehead, Midlothian - EH37 6RT

Place the kitchen at the heart of the home.

At Richmond Homes, our new luxury houses place the kitchen at the heart of the home, opting for a contemporary, open-plan style, with kitchen, dining-room / living space combined. Throughout the year, this way of living is well suited to family life, while at Christmas, an open plan kitchen allows who ever is unlucky enough to be tied to the oven and sink for much of the day, to still be part of the celebrations with space for everyone at the centre of operations.

Cooking the Christmas dinner is a military operation! 

Getting your timings right is one aspect, as is space to prep, chop, store and dish up. Well thought out work spaces and kitchen lay-out with carefully placed sink and draining areas, allows room for the all-important preparations while family and friends mill around or muck in when needed. Hard-working, beautiful looking work-tops are essential, designed to withstand the rigors of family entertaining. Storage space is also crucial - deep roomy drawers, cleverly designed corner units, and a separate pantry / utility room to hide gadgets and clutter, or even piles of dirty dishes after plating up. A spacious fridge freezer is another must-have, with room to accommodate vast quantities of fresh and frozen ingredients and prepared food, not to mention a huge turkey, Finally, a reliable state-of-the-art oven in which to cook the bird to perfection is crucial, so the cook can pause and enjoy a Bucks Fizz or two.

With the festive dinner under control, everyone gets a chance to enjoy being together on Christmas Day. A well-designed kitchen, expertly fitted and installed, can literally change the way we live for the better, but it’s at Christmas that a great kitchen really comes into its own.

More information on kitchen styles and options available for customers can be found at www.richmondhomes.co.uk

Flexible Accommodation makes a Home for Life

Open any estate agents webpage and the words “flexible accommodation” will be in almost every entry for the family homes on offer. But what does this phrase mean exactly and why is it so important when choosing a family home?

The 21st century family home looks very different to the standard nuclear family set-up of post-war Britain. A number of factors have influenced this change. In 2016, larger numbers of young people are living at home for longer before moving out due to rising house prices and a higher cost of living.

More parents now work from home, with better broadband and mobile phone cover plus flexible working hours less of a dream and more of a reality. Grandparents living in the family home have returned to the mix, as carers for young children where both parents are working flat-out to cover high mortgages, or as regular sleep-over visitors when required to help out.

In this context, a family property needs to evolve to the changing needs of the multi-generations it supports, providing a flexible living space that can switch and adapt over time. This presents house builders with an exciting challenge to rise to this need, using space innovatively and incorporating progressive design ideas to produce high quality new build family homes for life.

With this in mind, buying a new build home for a growing family can be a daunting task. Here are the most important factors to consider:

• Lay-out – a new build must offer flexible living space that can be adapted as the children grow from babies through the primary school years, into teenagers and young adults. Additional guest bedrooms for when the grandparents or other relatives and friends come to stay may also be a consideration, with the flexibility for rooms to be transformed into office space for those working from home or music /study rooms when needed.
• A central family space – the open plan kitchen / dining room is a feature of all new build family homes nowadays, a space to eat together, supervise homework and revision, catch up over tea and cake, entertain, or wind down after a busy day.
• Private space – it’s equally important to have areas for private time away from the hustle and bustle of family life.  A cosy living room space, large bedrooms and study rooms away from the main living area are essential for a happy home. In addition, solid quality walls and good insulation are as important for noise reduction as they are for energy efficiency.
• Location - moving into a good area with excellent local amenities and a strong sense of community is a major priority for many families. A range of shopping options, doctor and dental surgeries and leisure opportunities are key. Living with other families in the same development provides opportunities for children to make friends and play together. Access to a variety of good state and private schools, both primary and secondary, is another consideration as well as good transport links, road connections and bus services for those in the household commuting to work.
• Bathrooms – a choice of bathrooms, en-suite facilities and smaller WCs saves rows in the morning, provides choice and generally makes a rather obvious if delicate major contribution to a happier family life!
• Safety and security - buying a new build in a development that has a secure area for children to play in and walk to and from their friends’ homes, away from the main road and busy areas, is essential. Good quality windows and secure doors are another important feature.
• Private outdoor space – French doors leading from the kitchen/ diner to the back garden are a great asset to any family, with space outside for young children to play safely. Of course, a good sized garden is of benefit to all members of the family, whatever their age, as is access to larger, public green spaces, parks, woodland, cycle and walking paths. Add to this a parking space, either in a driveway or on the street plus a garage and the stress of everyday life is greatly reduced.
• Low running costs – over a lifetime, a family home with good energy saving features seems an obvious factor when thinking about running costs. Quality double-glazing, energy efficient boilers, and a high standard of wall insulation are crucial.
• Ample storage space - this is high up many customers priority list when house hunting for a new build. Areas for long-term storage of, for instance, bedlinen, seasonal items and nostalgic objects are a factor as well as short-term storage for food and outdoor clothing. Built-in wardrobes provide easy–access storage space while a utility room with dedicated space for muddy wellies and shoes plus domestic appliances like washing machines, hoovers and ironing board is essential for the smooth running of the household. 
• And finally, technology – good access to an efficient broadband and mobile phone signal goes without saying but is an important factor to consider. Try explaining to your teenage child that he or she can’t use their mobile phone at home or to your boss that you can’t access emails from home and life will be considerably more difficult for you!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richmond Homes has a number of family homes on offer that fit these criteria, both in rural and urban settings – more details can be found at www.richmondhomes.co.uk

Scandinavian Design with a Modern Twist

Scandinavian Design with a modern twist

Modern and minimalist, sleek and uncomplicated – our love affair with all things Scandinavian shows no sign of waning. From Arne Jacobson’s iconic Egg chair of the 1950s, through to the Ikea flat-packed furniture revolution of the 1980s, the functional simplicity of good Scandinavian design has flooded into the wider public consciousness, creating a flurry of Pinterest pages and magazine articles on the subject.

The Scandi look can be summed up as simple, clean and functional. This design for life echoes through their architectural style right down to the finest structural detail on a bookshelf or egg-cup. Scandinavians are well known for their active, healthy outdoor lifestyles, and rank as some of the happiest nations in the world. Their appreciation of the outdoors is matched by their love of the cosy comforts of home. Warm, natural fabrics and materials, relaxed communal spaces and comfortable furniture create a haven within the home, allowing time to enjoy the good things in life.  

From a house building perspective, it’s exciting to see how many of our home-grown architects are looking to Scandinavia for inspiration in their use of natural materials and utilitarian design. Of course we have much in common with our Northern cousins, not least our climate, and our relationship with the changing seasons and natural world. These factors have an enormous influence on how we live, the homes we choose to live in and how we furnish them. 

Richmond Homes’ new luxury development in one of Edinburgh’s most desirable areas is an innovative example of modern Scandinavian architecture combined with Scottish contemporary design. West Mill Heights is a collection of seven stunning three-storey, three and four bedroom townhouses, nestled in leafy Colinton Dell to the West of the Capital city. Architects, Atelier-M, have put their own cutting-edge take on the Scandinavian model, updating the iconic Edinburgh townhouse design, using blond stone for instance, with white render and slate cladding, pitched roofs and light, airy, open-plan rooms, to create stylish, streamlined homes.

Architect, Alan Macdonald of Atelier-M explains, “There is a growing market for house buyers who have a deep appreciation of contemporary design. They’re looking for a new build that reflects current innovations and trends in modern architecture, offering something far more unique than the average development. This collection of niche townhouses reflects classic Scandinavian style with a modern twist and should appeal to young professionals and families, with its beautiful leafy aspect and flexible living design.”

Both the architect and interior designer of the show home worked closely together to create a seamless look, from the exterior design of the homes through to the last detail inside. Louise Stewart, Richmond Homes Sales Manager and Show Home Designer, adds, “The key to the Scandi look is to keep the colour palette monochrome - white walls, white or light wooden floors with cosy rugs in neutral or complimenting tones. At the West Mill Heights show home, we mixed up black, white, metal and wood furniture with good storage solutions to achieve the clutter free look, adding plenty of warmth and texture with simple window dressings, rugs, textiles and lots of good lighting and candles. It’s not all strictly about neutrals though, we had fun adding pops of colour with paintings, rugs, cushions and accessories.”

Something both Scots and Scandinavians know a lot about is how to make the most of natural light as the days grow shorter through the Autumn and Winter months, right through to capitalising on Spring and Summer sunshine.  At West Mill Heights, a variety of large windows, some to floor level, maximize light access from the south, combined with rectangular and horizontal slot windows to give perspective and allow privacy. High vaulted ceilings and pitched roof skylights cast natural light to the second floor bathrooms and continues down the light well between the staircase to the ground floor. Carefully incorporated built-in mirror wardrobes maximize storage in the bedrooms while also enhancing the sense of space. In the kitchen, sleek white handless cupboards with matt stone worktops and acrylic splashbacks create a bright and uncluttered room.

This new development also benefits from its tranquil and wooded environment, the design echoing Scandic concerns with maintaining a close connection to nature, bringing the outside, inside. French doors leading from the kitchen/dining room to the outside terrace allow a seamless enjoyment of the natural space. The windows open out on to sheltered, lush green areas, while the development itself benefits from the family friendly village atmosphere in Colinton, with many parks and opportunities for leisure on its doorstep.

“It’s easy to understand why the ‘Scandi’ look has proved so popular in the UK. With its light, natural, uncluttered style, it works well with people’s modern busy lifestyles and families,” adds Louise. This Nordic take on understated elegance within the architectural environment, with its emphasis on human interaction and the enjoyment of domestic concerns seems like a rather wonderful and enduring blueprint for living.

The show home at West Mill Heights is now open. More details can be found at www.richmondhomes.co.uk, or call Shonagh Morgan at Savills on 0131-247 3700 for further information.