The Art of Bespoke Tiles: Our Collaboration with Charlotte Moore

At Kinder Design, we’re always drawn to the people behind the materials - the makers, the specialists, the craftspeople who bring meaning and soul to our spaces. And every so often, a collaboration comes along that feels like a little bit of magic.

For our Victorian Terrace Waterloo kitchen project, that moment came when we began working with the wonderfully talented Charlotte Moore. Charlotte is a rare creative hybrid: part architect, part ceramist and entirely brilliant at both.

From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to do something different in this kitchen. The cabinetry, a vibrant magenta with a textured wave front, had been inherited from a previous owner and it was so unexpected, so unapologetically bold, that we didn’t want to erase it. We wanted to elevate it so we began building a new story around what was already there.

Finding the Soul of the Space

We envisioned bespoke tilled walls that would feel crafted, layered and alive, something to sit in contrast to the graphic texture of the cabinets and bring softness into the scheme. Charlotte stepped into the brief with a sense of quiet alchemy. Her concept for the tiles was rooted in microscopic images of pollen, forms that are organic, asymmetric and often overlooked. It felt like the perfect counterpoint to the bold cabinetry: natural and irregular, yet still deeply considered.

She went on to design, hand-paint, and fire over 900 bespoke ceramic tiles, each one unique. There were no repeating patterns. No rigid grid. Just a loose, painterly rhythm that emerged across the three tiled walls like a constellation.

Watching Charlotte work was a masterclass in slowness and intention, the kind of creative process you can’t rush. And the result speaks for itself: a kitchen backdrop that feels quietly expressive, layered, and full of story.

Working with What You Have

One of our guiding principles at Kinder Design is to reuse and retain wherever possible, not just because it’s more sustainable, but because it often leads to more interesting, unexpected results. We kept the original colourful magenta cabinets, but replaced the marble worktop with something warmer: a beautifully worn reclaimed teak from Retrouvius once part of a science lab. Our joiner restored and repurposed the timber to sit beautifully in its new home, grounding the kitchen with natural character and warmth.

A Kitchen with Character (and a Bit of Courage)

This space wasn’t about creating a minimal, timeless kitchen. It was about making something rich and personal with a bit of play and a lot of thought. Our client loves how the room now feels like a reflection of their family: bold, colourful, curious, and full of life. It’s a kitchen that sparks conversation and brings joy to the everyday. And really, that’s what we’re always aiming for, not just good design, but good feeling.

If you’re planning a kitchen project and want to explore how we can work with (rather than against) the bones of what you’ve got, we’d love to chat. Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes and a willingness to approach things differently.