The Pink Kitchen: A Bold, Sustainable Transformation

Some projects start with a blank canvas.This one didn’t.

When we first walked into the kitchen of this Victorian Terrace Waterloo project, we were greeted by something you really don’t see every day: magenta wave-front cabinetry, a marble countertop, and peach-toned floor tiles with full Greco-Roman flair. Unexpected? Absolutely. But in a strange way, it worked.

Designing with What You’ve Got

Too often, design starts with a rip-out. But at Kinder Design, we believe in working with what’s already there, especially when what’s there has character, charm, or just the potential to become something really interesting.

In this case, we decided to keep the magenta pink cabinets and use them as a springboard for the rest of the redesign. The space needed grounding, layering and texture, so we started with the worktop.

We sourced reclaimed teak from Retrouvius salvaged from old school science labs. Our joiner carefully restored it and installed it in place of the marble - which, in a lovely circular moment, was collected by a local reclamation yard to begin its next chapter elsewhere. The teak added immediate warmth, grain, and tactility - the perfect foil to the glossy vibrance of the cabinetry.

Artful Tiles, Handmade for the Space

To bring softness and a sense of movement to the walls, we commissioned Charlotte Moore an architect-turned-ceramist we’ve long admired. Charlotte created three walls of bespoke ceramic tiles, inspired by images of pollen under a microscope - organic, irregular, and full of life.

Each tile was formed, painted and fired by hand, resulting in a completely unique, ad hoc pattern with a painterly rhythm. We didn’t want symmetry. We wanted something that felt natural, unexpected, and joyful - just like the original kitchen itself. Together, the rich magenta, warm timber, and handmade tile bring balance and clarity to what was once a chaotic space, a transformation that retains the room’s original energy, but gives it depth, softness, and coherence.

A Kitchen with Story and Soul

This pink kitchen was never going to be minimal and we didn’t want it to be. What we did want was a space that felt crafted, grounded, and above all, true to the people who live there.

We were thrilled when Domino Magazine featured this project in their “Before & After” column - it’s exactly the kind of transformation we love most: creative, resourceful, and full of surprise.

Have a Space with Potential? Let’s Reimagine It.

Not every kitchen starts pretty. But every kitchen has potential.

If you’ve got a space that feels like an ugly duckling, but you can see a spark of what it could become - we’d love to help you transform it. Our approach is rooted in thoughtful reuse, creative vision, and making the most of what you’ve already got.