Smallbone has been at the forefront of British kitchen design for more than 40 years, earning global success and a reputation for innovative design and uncompromising craftsmanship.
The brand is now part of Lux Group Holdings, home to some of the world’s finest design and furniture companies, including Mark Wilkinson Furniture, Brookmans by Smallbone and McCarron & Co. This has ensured its continued growth, allowing it to develop a diverse portfolio of wares that range from whole-house solutions to unique residential interiors, as well as to invest in key, new manufacturing technology at the Wiltshire workshop.
Now the brand is about to mark the beginning of a new chapter – and redefine luxury retail at the same time – with the forthcoming launch of its sensational new 15,000 sq/ft flagship showroom at Brompton Gate, Knightsbridge. Initially open by appointment only, the multi-sensory, four-storey space will feature several installations of iconic Smallbone collections alongside a curated selection of luxury brands, ranging from home technology to contemporary art. Visitors will have the exclusive opportunity to experience Samsung’s immersive cinematic six-metre-wide screen, ‘The Wall’, while Senso’s seamless, recyclable natural flooring can be found in various finishes throughout, inspiring clients as they explore the impressive showroom. On the first floor, a dedicated Omakase area for special events is set within a showcase of Smallbone’s classic and most recognisable kitchens, while the bar below – serving coffee, wine, champagne and spirits – brings new heights of refinement to retail.
Smallbone is about to mark the beginning of a new chapter – and redefine luxury retail at the same time
Centre stage on the showroom’s ground floor is Smallbone’s latest offering: the Icarus collection. Named after the character in the Greek myth, this elegant yet highly technical kitchen fuses traditional furniture-making skills and 21st-century engineering. With parabolic curves inspired by the wings of Icarus, the collection is made in a handsome grey cerused oak with a white bronze treatment. Comprising kitchen islands and standing furniture, hidden rebate handles bring ergonomic ease to the elegant curved doors which can each take up to two weeks to perfect on the craftsmen’s bench, before they are sent to the finishers.
Scalloped cabinets form a dramatic ‘floating’ centrepiece to the showcase, with magnificent curved glass doors created in collaboration with an artisan glass atelier (the glass was shaped at high temperatures over curved moulds then allowed to cool, a process that dates back to Roman engineering). Working with the automotive industry, a unique hinge system was developed for the glass doors while, for the wooden cabinets, the same technology currently used in protection zones for cars in F1 motor racing was employed to reinforce their strength.
In the early days Smallbone pioneered the concept of hand-painted kitchen cabinetry (the Original Hand Painted Kitchen was re-named to Iconic this year, and is still evolving) and it continues to innovate today through the unveiling of both the groundbreaking Icarus collection and its truly extraordinary showroom.
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