H|M Design Notes

The Vincent Sheppard Joe Counter stool has become a kitchen island staple in many Humphrey Munson projects. Aside from the Havisham counter stool, you’ll notice the Joe Counter stool provides the perfect place to sit with a coffee and laptop to catch up on morning emails or a place for guests to perch with an…

The first rule about choosing the finishes for your kitchen is to ignore trends and choose what you love. Nothing else matters! At H|M we love to mix paint finishes with oak / walnut finishes for a truly bespoke finish and one of the things we love about our projects is that they never look…

At H|M we subscribe to the mantra that when it comes to storage, more is always more. There are some key elements we love to include for easily accessible storage in a kitchen design and we wanted to share those with you here… 1 /  C R O C K E R Y  C U…

The utility room has become an essential part of modern day life. Since open plan kitchen and dining spaces are now common practice, the majority of our clients wish to incorporate utility / boot rooms into their project plans. Whilst open plan living is perfect for modern living, the downside is that for every wall…

When it comes to considering the design of a boot room, the key thing to remember is this space connects both outdoors and indoors; it’s an area that provides a place for the family to prepare for, or decamp after, school or a trip which means cleverly designing the layout of the space and incorporating…

On the wish list for many clients, a walk in pantry takes pressure off the main kitchen by injecting a huge amount of hidden storage into the home. If you remove all the dry goods from the main kitchen, you free up an abundance of space that can be utilised for other things such as…

A wine room is the perfect addition for wine lovers and keen entertainers alike. Gone are the days where a wine cellar is a necessity for wine connoisseurs. If you don’t have the luxury of space, a wine room can be just as effective and far more accessible than a wine cellar, not to mention…

More of us than ever are now working from home and with that, we are finding that more our our clients than ever are opting to incorporate home offices and small study areas into their projects. If you are planning on including a home office into your project we thought we’d share a few useful…

The kitchen has now become a central hub of the home and one of the challenges of designing an open plan kitchen space that includes a kitchen, dining and soft seating area is keeping a consistent flow and overall design aesthetic that works seamlessly across each of the key areas. Whilst many clients still love…

Media cabinetry can be so much more than just a stand for your new 8K smart TV. It can be a stunning piece of useful furniture than not only houses a television, but books, vases, pictures, wine (yes wine!) and even games consoles etc, all in one beautifully designed space. Media cabinetry is quickly becoming…

Worktops are an element of the kitchen that can be overlooked when it comes to the initial stages of planning and design. However the worktops, much like choosing paint colours, can make or break the way a space feels and even to some extent, the longevity of the kitchen. Marble countertops are absolutely stunning but…

One sink to rule them all, the Kohler deerfield undermount sink is the ultimate tool for both food prep and clearing away. The simple, timeless design lends itself perfectly to both contemporary and more classic spaces and works particularly well in busy kitchens. Designed to flow as part of the space the Kohler undermount sink…

The Musgrove glass pendant has become a kitchen staple here at Humphrey Munson. The much-loved tapered glass pendant offers a clean crisp look that suits both classic and contemporary spaces (and all things in-between). Handcrafted in Scotland, the Musgrove pendant offers a subtly refined way to light this area of the kitchen in the evening…

Bespoke drawer inserts are are a really key element to any hardworking and well designed kitchen. Think about it, every kitchen has at least a few with dividers for cutlery and utensils – but what if you could have drawers for knives, cups, coffee pods and even spices, all hidden from view? K N I…

A much loved (and extremely useful) addition to almost any kitchen project, our bespoke H|M integrated trays are proving so popular with our client projects. Designed to be stored in cabinetry, often in the island near the food prep area, near a scullery or either side of a coffee machine, integrated trays are made to…

Utility rooms are wonderful spaces designed to help keep your home clean, tidy and clutter free. Often an extension to the kitchen, a utility room can house all the appliances that would otherwise take up valuable room in a kitchen, thus enabling that space to be enjoyed solely for cooking and eating. Typically, a utility…

H|M paint colour ‘Twill’ is a light earthy paint colour with a soft taupe/brown pigment providing a sense of comfort, warmth and stability to a space. This shade is especially appealing for neutral rooms like a shared dressing room or pantry and looks simply incredible with wood accents such as Portobello oak and Classic oak.…

Opting for a drying cupboard isn’t usually something clients will think about when considering a utility room, however they can be a hugely beneficial piece of cabinetry that once you have it, you won’t know how you lived without it before. A drying cupboard that is thermostatically controlled is the perfect final piece of the…

Dining tables are deeply personal pieces of furniture that can make or break a kitchen or dining space and choosing the right table can be difficult. If like many of our clients you are looking for a durable, beautiful, made to order dining table that suits both classic and contemporary spaces, the Lexington might just…

‘Mailsail’ is a fantastically understated paint colour that works effortlessly in pretty much any setting, classic or contemporary. We kind of think of it as an easy neutral. Neither too warm nor too cool, ‘Mailsail’ is a subtle grey tone that helps to create a hushed and calming feel in homes both old and new…

For many of our clients it’s hard to imagine a home without a furry friend (or two) and so it would only be right that they had a beautifully made, comfortable place to relax and rest after a long walk. Although Humphrey Munson is known for handmade kitchens, Peter Humphrey the design director and founder…

Swan neck drawers are an integral part of many of our kitchen projects where client want to maximise every last drop of easy-access storage in their kitchen. Hidden behind what looks like a regular double cupboard door, the swan neck drawers slide out to reveal a tidy way to store a multitude of different items.…

For wine lovers that love to entertain, a wine room is an essential part of their project. At Humphrey Munson we design and manufacture rooms of all shapes and sizes from a simple display in a dining room to ‘active’ wine rooms which are sealed and self contained using bespoke cooling systems. Regardless of design,…

Dressing rooms are a deeply personal part of the home that is required to suit the needs of the client as well as the aesthetics and heritage of the property too. Ensuring the cabinetry design is simple, symmetrical and proportional from the outside will create a timeless look to suit almost any home, while the…

H|M paint colour ‘Yard Arm’ is a soft blue / green that really comes into its own depending on the light and architecture of the room it resides in. An elegant choice for both islands or whole kitchens ‘Yardarm’ can add a pop of statement colour to light and bright rooms or create a moodier…

A deep green that creates a definitive mood, H|M paint colour ‘Lock & Load’ is the epitome of classic English charm. When combined with paler earthy tones like H|M ‘Trim’ or ‘Cuffs’, ‘Lock & Load’ provides a timeless look that harks back to the time of stately dinners and grand shooting lunches. A luxurious, muted…