How to build a sustainable kitchen

As climate change continues to be at the forefront of our minds, taking eco-friendly kitchen design into consideration when designing a self-build or renovation is more important than ever. From the materials used in the build to long-term sustainability implications and energy-efficient lighting, there are plenty of ways to lower your kitchen’s carbon footprint.

As a company we push to make sustainable improvements in everything we do, from recuperating heat in our furnaces to low voltage LED bulbs and recycled packing materials. Our lighting is the complete opposite of the throwaway culture associated with fast fashion, we craft glass to the highest quality with the intention of being antiques of the future, a lifetime purchase. We recently supplied Mineral Pendants for a project with Sustainable Kitchens who are based in Bristol and share the exact same company ethos from craftsmanship to environmentally responsible suppliers, striving for a greener future.

All the cabinets are built primarily from wood and they have removed the need for plastic feet replacing them with an adjustable plinth, made from offcuts. In partnership with Avon Needs Trees, the company is helping replant the UK’s native woodland, ensuring the planting and maintenance of trees with each kitchen. Finished by hand with expert attention to every detail from dovetail joints to painted cabinetry, the designs are built to last. Complete with a 30 year guarantee, customers can invite them back in 10 years for a fresh coat of paint and a quick tune up to keep your kitchen in new condition.

Sustainable Kitchens prioritise re-use and recycling wherever and whenever possible, committing very little workshop materials to waste. Careful cutting lists and an eye for recycled design means nothing is wasted. The kitchens are installed with no plastic or wasteful wrapping, carefully delivered in reusable protective packing blankets. Any non-recyclable waste is zero to landfill, managed in the most sustainable way possible. Some of the offcuts are even shared with external companies who reuse to make wonderful items such as bird boxes and bee hotels. All photography by Lukonic