AD – This post is a paid partnership with Breville.
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I love the change of season from summer to autumn, the coziness of being indoors, candles, blankets, and a return to daily rituals like warm cups of tea or coffee and toast in the morning (we are a decidedly cereal house in summer). Having recently undertaken our kitchen makeover, I have been slowly adding accessories that work into the new space. And one area which always feels a little overlooked in the design stakes on the high street are stylish and functional small appliances like kettles and toasters (no-one,to my mind, has really solved microwaves yet!). So, I was delighted to be asked to test out the just launched, and very stylish, New York Collection from Breville in our new kitchen.
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The New York Collection has all of the high performance features you might expect from a premium range, alongside lashings of style and design details which allow you to bring some classic loft-style luxury to your own kitchen. The range is both tactile and clever, and very smart to look at. It elevates every day, commonplace items to something that is both pleasurable to touch and see. Alongside the statement illumination (which provides a lovely soft white glow), it’s the ergonomics of this range which really persuade me.
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The design team at Breville took inspiration from the big apple for the concept behind this range. New York Loft style living has been a staple of interior design influence for decades, and it’s easy to see why, those high windows and ceilings and the industrial heritage which provides ample ground for creativity and bohemian flair. There is something very seductively cool about New York urban interiors. Now, we can’t all up sticks and move to Brooklyn (I wish, apparently it is now so trendy that it outstrips Manhattan for your buck), but we can all bring a touch of this urban cityscape into our homes.
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The gloss white body provides a very clean luxe design base and contrasts beautifully with the texturised detail of the metal trim (and the lid on the kettle). The texturised metal surface detailing- which I’m sure is more than a little inspired by the Chrysler building- really lifts these pieces to become something special, and maybe even a little fancy! I love the contrast of metals on the toaster too, the use of both chrome and brass is so effective and wonderfully reminiscent of Art Deco detailing on the New York skyline.
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Having used these items heavily since they arrived (with all this autumnal weather we’ve been having) I am also impressed by how every practicality has been thought of. From the button activated lid opener on the kettle’s architectural handle to the ability to place the kettle on at any part of the 360 degrees base, allowing for ease of use for both left and right-handed people, but also making it a very convenient to use.
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The toaster also comes with many practical advantages. From deep variable width slots that allow you to easily toast items like teacakes and bagels (is it just me that usually has issues with this?) to the lift and look function (which allows you to check on your toast while its toasting), or even more impressively, the ability to rewarm toast without browning, which I have to admit in a busy household is a complete godsend.
In the kitchen, accessories are a great way to start incorporating New York loft style, and as items that you use every day, the New York collection from Breville is a great place to begin. For me, loft living is all about embracing the heritage of space, making a play of height (particularly with lights) and most of all understanding the power of accent. Choosing a base which is contemporary and muted allows you to do something really special with the focal point. Although my own kitchen is more Scandinavian in design origin, there are lines where these two styles merge. In my own kitchen the terrazzo is the focus and a muted grey the background accent. I have dark lower cupboards (very popular in contemporary American kitchen design) and the raw wood shelves could be straight out of a rustic Brooklyn kitchen complete with exposed brick walls. I love the idea of New York living and below is my guide to using this style to translate the look into your own kitchen.
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Design Soda Top Tips for creating New York Loft Style with Simple Updates:
- Make a play of architectural heritage where you have it. If you don’t have any at all then add interest by making a play of height with lights at different heights. Traditional industrial task light pendants look particularly good within the New York look.
- In larger kitchens create a gallery wall using pieces of contemporary art juxtaposed with flea market finds, if you have high ceilings make sure you go as far up towards the ceiling as you can.
- Add something that celebrates the Art Deco heritage of New York. The Art Deco touches in the New York collection from Breville would be perfect
- If you have high windows (or picture windows) you are already winning, but either way, never use a blind.
- Add tension. No maximalism. Try to keep the space clean and contemporary but with colour or pattern on selected focal points.
- Make architectural heritage as much of a focus as possible. Use any of your buildings heritage you can find, there are now some pretty stylish rolls of exposed brickwork wallpaper on the market to fake this look in a small area.
- Keep things simple but mix up your surfaces where possible, a marble serving tray against a wooden worktop is super effective.
- Keep things interesting with something a little off balance and bohemian, perhaps this is a vintage set of weighing scales, an industrial piece, or something kitsch, choose an item that tells a story.
You can purchase the New York Collection toaster here and the kettle here– I’m a little in love already.
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