Kitchen of the Week: Skye McAlpine’s London Flat by Jersey Ice Cream Co.

When food writer and photographer Skye McAlpine needed to create a London kitchen worthy of her culinary concoctions, she turned to Tara Mangini and Percy Bright of Jersey Ice Cream Co., the design duo known for transforming ho-hum places into characterful spaces.

Skye, who splits her time between London and Venice, envisioned a kitchen that reminded her of Italy but was still in keeping with the historic feel of her Victorian flat. Furthermore, she wanted a space that was equally photo-worthy and practical.

Photography and styling by Skye McAlpine. See more of Skye’s work at From My Dining Table and on Instagram.

Above: The designers’ and client’s vision came together in the form of the kitchen’s signature pink plaster walls, which married Percy’s favored wall treatment with Skye’s fond memories of her former kitchen. The soft, blush walls when combined with copper and brass accents, conjure memories of Italian warmth.

Above: Framed by a sunlit floor-to-ceiling window, Jersey Ice Cream Co.’s custom-made kitchen island/table rests under one of Skye’s Venetian glass chandeliers.

Above: Fashioned from reclaimed wood from Retrouvious on Harrow Road, the kitchen island/table was placed on casters so it can be easily moved. The table flips open to accommodate a large dinner party.

Above: When you cook as much as Skye, it helps to have easy access to your ingredients. Percy and Tara used reclaimed wood, again from Retrouvious, to create these open shelves.

Above: The view from the kitchen into the living room reveals more of Percy’s plastering, this time in a soft gray. When she entertains, Skye enjoys an easy flow from the living room to the kitchen. To further unify these spaces, Percy and Tara broadened the opening between these two rooms.

Above: In the living room, Percy and Tara replaced a modest mantel with a more substantial one. Pink accents further unify this space with the adjacent kitchen.

Above: One of Skye’s still lifes on a custom-made marble and wood side board.

Above: Percy and Tara made the pot rack using copper pipe and brass pipe hangers common in the UK. (Alas, Tara cannot recall the exact brand of faucet she selected, but Whitehaus makes a similar one.)

Above: Skye, putting her new kitchen to good use.

See more of Jersey Ice Cream Co.’s work:

• The One-Month Makeover: Beth Kirby’s Star-Is-Born Kitchen
• Building Character: Jersey Ice Cream Co. and the Case of the Charmless Manse
• Ask the Kitchen Experts: Jersey Ice Cream Co.
• Old Soul: A Revolution-Era Hudson Valley Home Gets an Update from Jersey Ice Cream Co.