Begin with the way you cook
Before drawing an island or choosing a cabinet door, describe a normal meal from taking ingredients out to putting the last plate away. Note where preparation happens and which routes other people use while someone cooks. A kitchen that is also a passage needs a different arrangement from a room with one entrance. Write down equipment that must be close at hand and objects that can live higher up. The aim is to give each activity enough room without filling every available wall simply because a cabinet will fit there.
Clerkenwell's council character assessment records buildings of varied ages and uses. We measure the actual room and its fabric rather than imposing a terrace-house arrangement on every kitchen.
Sources: Clerkenwell Green, Charterhouse Square and Hat and Feathers conservation design guidelines
Establish the extraction route
An extractor requires a destination and a route between the two points, not merely a symbol above the hob. Identify existing ducts, shared systems and any external wall affected by a proposed outlet. In a flat, establish which equipment belongs to the apartment and which forms part of a common installation. Select the extraction arrangement with the designer and installer after the building has been checked. Keep the equipment information with the layout so that the person fitting the kitchen understands the intended system.
Islington distinguishes Article 4 restrictions by their mapped purpose. A direction about changing a building's use does not itself establish the permission route for a domestic extractor; check the specific proposal and relevant controls.
Where new external work is proposed, resolve permissions before making an opening. The design should identify its effect on the exterior and how the duct or equipment will be maintained. Do not leave the outlet position to be improvised once the cabinets are fitted.
Sources: Islington permitted development and Article 4 directions
Measure beyond the outline of the room
Survey wall lengths, corners, window openings and level changes. Identify radiators, boxing, access panels and the space needed for a door to open fully. Distinguish the face of a finished wall from the construction behind it; those measurements serve different purposes. Check ceilings where tall units or extraction will meet them. If a wall is uneven, decide whether furniture follows it, sits in front of it or needs a carefully detailed filler. This affects both the appearance of the installation and the useful space inside it.
Arrange worktop joints with the route into the property in mind. A slab that suits the drawing may not pass a stair turn or fit inside a lift. The same applies to tall cabinets. Verify critical sizes after the relevant preparatory work, and define which items cannot be manufactured until that check is complete. Design decisions should be settled early enough to guide the work, while production measurements reflect the prepared room.
Resolve appliances and connections together
Create a schedule of appliance models, connection requirements, ventilation space and maintenance access. An integrated fridge needs its door to open against the adjoining unit; a dishwasher should not trap someone at the sink; an oven must be reachable without colliding with a nearby handle. Check appliance information against the joinery drawings rather than relying on nominal widths. Keep isolation points accessible after shelves and drawers are installed. Consider replacement too: a built-in appliance should be removable without dismantling an unrelated part of the kitchen.
Show the sink's waste route and where its connections can be inspected. If the proposal moves water services substantially, investigate the existing route and ask the relevant installer to assess the alternative. Avoid designing a concealed connection that can only be reached by removing completed cabinetry. Space for service access should be deliberately incorporated into the furniture, with the removable panel identified on the drawing.
Give storage and lighting an everyday purpose
A cupboard schedule becomes more useful when it names the contents. Consider baking trays, tall bottles, cleaning materials and equipment that would otherwise occupy the worktop. Check whether deep drawers can open without blocking a doorway and whether frequently used shelves are within comfortable reach. Where seating is included, test knees, chair movement and access to cabinets behind it. The arrangement must remain workable with somebody seated and an appliance door open, not only when the room is empty.
Plan task lighting around preparation surfaces, taking account of the shadow cast by someone standing in front of them. Decide how different groups are operated and where controls are reached on entering. Review worktop and splashback samples beside the cabinet finish. Confirm exposed edges, corners and socket positions; those junctions can determine whether a simple kitchen feels carefully resolved. Keep the approved samples identified so that the installed products can be compared with the decisions actually made.
Check the fitted kitchen in use
Inspect services and cabinet positions before closing surfaces that depend on them. Protect completed worktops and fronts while neighbouring work continues. Record site adjustments that affect a future repair, particularly non-standard cabinet widths and concealed access points. The final inspection should include movement as well as appearance: open drawers beside doors, remove filters, check access beneath the sink and review how each appliance can be isolated. Ask the relevant installers to explain controls and maintenance needs.
Keep appliance details and surface-care information in the handover record. Identify which panels are designed for removal, and retain useful photographs of concealed routes. These records make subsequent maintenance more straightforward. A photograph of the finished kitchen can show its appearance, but practical checks establish whether the storage, controls and connections remain usable once the installation team has left.
Before work begins
Kitchen renovation in Clerkenwell: questions
What changes when a Clerkenwell kitchen is in a building with another use below?
The council's account of Clerkenwell records mixed uses, so confirm what is below and beside the actual kitchen. Plan the waste and extraction routes with that information, and establish access for any investigation beyond the home. A convenient line on the kitchen plan does not show who controls the space underneath it or whether a connection can be altered there.
Does an Article 4 direction automatically decide a new kitchen outlet?
Islington's directions have different mapped purposes, including conservation and changes of use. Check the applicable restriction and the actual outlet proposal rather than treating Article 4 as one answer for EC1. Keep the proposed outlet position, appearance and route with that enquiry. The kitchen installation should follow the resolved detail instead of making a new opening wherever the cabinet layout leaves space.
Can the sink move to another wall?
The answer depends on supply and drainage routes, the existing construction and any building restrictions. We investigate those matters before confirming a position. The drawing should explain how connections remain inspectable and accessible for isolation. Moving the sink should also be considered alongside the dishwasher and preparation area so that the alteration improves the kitchen as a complete working room.
When should cabinets be measured for manufacture?
Initial measurements guide the design, while critical production dimensions are confirmed at the agreed preparation stage. New finishes, levels and exposed construction can change usable space. We identify the dimensions requiring a site check and record the confirmed sizes. Furniture and worktop manufacture can then use the same information, with clear responsibility for any dimension that remains unresolved.
What belongs in a kitchen specification?
It should connect appearance with installation: appliance models, cabinet arrangement, worktop joints, storage fittings, lighting controls and access to connections. Identify retained items and the junctions with neighbouring rooms. Product images alone do not answer those questions. A coordinated schedule gives the installer useful instructions and gives you a clear basis for checking whether the completed kitchen matches the agreed design.
Official sources
Clerkenwell Green, Charterhouse Square and Hat and Feathers conservation design guidelines · Islington permitted development and Article 4 directions
Checked 4 November 2026. Maps, list entries and directions must be checked for the individual property and proposed work.