Navy & Brass Kitchen

The client — a Belgian architect and his family — had just completed the structural renovation of their Sotogrande villa through another contractor and engaged Magnum Reformas specifically for the kitchen fit-out. The brief was explicit and unusual: no white, no grey, no safe choices. The client presented a mood board heavily influenced by New York hospitality design — dark lacquered bars and restaurants in Manhattan where jewel-toned cabinetry meets natural stone. The 22 m² L-shaped kitchen had a fully tiled floor (small cream mosaic, now removed), plain plaster walls, and existing plumbing and electrical first-fix in sensible positions. Our design team produced three navy options at different tone intensities: a greyed navy (RAL 5011), a pure navy (RAL 5003) and a deep midnight navy (RAL 5004). The client chose RAL 5003 — the truest navy — specifying that it had to read as clearly blue in daylight but almost black at night.

Technical Specifications

The marble selection was the most consequential single decision in this project. Nero Marquina — quarried in the Bilbao region of Spain — was the only stone seriously considered, but within that category the variation is enormous. The showroom session involved examining six different Nero Marquina blocks under showroom lighting and a replica of the kitchen's warm LED pendant lighting. The selected block — Nero Marquina Extra from Levantina — has a near-jet-black background with unusually bold, continuous white veining (not the fine-grained pattern of lesser blocks). The worktop template would be taken from this single block to ensure the veining flows continuously across the island and wall run. The Wolf CI362TF 90 cm induction cooktop was chosen after a live cooking demonstration in our showroom — the client, being an accomplished home cook, required the precision and power of professional-grade induction. The Sub-Zero IC-30RO-RH-TH integrated column was specified for its deep-chill technology and the fact that its panel door is completely frameless.

Technical Specifications

The existing cream mosaic floor was removed entirely — a full-day operation using electric chisels, as the tiles were bonded with a thick bed mortar. The substrate was diamond-ground flat and a 6 mm self-levelling compound (Ardex K15) applied over the full 22 m² to achieve the ±1 mm tolerance required for the engineered oak herringbone. Electrical first fix was extended: three new 20A circuits were dedicated to the Wolf cooktop, oven and dishwasher respectively; a 32A circuit feeds the Sub-Zero column; and a new dedicated 16A low-voltage ring runs concealed track lighting and pendants on dimmable drivers. Gas: the villa had an existing gas supply from a 1,000 L external tank — this was retained and the gas first-fix was capped off (not needed for the all-induction and steam appliance specification, but preserved for future use). The plumbing was rerouted for a new 1.5 deep-pressed stainless undermount sink (Blanco Etagon 500-U) positioned off-centre in the island, with a matte black Quooker FLEX tap (boiling water, filtered cold).

Technical Specifications

The navy blue cabinetry arrived in carcass form from our workshop and was installed over two days. The wall units run floor to ceiling (2.7 m) with a single continuous cornice, so no gap exists between cabinet top and ceiling — eliminating the dust-collecting space typical of standard kitchen installations. All carcasses are 18 mm Egger E1 moisture-resistant board, faced with 2 mm ABS edge in matching navy. The island has Blum Legrabox inner drawer boxes throughout (brushed stainless sides, glass base panels) for maximum luxury in use. The Nero Marquina worktops arrived in two pieces — the island slab (2.4 × 1.0 m, single piece) and the wall run (3.8 m in two sections with a precisely colour-matched joint). Installation required four people: the island slab weighs 192 kg. The Wolf CI362TF cooktop was cut into the island marble with a router, leaving a 3 mm margin around the perimeter and a polished mitred edging. A stainless steel Falmec Silence NRS integrated ceiling extractor (900 m³/h, 38 dB) was concealed in the ceiling above the island.

Technical Specifications

The lighting design prioritises atmosphere over even task illumination. The three Tom Dixon Beat Brass Fat pendants above the island are the visual anchor of the room — their hammered brass surfaces catch and scatter warm amber light at 2200 K. Under-cabinet warm LED strips (2700 K, IP20, recessed in a routed channel to conceal the strip completely) wash the marble worktop and herringbone floor with a continuous low glow. A continuous LED strip (3000 K) runs inside the floor-to-ceiling cornice gap on the wall cabinets, providing uplighting that warms the ceiling. All circuits are on Rako wireless dimmers — four scenes are pre-programmed: *Cooking* (full task light), *Dining* (pendants at 60%, strips at 30%), *Ambient* (strips only at 20%), *Night* (minimal glow for navigation). A full-height splashback of Portoro marble (gold veining on near-black background) was installed behind the hob as the final luxury detail — its gold veins creating a visual echo with the brass hardware.

Technical Specifications

Every Magnum Reformas project begins with a free site visit from a dedicated project manager — no obligation, within 48 hours of enquiry. We provide a fully itemised fixed-price quote: every line of work is listed, nothing is hidden. Once approved, our team manages every trade on site so you never coordinate subcontractors yourself. A dedicated WhatsApp group keeps you updated with photos and videos throughout. At handover, we walk you through every installation and leave you a full documentation pack.

Technical Specifications