It’s rare that the kitchens in an office refurb are given the same attention as the rest of the project. Yet Studio Rhonda’s transformation of a listed early 19th-century malt-house in Banbury, England, into the HQ for design-centric pet accessory brand Omlet resolutely bucks that trend by turning them into warm and inspiring focal points. With their use of tonal pigmented colours and cohesive yet unique personalities, the project’s four kitchen areas “act like signposts,” explains Rhonda Drakeford, founder and creative director of the London-based studio, “so staff can say ‘Meet me at the yellow kitchen for coffee!’ ”

Drakeford referenced the rich palette of the existing vaulted space — its exposed rust-hued brick, raw timber trusses and generous natural light — when curating the project’s materials. The studio chose a rustic cork for the floors, more cork with hand-painted Indian ink murals for some of the walls, and English ash for the desks, doors, wall panelling, built-in seating, stairs and those four kitchens. “Ash has an almost luminescent colouring,” says Drakeford. “It’s pale but warmer and more characterful than birch.”

To create the kitchens’ distinctive look, Studio Rhonda worked with London-based kitchen designer Hølte Studio. A fan of its bold use of colour and structure, as well as its ability to adapt to different budgets, Drakeford was after “something homey, but with a twist.” For this project, Hølte used its signature Wood-E cabinet fronts with Ikea carcasses, incorporating bespoke elements such as open shelving and custom wood stains. “Each panel was individually veneered and the visible wood grains meticulously matched and aligned to ensure continuity across the space,” explains Fiona Ginnett, creative director and co-founder of Hølte. Matching the colour and keeping it consistent over “large flat areas” was particularly challenging, she adds, “but the outcome was rewarding in the end.”

The hues for the kitchens — yellow, green, aqua and blue — were selected to work with the colour-coding concept and harmonious journey the practice had created for the overall space. The largest of the kitchens is located in the canteen, where Hølte also fabricated chunky green ash tops for the tables and benches designed by Studio Rhonda.

To make the kitchens even more special, Drakeford was after a bespoke integrated handle. She had used circular motifs around the office spaces but wanted something more angular for the kitchens, as “circular handles would have been too repetitive at this scale.” Together, the studios came up with a concept that adapts some of Hølte’s classic cabinet pulls but is inspired by the geometric design language of Studio Rhonda’s well-known Split Shift tiles. Machined from solid ash and integrated into a veneer door panel, it’s functional but striking — and a great example of the kitchen designer’s ingenuity and innovation. Combined with Studio Rhonda’s intentional emphasis on grain visibility and immersive colour saturation, these kitchens provide real moments of joy, calm and surprise.