Murray & Murray

After living in the Far East for many years, Jacqui and Chris returned to Scotland and bought a beautiful house in a residential part of Edinburgh. However, the kitchen they inherited was a bit small for their family, with three children aged 11, 17 and 19, and it was located in a dark part of the house, with limited views. So, the Youngs commissioned Edinburgh architect Richard Erdal to help them create a bright an airy space on the opposite side of the property, providing a clear view to their wonderful garden.

The Clients had no hesitation in choosing Murray and Murray to provide the kitchen. Having been delighted with a previous kitchen that Murray and Murray had designed for them, there was no question of looking elsewhere.

Murray and Murray designed and drew up plans for the kitchen, following Jacqui's directions. Jacqui wanted a very practical family kitchen, that would work on a day-to-day basis. It needed to be able to cope " with teenage children charging around and their hungry friends, who are liable to turn up at any time. A large kitchen for them to relax in was essential."

"We knew the furniture needed to be fairly strong and Murray and Murray happily took this on board," Jacqui explains. "I knew for sure that I had to have an Aga, plenty of space in the cupboards and an island to provide extra workspace," Jacqui recalls.

"My favourite design element has to be the cupboard for the breadmaker. The way it's vented at the front means the bread can bake away inside the cupboard," Jacqui explains.

Overall, Jacqui is delighted with the finished result. "It's a luxury to have so much space," Jacqui says. "The room definitely has all we need as a family for informal living."

The architect on the project, Richard Erdal, is clearly very impressed. "I really like working with Murray and Murray - they know what they're doing."

"They designed the kitchen to give the clients what they wanted," Richard explains, "and we found Murray and Murray very easy to work with. They came up with the designs early, they were understandable, and had the information we needed. They set a realistic timeframe for building installation and communicated very well with us and the builder throughout the project."

Looking at the quality of the furniture, the cupboards and the worksurfaces, Richard comments that "the quality of their workmanship is truly exceptional. Murray and Murray produce craftsmen built carcasses and you get what you pay for."

"Murray and Murray are also very accommodating," Richard recalls. Jacqui admits she "made a mistake" on the colour of the cupboards, and had them painted over. "Unlike other kitchen companies if things go wrong, they fix them," Richard says, "and they ensure their clients are totally satisfied, which is a real tribute to their quality and approach."

"What also marks Murray and Murray out is their attention to detail and the fact that they think ahead - for example, discussing window sill heights with the builder; the height, width and position of tiling behind the Aga; or reconfiguring the cupboards to retain architectural details without compromising storage space."

Taken as a whole, Richard says, "this project went very smoothly from start to finish." In Richard's experience, "the clients that have used Murray and Murray are very satisfied with them, and we have no hesitation in recommending them to our clients."

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