Uncommon Projects

About ten years ago, when I was working full-time as a graphic designer and Modernist Estates was still just a hobby and almost a book, it was rare for job enquiries to appear out of the blue. But I remember sitting in the Barbican café on Silk Street, working on my book, when an email arrived from Uncommon Projects — a start-up company specialising in bespoke plywood kitchens. They were looking for an illustrator and had come across my Barbican cards. Once they realised I was actually a graphic designer, they admitted they had a logo they didn’t really like and wondered if I’d be interested in helping with their branding. Their budget was limited, so they also proposed doing some kind of work swap.

The timing couldn’t have been better. I’d just bought a flat by Benson and Forsyth that had suffered an early-2000s Ikea white-gloss renovation, and I was desperate to bring some texture and quality back into its interior. It turned out to be the perfect partnership. I worked closely with Alan and James on the design — I wanted something that nodded to the original black and white timber kitchen and the red-tiled worktop. In the end, we settled on simple white fronts, stained black oak plywood and a red Formica worktop.

A decade later, my kitchen is still going strong, and their business has gone from strength to strength. I caught up with Alan and James to find out more about how the partnership began, some helpful tips for kitchens in tight spaces, and what’s next for Uncommon Projects.

Modernist Estates: How did the two of you meet, and what are your backgrounds?

Alan: We met by chance in a bar soon after I moved to London in 2004. I left my glasses on the table when I walked out. James noticed and ran after me to return them. We have been friends ever since. Before starting Uncommon, I was an architect specialising in modern methods of construction and prefabrication. James studied Fine Art and worked as a product designer in the toy industry. Our backgrounds are very different, which gives us two distinct ways of seeing things, but that mix is what makes the partnership work!

ME: What motivated you to start a kitchen design company?

A: It began very simply. In 2009 James made some birch plywood shelves for his flat using a router and a table saw. They were rough compared with what we do now, but they proved what a good material plywood is. They have now migrated to our workshop, where they are stacked with oils and finishes.

A few months later I was renovating my house and needed a kitchen. We looked at what was on the market and nothing felt exciting. A colleague suggested I design my own and have it cut on a CNC machine. James helped me and the result, while basic, opened our eyes to the potential of digital manufacturing. Friends started asking for things. We bought a CNC machine and spent evenings and weekends building the business on top of full-time jobs. It was a hard start, but doing every job ourselves gave us a deep understanding of the whole process, from design to fabrication to installation. It still shapes how we work and how we treat our team and our customers.

ME: Your kitchens have a distinctive look. Why plywood?

A: I honestly cannot imagine making our furniture in anything else. Birch plywood has an inherent beauty and an honesty to it. When you cut it you do not need to hide the edge, which feels refreshing. It is incredibly strong and water resistant, so it is ideal for long-lasting cabinetry. Early on, most of our clients were architects and designers who immediately understood why it made sense. Today our customers come from all walks of life, but the appeal of good materials is universal.

ME: You have worked in a number of modernist estates. Do you have any favourites?

A: The Cator Estate in Blackheath is a personal favourite. It is a Span estate from the 1960s, surrounded by communal gardens, and the houses are bright and beautifully planned. They have become increasingly appreciated over the years, due to the hardwood parquet floors, glazed screens and rooflights. We have made many kitchens, studies and bedrooms there over the years. I also can’t answer this question without at least mentioning the Barbican.

ME: Why do you think your kitchens work so well in mid-century homes?

A: Like the best modernist architecture, our work begins by considering function. The clarity of our details tends to resonate with people who love this kind of architecture. When we started Uncommon, the market was dominated by shiny white minimalism on one side and cottage-style shaker on the other. There was very little that suited modernist homes or contemporary extensions to period homes. Our approach sits comfortably in those spaces. There is also a warmth to what we do. We use colour and texture with confidence, and that helps the work feel at ease in these interiors.

ME: Post-war homes can be tight on space. What advice would you give people designing for them?

A: They can be tricky. The biggest constraints are usually appliances the original architects never planned for. I always start by asking if the washing machine can live somewhere else. Moving it frees up valuable space straight away. Drawers nearly always beat cupboards for accessibility. (No-one ever uses the back half of a 60cm deep cupboard!) A flush-mounted induction hob lets you use the whole worktop, whereas a gas hob can obstruct. I avoid under-counter fridges because they waste space and are hard to access; a tall fridge is nearly always a better choice even if it reduces worktop length.

Layouts matter too. If you have a C-shaped space, switching to a galley can often improve flow and eliminate awkward corners. We prefer simple, well-designed storage over gimmicks. Most carousel units are style over substance. You are often better off losing the inaccessible back corner and gaining a generous drawer where it matters. As you can tell, we have a lot of strong opinions on kitchen design! 

ME: Can you walk us through your design process?

A: We begin by asking clients to send us a plan so we can start thinking about the possibilities of the space. We then invite them to our showroom in North Greenwich, at the Design District. Seeing our work in person is essential. We really encourage everyone to interact with our kitchens to consider the ergonomics and feel the quality. This meeting is also where we take the first brief. From there we prepare a sketch plan and a more accurate estimate. We think carefully about how the room works with the rest of the home, how people move, cook and live in it now and how they want to in the future. Then we start honing the layout, right down to where the cups will live in relation to the dishwasher.

Colour is a big part of it too. We love these conversations. It is funny how often what someone is wearing gives a clue to the palette we end up choosing. The design process is iterative and we review each stage, often over Zoom. When the design is signed off we confirm delivery dates and plan the final stages, from laser-accurate surveys to services drawings. Many people come to us at the end of a stressful build, so we try to make this phase as straightforward as possible. It is always gratifying when clients say how enjoyable the process was. It’s often the most fun part of a building project as it’s where you start imagining and feeling how you will live in the future, how your life will change.

ME: What are the biggest challenges of designing for post-war homes?

Space is one, but the existing services are often the real challenge. Water mains, meters and ventilation systems tend to be in fixed and inconvenient places. Barbican flats, for example, have unusual integrated ventilation and drainage that must be respected. This is where bespoke cabinetry earns its keep. One of the joys of working in these properties is the balance between staying sympathetic to the original architecture and making the space work for modern life. This is where it’s very important to have a strong design and architecture sensibility. We often reinterpret mid-century screens or room dividers. After years of everything being as open as possible, we are now seeing more interest in flexible separation between rooms. It suits the way people actually live.

ME: If someone has a limited budget, where should they focus their spending?

A: Start by thinking about how long you want the kitchen to last and how it will add value to your home. I’m not a fan of the common advice to buy cheap cabinets and put an expensive worktop on top. That’s style over substance and it’s environmentally unsustainable. Cheap cabinets fail within a few years and the worktop can rarely be reused, so it ends up in landfill. Buy cheap, buy twice. Put your money into the best carcasses you can afford, then choose a solid wood or laminate worktop. You can always upgrade the surface later if you want to, but the underlying structure must come first. We make sure our kitchens feel as good as they look. So don’t buy your kitchen based on photographs alone. Pay attention to how it feels in the hand, as this is how you will interact with it every day. Above all, prioritise well considered ergonomics and spatial design. A poorly designed kitchen is miserable to live with and often gets replaced early, which costs more in the long run.

ME: You recently launched the Core range. What is it?

A: Core is our way of offering the same level of quality at a more accessible price. We simplify the design options and use a modular approach to the cabinetry. It is supply only, so we do not do site visits, surveys or installation, which keeps costs down. But it is made to order in custom sizes, so you still get a precise fit. It is not a compromise in quality, just a different way of working.

ME: What is next for you? Any projects you are excited about?

A: We are focused on sustainable growth and on showing more of the work we have been quietly producing for years. We are designing a large kitchen for a remarkable Georgian house in Edinburgh, and at the other end of the country we are fitting out an entire zero-carbon new build on the south coast. On a personal level, 2026 is the year we want to document more of our projects properly. And we have been asked to write a book about plywood, which I am very excited about. We cannot wait to see how it takes shape.

uncommonprojects.co.uk

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