A kitchen from the Puustelli Miinus range has been fitted for a semi-detached property nestled in the upper reaches of the Lake District. The property was purchased by Andy and his wife Tracy and required extensive renovation. Among the most pressing concerns was the kitchen. The existing model had long since passed its usefulness and a new version that suited the needs of the family was required.

Andy came across the Puustelli Miinus range, a Finnish made kitchen that had been developed entirely on ecological grounds. With a carcass frame that was constructed predominantly from a waterproof bio-composite of polypropylene and wood fibers, this pioneering range that retained the beauty of real wood fitted the family’s needs to perfection.

Andy, who has an engineering background, was impressed by the minimalist frames that make up the gables of a Miinus cabinet and was drawn initially, not to the extensive eco credentials of the range but to the water resilient qualities that would provide greater protection in an area vulnerable to floodwaters.

BRE had been commissioned by the government to identify various home products in the drive to tackle the UK flooding problem and in February 2017, when the flood resilient home was launched at the Building Re-search Establishment, the Puustelli Miinus range was chosen as the kitchen for the project.

Andy describes how things work in practice on a busy day in the kitchen: "It’s perfect and because of the size of the kitchen, even little design practicalities make a difference such as having cutlery drawers each side of the cooker allowing for obstructions for whoever is cooking. From a social aspect when guests are congregated around the dining table or in the breakfast room, the cook or cooks are no longer isolated and that interaction makes for a great atmosphere and improved experience for who-ever’s working away to get the food prepared and for guests”