About Us
Our design ethos
Sola Kitchens is the only company in Britain that offers truly bespoke Scandinavian style kitchens, and other home storage solutions, with the cabinetry made by hand in our workshops in Scandinavia and Britain.
For two decades, Sola Kitchens has been a leader in the kitchen design sector, and we are known for our innovative concepts and sophisticated styles. We take inspiration from the clean, minimalist lines of Scandinavian design, and our design philosophy is to offer unique kitchens that combine materials, colours and styles in a seamless, harmonious way.
Because every detail, and every client, is unique, we offer a genuinely personal service and an extensive range of styles, materials, features and state-of-the-art finishes to match.
However you dream of being able to use your kitchen, as a family hub, a place for professional cooking, for living, relaxing, and entertaining, we are here to bring it to life for you.
Why Use a professional kitchen designer
Professional kitchen designers are specialists with the knowledge, training, experience, and skill to design and plan kitchens that are both stylish and functioning and which can be installed to perfection by expert installers.
The professional design team at Sola Kitchens will visit all the international trade and design shows and product manufacturers, to keep abreast of all the latest technical and design developments. This enables the designers to create kitchens in the latest design with the best materials and products available.
As professional designers we are used to working closely with other trades such as carpenters and stone masons, contractors, architects and interior designers. At Sola Kitchens, the designers are also part of a close-knit team of operations management, procurement and installation teams. Our close team-work will ensure a smooth and professional experience from the beginning to the end. The experienced team will also make sure that complex and bespoke solutions are fully functional, not only on the plans, but also in practice.
Why Sola Kitchens? Small enough to care, big enough to deliver.
Partnering with Sola Kitchens means that you get the best of two worlds. Our 20+ team has every skill required to ensure a professional working process to seamlessly deliver a successful project. In addition to our talented design team, we also have our own dedicated and experienced back-office team, including Logistics, Procurement, Order Managers, Technical Designers and Installation Managers.
Our comprehensive and experienced team means that we can handle even the most complex projects and ensure a smooth and seamless process from start to finish.
At the same time, we are still small enough to be able to provide all our clients with a genuinely and entirely bespoke service, focusing on miniscule details, and provide a personal contact throughout their project.
Our Scandinavian Heritage
Scandinavian design, with its clean, restrained lines, and emphasis on natural materials and exceptional quality of workmanship, took shape in the first half of the 20th century. It was a stylistic movement driven in part by an interest in simplicity, minimalism and functionalism and a desire to find intelligent ways of improving the quality of daily life, and partly by a need to keep mass-production costs down as the world recovered from the effects of the First World War.
In the hands of designers such as Josef Frank (Austrian architect and designer whose work played a large part in the history of Swedish design), Bruno Mathsson (Swedish) Arne Jacobsen, Carl Hansen and Hans J. Wegner (all Danish), and Aalvo Aalto (Finnish), sinuous curves and unfussy profiles were shaped out of wood, glass, leather and metals to form graceful and deceptively simple but carefully engineered and highly practical and liveable furniture, lighting and decorative pieces.
More recently, the popularity of the Danish term ‘hygge’, meaning warmth, comfort and contentment, and the growth in popularity of Scandinavian gastronomy, has encouraged the making of the home, and the kitchen especially as a stylish, comfortable refuge, with nature and natural materials at the core.
As a Scandinavian herself, Sola Kitchen's founder and director Sofia Bune Strandh grew up with this design ethos and is proud that her company can show how less is more in our homes, and that you can combine style with perfect functionality.
She wanted her kitchen designs to be completely bespoke and hand-crafted using our wonderful cabinet makers in Sweden and Britain, to apply attention to the finest details, to follow traditional and tried and tested manufacturing techniques, and to focus on materiality and the relationship between materials such as wood, stone and paint colours.
ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
For decades, Scandinavia has played a pivotal role in showing the world how to live and work in tune with the environment. We care about it, it is part of our culture, it is our home.
Sola Kitchens takes great care to use only the highest quality, ethical, sustainable, and sustainably sourced materials and production methods.
Most families in Scandinavia only purchase one house in their lifetime and they do it up once, including the kitchen. That means it has to last. How could it be more sustainable than to keep something for life?
Sola Kitchens considers the lifetime of all our products, using traditional building techniques to create the strongest cabinetry, minimising waste and lowering our carbon footprint.
All wooden materials are sourced locally wherever possible, and all our suppliers have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifications.
Timeline
How It Started
2006
Sola Kitchens was founded by Sofia Bune Strandh in 2006. It all started when she bought her first flat in London and was looking for a kitchen of the same quality and design that she was used to from her native Sweden. Unable to find anything she liked Sofia decided to design the kitchen herself and get it manufactured in Sweden. Even before the kitchen was fully installed, several of Sofia’s friends saw the beautiful style and asked whether she could help them get Scandinavian kitchens as well. Sofia was working as a solicitor at the time but before long, she resigned to start Sola Kitchens.
2007
Like many start-ups, Sofia’s journey began at the kitchen table. The first Sola Kitchen “studio” was based in a shed in the back garden and was kitted out with two small kitchen displays, a lot of sample doors, a desk, and two dogs!
2008
Sofia started the company on a part-time basis and for the first two years, she continued working part-time as a solicitor while setting up the company. In 2008 Sofia resigned from law and started full-time with Sola Kitchens. The timing was interesting, one week after she started full-time with Sola Kitchens, in the autumn of 2008, Lehman Brothers went down and the big financial crisis started.
2010
Because of the financial crisis Sofia decided to stay in the garden studio for a bit longer than planned but in 2010, it was time for the next step and Sola Kitchens took over the lease for the first “proper” showroom which was on Munster Road in Fulham and where we still have one of the showrooms. The showroom was a blank canvas and we started an extensive renovation.
2011
In 2011 the renovation and fit out of the Fulham showroom was done and we opened the doors to our very first showroom!
2015
After the opening of the Fulham Showroom, the company grew quickly. In 2015 it was time to take the next step and “grow up” a bit. We did an extensive brand audit which resulted in a new style with a more sleek and Scandinavian-looking logo.
2016
In 2016 it was time to open our second showroom, situated in beautiful Hampstead village. The showroom is conveniently situated just a stone’s throw from the tube station and has been serving our North London clients ever since.
2017
In 2017 Sola Kitchens undertook its first multi-unit development and did all the kitchens for a newly built apartment block in Pratt Mews in Camden. The project was run by developer HC Development and comprised of eight individually designed flats.
2018
In 2018 we won our first design award! Sola Kitchen’s Head of Design Rhiannon Phenis won the prestigious Designer of the Year Award with a stunning design in antique brass and concrete grey!
2020
In 2020 we launched our iconic design Skog, with its slim vertical wood slats. With Skog, Sola Kitchens started the trend of textured and reeded cabinetry doors, a trend that has since snowballed and taken on a life of its own. Skog is still one of our most popular designs and we still build it in the same original way with solid wood slats individually routed into the panel to create strength and stability. We have since developed several more designs with different types of textured doors.
2021
In 2021 it was time for our third showroom! We took over the premises on Wigmore Street which was going to be our new Flagship showroom. The showroom was stripped back to brick and we started an intense design and fit-out schedule to create what is today our beautiful flagship showroom. This is what it looked like when we took it over!
2022
The renovation of the Central London showroom took 10 months and in June 2022 we opened the doors to the new showroom! Ever since starting Sola Kitchens, one of the main goals have been to open a showroom on Wigmore Street and now that is finally a reality!
2022
In 2022 we won the prestigious SBID award for the best kitchen design of the year with our much-loved project Scandi Asia which is an eclectic mix of four different door designs, an olive tree, and a swing.
2023
Only a few months after we opened our new Flagship Showroom on Wigmore Street we were immensely proud to win the prestigious Showroom of the year award, meaning that it was officially the most beautiful showroom in the UK.
2023
In 2023 the Scandi Asia project won it’s second Best Kitchen Award in Livingetc’s Style Award of the Year. Having won two awards, this is definitely one of our most loved projects!
2023
A lot of things happened in 2023 and one of those was the launch of our new kitchen design Fjord, which is a handleless design which seamlessly blends Scandinavian aesthetics with beautiful materials.
2024
In 2024 another of our favorite projects, Majestic Charcoal, was shortlisted for The International Design & Architecture Awards 2024 in the ‘Kitchen Over £100,000 Award’ category.
2024
2024 saw the launch of another design with a textured finish. Sola Kitchens has teamed up with Havwoods, the timber flooring expert, to create a stunning new signature design – Ström. Translating to “stream” in Swedish, Ström features Havwood's Fleuve embossed timber that allows light to ripple across its textured oak surface, enhancing its natural beauty.
Sola Kitchens was excellent in every stage of the process. Patient and thoughtful on the planning, creative in working to my budget, professional on the delivery and fitting, and absolutely fantastic on the aftercare and snagging. I could not recommend them more highly.
Shaker
FULHAM DELIGHT
We have worked with Sola Kitchens on several projects and they are excellent to work with, from the initial design concept to the final installation. The design team is highly creative and they consider the smallest details to make sure the final kitchen is both beautiful and functional.
Flat Door
ALMIGHTY OAK
The team was very friendly and professional from start to finish of our project. Would definitely recommend this company. Happy client. Thank you!
Flat Door
LIMED OAK
Thank you Sola Kitchens for your support again. We have had our Sola Kitchen for 8 years, it gets heavy use and it looks as good and works as well as the day it was fitted, well worth the odd visit by the Sola maintenance team - it seems there is nothing Robban can't fix :)
Shaker
CHEF'S KITCHEN
We have had an excellent experience with Sola Kitchens. The care and communication from every part of the team during the project has been great as has the follow up post the final fix by our builders. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sola Kitchens.
Flat Door
BRASS LOFT
We have had two kitchens installed by Sola kitchens. We absolutely love the design and the quality of their kitchens. They offer a very professional, personalised and super friendly service. We would highly recommend Sola kitchen to anyone who likes great quality and amazing looks!
Shaker
RUSTIC CHARM
We often recommend Sola Kitchen to our customers and today we have just received a glowing compliment from a long-serving customer! She is thrilled with the service she received and the kitchen recently fitted has made her house a home- thank you guys!
Flat Door
ELEGANT ENTERTAINER
We are delighted with our new Sola kitchen. Superb design, quality, and service. A truly stunning product. Perfect planning by the professional and experienced Sola team who took great care to incorporate our every wish with the latest appliances and even unusual design aspects.
Flat Door
MONOLITHIC MARBLE
Sola Kitchens built my kitchen, the bookcase in our lounge, and the vanity in the master bathroom; they are all beautiful and well-built. The thought and care put into deciding the specifics; always offering excellent suggestions but keeping in mind our vision. I cannot recommend & praise Sola Kitchens more highly
Shaker
SCANDI CHIC
We are utterly delighted with the kitchen and certainly feel that Sola Kitchens/Rhiannon completely fulfilled our brief for a light and luminous space, with a contemporary, elegant and minimalist design and yet also a natural, warm and practical kitchen for our family.
Flat Door
LIVING KITCHEN
I love my kitchen so much! It has really completely changed the way we use our ground floor. It's perfect for my family. From start to finish the whole experience was fun and stress free.
Flat Door
ROYAL CRESCENT
From the first moment we met with Sofia, I found Sola Kitchens extremely professional and easy to deal with. I have found all my dealings with the staff at Sola Kitchens to be competent, knowledgeable, warm and would highly recommend Sola Kitchens!
Flat Door
FRESH START
I couldn't recommend Sola Kitchens highly enough. From our designer Laura through to Kendelle our on-site project manager. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and love of what they do shine through. It felt sad when the project was completed! They listened, collaborated and it was a real pleasure to have such a great team.
Hygge
TIMELESS ALLURE
Sola Kitchens fitted our kitchen; we were super impressed (as were others as shortlisted for a national kitchen design award and appeared in publications). Since then, Sola Kitchens have completed some additional work. As always, totally impressed with Sofia and her team. Awesome service.
Skog
SLATE BLUE
Our designer was the most wonderful professional - she went beyond with what you would expect with visits to other sites. She listened and helped choose the right products. Outstanding service thank you. The quality of the installation and product is very good. I can warmly recommend Sola.
Flat Door
SERENE GREEN
I have worked with the team for over 12 years now. I have worked with them on delivering kitchens for more than 10 of my clients over this time so believe I am uniquely placed to judge the product and overall service. I would describe them as delivering excellent value for a top-end kitchen. Highly recommend.
Flat Door
BLAZING BRASS
We had a fantastic experience with Sola Kitchens, I cannot recommend them highly enough. We felt guided and supported throughout the project by Sofia and the Sola team. Working with Sola Kitchens was the highlight of our building project.
Shaker
STATEMENT KITCHEN
Robert and the team not only did the most beautiful job with the unit itself, but they were a pleasure to deal with, extremally professional and meticulous in their work.
Flat Door
MINT MAGIC
What a joy to work with this company. From start to finish the designer was amazing. Professional yet approachable with any question. A very solution-focused talented designer. Also a fantastic project manager for the kitchen building and installation and equally professional. A truly dream team!
