Well hello there, dandy deTerra friends!

As you may well know, our oak cabinet doors for wooden kitchens come in a spiffing selection of high-quality finishes. A few changes have taken place recently here at the deTerra headquarters, so I’d like to take a moment to fill you in on the latest goings-on!

The biggest update to our range of finishes for oak cabinet frontals is in our terrific ‘Top Picks’ collection. We’ve found that these babies are the most sought after options, so we’ve decided to make them part of a standard range, which we keep in stock at all times. This cracking new development means a shorter wait between placing your order and receiving cabinet doors in any of these popular finishes.

Our great-value ‘Top Picks’ selection includes doors with a smooth, sanded finish, which allows customers to add the finish of their choosing prior to installation. Our beautiful, hard-wearing lacquer finish is also included in this range; lacquered frontals match perfectly with our solid oak kitchen units and are a smashing choice for traditional kitchens. Finally, we selected four of our most popular painted finishes from the fantastic selection of colours at Farrow & Ball: All White, New White, Vert de Terre and Parma Gray.

All White

New White

Vert de Terre

Parma Gray

If you would prefer a different shade – to tie in with a specific colour scheme, for example – we offer a ‘Bespoke’ colour option, so our wonderful customers can take their pick from any other paint in Farrow & Ball’s razz-dazzlin’ collection. To select a hand-picked colour when ordering online, simply select the ‘Bespoke’ cabinet finish option on our website and specify the name of the colour you would like in the ‘Order Notes’ box at check-out (we suggest double-checking these names before submitting your order, to avoid ending up with sparkly, rainbow-coloured cabinets).

The paint experts at Farrow & Ball have concocted more than 130 colours, which we cannot reasonably stock all at once. For this reason, ‘Bespoke’ finishes cost a little extra and you may need to wait a couple of days longer to receive your cabinet frontals – but do not worry, we work hard to get them to you as soon as possible!

If you fancy the look of our solid oak cabinets and frontals for your kitchen – or would simply like to order a sample – don’t hesitate to give us a bell on 0345 22 22 990, or pop an email over to .

Ta ta for now,

The deTerra Diarist.

What’s poppin’, cool kids?

You know I love to wax lyrical about weird and wonderful uses for wood! Not only is it a splendid choice for solid wood kitchens, but the fabulous properties of this magical stuff is also venerated in all kinds of art installations – and what better way to hail the stunning and unique features of every single scrap of wood than to exhibit it with the sole purpose of being admired, eh?

This brings me on to the incredible spectacle of a wood installation by artist Katie Paterson and architects Zeller & Moye, which I just couldn’t wait to share! This fantastic work of art seeks to track the extensive timeline of the mighty tree, by incorporating small slivers of more than 10,000 species from all over the world, and from different times throughout history. Crafted over a period of three years, the installation was constructed to celebrate the opening of the University of Bristol’s new Life Sciences building.

Slivers taken from thousands of species of trees make up Paterson’s stunning installation © Max McClure

Titled ‘Hollow’, this immense collection of tree samples include fossils of an incalculable age, as well as pieces from such legendary trees as the Cedar of Lebanon, the Phoenix Palm and the Methuselah Tree (which – at 4,847 years old – is one of the oldest trees in the entire world). The artist also collected a railway sleeper from the Panama Canal Railway, as well as timber retrieved from the iconic Atlantic City boardwalk (ravaged by the effects of Hurricane Sandy in 2012).

Paterson’s wood forest in situ at the University of Bristol’s Royal Fort Garden

In the hectic throes of modern living, we all need to take a little more time to chill out, and ‘Hollow’ was designed to offer a meditative space within the university’s Royal Fort Garden. Serenity-seekers are able to step inside the installation, where they can contemplate the stories of the thousands of pieces of timber suspended from the structure’s ceiling, in a quiet moment of calm.

If you have any marvellous woodwork creations you would like to share, please send me some snaps on Facebook or Twitter!

Ta ta for now,

The deTerra Diarist

How-do animal lovers?

Specialist spaces for our furry friends are the newest trend to grace kitchens this year, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). This means pull-out feeding stations, under-counter pet beds, and specially designated storage for animal food and toys. Pets are – after all – a well-loved member of the family, so it’s only right to take their needs into consideration when designing new natural kitchens.

Pet-friendly kitchen amenities can be introduced in a wonderful variety of ways – though some are more technical than others!

If you have the resources and room to spare, awesome pet-friendly spaces can be created with specialist cabinets, such as purpose-built pull-out drawers for food and water bowls. Even better, by using a clever combination of end panels and open units they can be made to accommodate bulkier accessories like dog crates, which would otherwise occupy valuable floor space.

For a quick and easy solution, low-level shelving is perfect for housing food or water bowls (and stops you tripping over them!). What’s more, by incorporating wide, deep base units into your counters or kitchen island unit, you need only add soft, pet-friendly cushioning and your dog’s new bed is complete – talk about creature comforts!

If you have a cool kitchen pet space for your pooch or moggy, we would really love to see some photos, so please do share them with us on Twitter or Facebook.

Ta ta for now,

The deTerra Diarist

How diddly do, eco-warriors!

I’ve had my thinking cap on this week, pondering ways to become more sustainable and take care of this lush and leafy planet. After spending plenty of time admiring wood kitchens myself, I can’t help but be wow-ed by the awesome stuff nature sends our way, so I’ve gathered together a list of my top three ways to be sustainable in the kitchen!

1. Reduce waste

In years past, most household waste was sent to landfill sites, which are usually located in vast spaces such as old quarries – however, it has been estimated the remaining available landfill space will run out by 2020! ‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’ schemes work tirelessly to counter this problem, encouraging households (and businesses) to waste less and be more conservative with the resources they use.

Recycling is a fabby way to ensure less waste is sent to landfill, and with recycling collection services operating all over the country, it’s easy business to sort all your paper, cardboard, plastic, tin and glass ready for your local recycling team to collect.

Sorting your recyclables has never been so easy with one of our Easy-Cargo dual waste bin. This bin has a 30L and a 19L container, so you can use one for recyclables, and one for everything else! Each plastic container can be easily removed for cleaning or when items need sorting, and slides away into a cabinet to keep all your rubbish out of sight!

Cabineto’s Fun Facts about Recycling:

• When you recycle a newspaper, it takes just 7 days to come back as a brand new newspaper.
• It’s estimated that for each tonne of paper that gets recycled, the amount of energy saved is enough to power a house for a whole year. What’s more, for each tonne of paper recycled, 17 trees are saved!
• Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to power a television for up to three hours.
• With the quantities of glass recycled each year in the UK, we save enough energy to launch ten space missions!
• The UK currently produces enough waste to fill the Albert Hall in less than two hours.
• If everyone recycled their aluminium cans, there were be 14 million fewer dustbins of waste going into landfill every year.

2. Waste lesswater

At some point or another, we’ve all been guilty of leaving the tap running whilst washing up. Not only will excess water usage send your water bill skyward, but turning the tap off when you’re not using it can save as much as 6 litres of water a minute. This means less energy wasted on heating unused water, and less energy wasted on purifying water at treatment sites.

It’s also a dandy idea to make sure your dishwasher and washing machine have a full load before switching on a cycle!

3. Upcycle kitchen storage solutions

We have a tendency to throw items away when no longer required, and to rush to the shops as soon as we need something at home, without giving proper consideration to how objects can be repurposed to suit new needs. ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, as they say, but why throw away things that – whilst no longer needed for their current purpose – could prove highly useful in another function? Take a look at my gallery of fabulous up-cycled kitchen accessories and creative storage solutions:

So, there you have my top tips for being more sustainable in your kitchen, and this advice is handy for other rooms in the home, too. Here at deTerra, we do like to have a hoot, but our commitment to the environment is something we take very seriously indeed. If you’d like to read more about our eco-friendly ethos, please take a gander at our Environmental Policy page. Don’t forget, this is just Part 1, and I’ll be sending more awesome plant-saving tactics your way soon!

Ta ta for now,

The deTerra Diarist

Hi-dee-hi, kitchen trend setters!

Image courtesy of KitchenAid

Black kitchen features are a popular trend for 2016 – from cabinetry to appliances, this is the perfect way to add a dash of drama to oak kitchens this year!

Whether you’re bringing your kitchen up-to-date with painted cabinet frontals or sleek gadgetry, there are a number of ways to embrace this trend. Brands such as KitchenAid are clearly ahead of the curve on this one, having launched a stunningly stylish collection of black stainless steel appliances last year, which provides a warm-looking alternative to traditional stainless steel equipment.

Lavish black stainless steel is also far more effective at disguising sticky fingerprints than glass alternatives! Our fabulous black stainless steel kitchen splashbacks are an ideal complement to this collection, too. Countertop gadgets are also a great way to get on board with this trend, if you’re not currently poised for a complete kitchen overhaul. From coffee makers to food mixers and toasters, coordinating contraptions, devices and utensils are the perfect shortcut to a kitchen facelift, without going the whole hog.

Image courtesy of John Lewis

You can also channel the trend through other key kitchen components, such as wooden worktops and oak cabinets. Species like black American walnut, exotic wenge and black oak are dark and opulent timber types, which make for rich and luxurious-looking worktops.

Installing kitchen cabinets with black frontals is a fantastic way to evoke this trend, and – if correctly incorporated – gives a sophisticated aesthetic that looks extremely elegant indeed! If ordering high quality oak kitchen units from our beautiful and hard-wearing collection, opt for a shade such as Farrow & Ball’s Pitch Black or Off Black for your cabinet frontals. Farrow & Ball are our paint manufacturers of choice, thanks to the environmentally-friendly nature of their water-based, low VOC products.

An exemplary kitchen belongs to one of our customers, and I thought it’d pretty nice to show you some snaps from one of our customer kitchens, to help inspire you with ways to tap into this trend in your very own oak kitchen.

Whilst all-black cabinetry may initially sound a little intense, it can be carefully incorporated with shiny stainless steel splashbacks, metallic appliances and light-coloured flooring for a well-balanced appearance. The chestnut hues of black American walnut are ideal for bringing warmth to countertops (as you can see!), and by opting for painted oak cabinets – rather than those made of metal or other man-made materials – sound is better absorbed, making for a more homely kitchen environment.

So there you have it, deTerrarinos – how to nail the black kitchens trend! If you have any wicked pics of your own black cabinetry or appliances, please don’t hesitate to share them with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Ta ta for now,

The deTerra Diarist