Kew Fluted Chimney Breast Panel London

The Kew is the period living room brief: a chimney breast and two alcoves, which most houses fill with a mirror and two bookcases that never quite match. Here the chimney breast is the feature, clad in painted fluted panelling with the fire opening cut through it, and the alcoves take glazed cabinets above and cupboards below in the same paint, so the whole wall is one composition.

The flutes are 24mm slats at 12mm gaps, painted with the backer so the shadow lines are the same colour as the face, which is what makes painted fluting read as architecture rather than as a timber panel. The alcove cabinets are shaker-framed with glazed doors and a lit interior, and the base cupboards carry brass cup handles.

How it works: the chimney breast is battened to a true plane and the fluted panels are hung on it with the fire opening cut in the workshop to the surround, and a clearance to the fire set by the appliance. The alcove cabinets are separate carcasses scribed to the chimney breast on one side and the wall on the other, with the wall units on a hanging rail and the base cupboards on a plinth. LED strips under the wall units light the worktop shelf; the cabinet interiors are lit on the same circuit.

The panelling stops at a shadow gap to the ceiling and returns onto the sides of the chimney breast, so the flutes turn the corner rather than end at it.

Designed around a fireplace

A fireplace wall needs the fire to be the centre and the storage to be quiet. The Kew keeps the flutes plain and vertical so the fire opening is the only interruption, and gives the alcoves the display and the cupboards, which is where a living room keeps its books and its clutter. One colour across all three pieces is what holds it together.

• Fluted panelling over the whole chimney breast, hearth to ceiling
• Flutes 24mm wide at 12mm gaps, painted with the backer
• Fire opening cut to the surround with the required clearance
• Glazed shaker wall cabinets in both alcoves, lit inside
• Shaker base cupboards with brass cup handles
• LED under the wall cabinets
• Flutes return onto the sides of the chimney breast
• One factory paint colour across all three pieces

Designed for the room: the alcove cabinets can be open shelving, a desk or a drinks cabinet, the flutes can be a natural oak rather than painted, and the wall units can go to the ceiling where the cornice allows.

Built for everyday use: the paint is a factory-applied lacquer that wipes clean, the flutes nearest the fire are set back to the clearance the appliance needs, and the base cupboards sit on a plinth that takes a hoover without marking the doors.

The Kew shown spans a wall about 4.2 metres wide with a 1.4-metre chimney breast; the same pieces are drawn to your chimney breast, your alcoves and your cornice at the design visit.

Manufactured in our Wembley workshop

The Kew is made in our HA9 Wembley factory as fluted panels, glazed cabinets and base cupboards cut to your wall. The flutes are spaced on a jig, the panels and the cabinets are painted together in the spray shop so the colour is one batch, and the fire opening is cut in the workshop to the measured surround.

The chimney breast, both alcoves, the cornice, the skirting and the fire surround are measured at your design visit, and the three pieces are scribed to each other and to the walls on installation.

Quality you can rely on: your Metro fitted furniture comes with a 10-year guarantee covering parts and labour.