Ten with Tom: Craig Matson of Roundhouse on Kitchen Design and Lighting

Craig Matson
Co-founder and Managing Director of Roundhouse

With a shared appreciation for considered design, natural materials and exceptional craftsmanship, Roundhouse creates beautifully crafted kitchens designed around the way people live.

TR: Roundhouse has been designing bespoke kitchens since 1996 - take me back to the start. What made you want to build a British kitchen design company from scratch?

CM: I certainly didn’t set out to build a company of this profile, that’s happened over decades of steady, considered development. My wife Victoria and I were both architects, working primarily in the residential market, and kitchens were always a significant part of that work. It was traditionally the space around which the family came together, particularly in contemporary homes, where the kitchen often flows seamlessly into dining and living spaces.

When we first started, we ran an architectural practice in parallel with the kitchen showroom we’d set up in Camden, London. In those early days we worked with traditional British furniture, frames and Shaker-style doors, because that was largely what British manufacturers were producing at the time. But our contemporary architectural background meant we were also drawn to cleaner, more European style and sensibility. Concealed hinges, flush panelling, and uninterrupted lines.

The problem was we couldn’t get the control or consistency we needed from existing British manufacturers. So, in 1999, we took the decision to start our own manufacturing facility in Malvern and that decision changed everything. Once we had our own factory nestled beneath the Malvern Hills, we could begin introducing the breadth of finishes and design details that Roundhouse has become known for. It gave us the freedom to design without compromise.

Twenty-five years later, that factory is still the beating heart of everything we do!

TR: You trained as an architect before founding Roundhouse. How does that background shape the way you approach kitchen design today?

CM: As architects, Victoria and I were both design and process-driven and that combination is rare in the kitchen industry. Spatial design comes naturally from architectural training. But it’s in the product detailing where that background really pays its way, the obsession with making things work without compromise, with resolving every junction, every material, every line. Making something look simple is rarely a simple process. Usually, it’s the opposite.

There is a design and process discipline in architecture which translates easily to furniture design and manufacturing. Design isn’t just drawing a set of lines that all follow through, it’s important to understand the materials you are working with.

What studying architecture gave me, is the ability to think laterally. There are almost always multiple answers to a design problem. It is both an art and a science, and using the appropriate discipline without letting either one dominate, is something we have tried to instil in the Roundhouse brand.

TR: What’s a kitchen design trend you’d be happy to never see again?

CM: White high gloss perhaps, for the best part of a decade it dominated showrooms and new-builds from Battersea to Edinburgh, we understand why it happened, it felt modern, it felt clean. But gloss is an unforgiving finish that magnifies every fingerprint and every flaw. And then, everything matched. The cabinets, the island, the bar stools - all singing from the same glossy hymn sheet. Thankfully, it’s a look we’ve happily moved on from!

Kitchens that truly sing have tension in them. Rough stone against a matt lacquered cabinet. Warm timber beside cool steel. A burnished brass detail that catches the light in a way nothing else in the room does.

We’ve always believed that perfection is slightly boring. Considered contrast, that’s what makes a space feel alive, timeless always beats trendy. There is a Japanese term I love as a design concept “wabi-sabi”, the perfection of imperfection, something one off, unique.

TR: Clients often think lighting is decoration - what’s the one thing you wish people understood about kitchen lighting design before they start?

CM: One thing I wish people would consider before they start is that lighting isn’t just decorative or purely functional; it can be the difference between a kitchen that works beautifully and one that simply looks good in photographs.

The challenge is that lighting can be difficult to understand before you’ve experienced it in a space. Most clients know when something doesn’t feel quite right, perhaps the overhead light feels too harsh, or the room feels gloomy or flat, but it can be much harder to put into words exactly what they’d like instead. Lighting is one of those things we tend to experience emotionally, without always having the language to articulate what’s working and what isn’t.

We approach lighting through scenarios. Because we design so many open-plan kitchen and dining spaces, we think about how those rooms actually live throughout the week. A dinner party calls for atmosphere and intimacy, with light that makes everyone look their best and the table feel centre stage. A family dinner is warmer, more relaxed, perhaps a little brighter.

Sunday morning breakfast is something else entirely, soft and unhurried, the kind of light that makes you want to linger over a second cup of coffee.

Lighting is often secondary in a client’s mind when they start planning, but by the end, it’s often the thing they’re most glad they got right.

TR: What would you tell someone planning their lighting layout to get it right?

CM: The starting point is always understanding how a space is used throughout an entire day, not just a single moment. This is where lighting plans can fall short. People tend to think about brightness and forget about flexibility.

One question we would ask is how does this space work after dark? A kitchen can feel bright, open and effortless during the day, but by evening, the lighting needs to create an entirely different atmosphere.

Another consideration is multi-functionality. So many of the spaces we design can serve more than one purpose. A kitchen that’s a busy, purposeful working environment at seven in the morning needs to feel entirely different at a dinner party that same evening. The ability to switch between task lighting and softer, mood lighting, is key to a successful lighting layout.

TR: “Made in Britain” gets used a lot as a marketing tagline - what does it actually cost, in time, money or hassle, to make it real at Roundhouse?

CM: I’ll admit I used to get factory envy visiting Europe! In Germany, those colour-coded production lines guiding you around the floor with military precision. In Italy, that effortless design sensibility baked into everything. But after years of running Roundhouse, I can see that Britain can compete with anyone, not despite our approach, but because of it.

We have world-class design thinking across architecture, fashion, graphic design and engineering. What we’d somehow talked ourselves out of was believing in our design and manufacturing ability. For a long time, there was a tendency to look elsewhere rather than invest in the skills, knowledge and craftsmanship we have here.

At Roundhouse, "Made in Britain" isn’t simply a marketing line; it’s a decision we make from the outset. It gives us greater control over how and where our furniture is made, keeps production closer to home and supports the skills and craftsmanship we have here in Britain.

TR: How would you describe your own interior style - and what does your own kitchen at home actually look like?

CM: It’s always been about the blending of aesthetics and usability. If there’s ever a stand-off between the two, aesthetics usually wins but the real ambition is always to achieve both at the highest possible level.

In terms of the design itself, it’s a combination of black metal wrap and walnut with a warm splash of colour that stops it feeling stark or serious. There’s a small seating area tucked beneath the window that catches whatever sun is available and that detail, modest as it sounds, is one of my favourite things about the space. People naturally gravitate to it. They sit, they chat, the cooking happens alongside and suddenly the kitchen is doing exactly what a great kitchen should do, bringing people together.

I love cooking and get real satisfaction from creating something to share with family and friends. Ultimately, that’s what is important. A kitchen should make you want to be in it. We like to think that is how it works for us.

TR: Beyond lighting, what’s the one kitchen feature you think a well-designed kitchen can’t do without?

CM: It depends entirely on the people using the space. For one client, it’s a Quooker hot tap, a small luxury that quickly becomes indispensable. For another, it’s storage. The right amount, in the right places, is essential but often overlooked.

My advice is always to be as flexible as possible with the design, without compromising the aesthetics. The two should work together, but it takes experience to get that balance right. People tend to love drawers, and rightly so. Everything is visible and accessible, but they come at a cost and not everything needs one. Larger items you only reach for occasionally, like a stock pot or stand mixer, simply need a well-considered cupboard.

We advocate for a thoughtful mix, shallow shelving for everyday items, deeper cabinets for larger pieces, and drawers where they genuinely earn their place. A well-designed kitchen anticipates these needs and resolves them in a way you barely notice. That’s the goal.

TR: We’d love to know what your favourite Tom Raffield design is, and why?

CM: When we recently refurbished our house, I spent quite a while looking for the right lighting. We eventually chose a pair of Skipper Pendants and matching Neap Wall Lights, and they are, quite simply, beautiful. They sit so naturally alongside our Roundhouse furniture, the two feel made for each other.

What I love about Tom’s work is the way natural materials are sculpted into forms of genuine beauty and then made to serve a real purpose. It makes me enormously proud of what British craft and manufacturing can produce. Which, I’ll admit, is quite something coming from an Australian!

TR: What’s on the horizon for Roundhouse? Any exciting new design trends for 2027 you can share?

CM: We’re seeing a lot of profiled timber and curves at the moment not as the dominant statement of a space, but as carefully considered accents. A curved island end. A profiled detail on a section of cabinet doors. Something that catches the eye without overwhelming the room.

This sits very naturally with our design philosophy, which has always been about mixing different finishes and materials to reflect a client’s individual personality. That ability to blend, to find the beautiful result within the contrast, is one of the things Roundhouse does particularly well.

One of the most personal and exciting projects we’ve been involved in recently has been collaborating with Yotam Ottolenghi, whose kitchen we originally designed thirteen years ago. Despite the passage of time, and despite a handful of suggestions I made, the layout and finishes remained predominantly the same. That, to me, is the greatest compliment a kitchen designer can receive, that someone lives with your work for over a decade and still loves it.

What we added this time were some deeply personal touches that reflect exactly where Yotam is now. You can see the full story in a video we shot together at roundhousedesign.com and it’s a beautiful reminder of what a truly bespoke kitchen can mean to someone over a lifetime.

See how Tom designed his own kitchen in Kitchen Inspiration: Q&A with Tom Raffield.

Posted: 09.10.26