BESPOKE KITCHEN ISLANDS
UNPARALLELED CRAFTSMANSHIP
At HAUHAU, bespoke kitchen islands serve as the centrepiece of exceptional culinary environments that are handcrafted with 150 years of heritage craftsmanship to create spaces that are truly one of a kind. Our approach transforms these architectural focal points into statements of extraordinary craftsmanship and personal expression. Each island we create stands as a stunning statement piece that anchors the entire space, a testament to our dedication to quality and our understanding that the island often defines the character of the entire kitchen space.
SUCCESS STORIES
The Lakes By Yoo House
This beautiful property, located just outside The Cotswolds, featured Silhouette stained oak cabinetry, bronze inlays, and selected bronze hardware, each adding warmth against the oak's cool tones. Himalaya Crystal Neolith worktops keep the design understated but cohesive with the kitchen’s overall aesthetic and aligning with the client’s unique daily routine.
The Gilbert Scott Residence
Step inside the Gilbert Scott residence, where rich Royal Peacock stone, walnut accents, and warm tones come together to create a space tailored specifically to the client’s taste and lifestyle. A kitchen that’s as perfect for hosting friends as it is for slow Sunday breakfasts with family — a blend of elegance and warmth, designed to feel like home the moment you walk in.
“We recently decided to remodel our kitchen, and after looking at various luxury brands, it was clear that a Hau Hau kitchen was for us.
We instantly fell in love with the elegant yet modern design and sympathetic use of beautiful materials. It was important for us that our most used room wasn’t “style over substance”. Ben listened to how we use our space and took on board our extensive wish list and came up with the most beautiful designs incorporating ideas that we would never have thought of ourselves. He was so accommodating with my constant questions and “what abouts?” and would always explain why something would or would not work or come up with a way to improve upon an idea.
We loved that we were included in the design process to create our perfect family space; it has made the room so much more personal and bespoke to us.
Hau Hau excelled themselves, and I would wholeheartedly recommend them, not only for their designs and quality of craftsmanship but also for their ability to communicate, share their knowledge and understand the customers’ needs.
We certainly didn’t get “style over substance”. What we did get was the most stylish and substantial kitchen we could have imagined!”
— Mr & Mrs Arundel
THE BEAUTY OF BESPOKE KITCHEN ISLANDS
The kitchen island has evolved from a simple workspace to become the heart of modern kitchen design. It serves as a gathering point, a culinary stage, and a visual anchor, often the first element noticed upon entering the space. When handcrafted by HAUHAU's master cabinet makers, these stunning design features become bespoke masterpieces that reflect you and your personal tastes whilst establishing the architectural foundation of your kitchen environment.
STATEMENT PIECE
Our bespoke islands establish a commanding presence through unparalleled craftsmanship, exceptional material choices and hand-finished detailing. Whether creating dramatic monolithic forms, expansive sleek designs with integrated bespoke features, or intentionally designed surfaces with functional zoning, each design is handcrafted with consideration of you and your unique daily life, as well as how it works within your unique home's architecture.
HAND-SELECTED QUALITY MATERIALS
We handselect only the finest materials available worldwide, each chosen for its inherent quality and beauty. Book-matched stone with continuous veining across surfaces, natural solid woods with distinctive grain patterns, or warm metallic hardware that naturally develops patina over time – each material is personally sourced and chosen for its unique qualities and with your individual end vision in mind.
HAND-FINISHED DETAILING
The island allows for the opportunity to showcase unique bespoke detailing that adds character and depth to your kitchen, achieved through exceptional craftsmanship and a dedication to excellence. Waterfall edges with hand-selected marble, hand-finished scalloped detailing on lower cabinetry or hand-treated woods in finishes such as fuming, steaming or staining – each detail is expertly incorporated into your bespoke island design for a result that is truly unmatched.
THE HAUHAU DESIGN PROCESS
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Our expert design team will take your initial concepts and elevate them beyond your wildest dreams, guiding you through every step of the process as we make it a reality.
Our philosophy is to work in close partnership with our clients, providing creative and innovative solutions through genuine collaboration and careful consideration of your needs and desires.
Once we receive your inquiry, we will contact you to introduce ourselves and discuss the outline of your project. Along with your ideas and brief, we will require a plan to work from. This can be in the form of your architect’s drawings or, if there is a physical space, ideally a visit to your residence to carry out a survey.
Following this process we can begin to prepare your design.
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After our first consultation, our expert design team will work on your concept, developing, enhancing, and elevating it beyond your expectations into a truly remarkable design.
From our initial sketches, we will prepare full working CAD drawings along with visuals, palettes, and material choices—from your primary finish through to your internal colorway—for your review.
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Once you have commissioned HAUHAU for your project, we will finalize any changes you may wish to make to your design, appliance list, material choices, and then proceed to contract your order.
At this stage we will engage with your contractors, and any other parties involved with your project to provide the relevant information they require (along with mechanical and electrical working drawings) and will remain in constant communication with them to monitor your schedule, ensuring everything stays on track.
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Your order will now enter production in our workshop.
We pride ourselves on the meticulous quality of craftsmanship achieved by our expert cabinet makers.
The HAUHAU workshop is not a production line.
Every project is assigned to one maker at a time, who crafts and hand-makes every aspect of your order to exacting standards by combining cutting-edge technology with the most exquisite of materials.
It is in this way that we have truly set ourselves apart and surpassed the industry with our standard.
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Now it is time for your design to become a reality!
After diligently managing your project's schedule to ensure a smooth and on-time fulfillment, HAUHAU will deliver and install your furniture to the very highest standard while ensuring the utmost consideration for your residence.
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On completion of your new kitchen, we arrange for renowned chef Elliot Johnson-Paul of JP Dining to come in and prepare a complimentary private dining experience in your new space to ensure you truly experience every aspect in its full glory.
Simply sit back, relax, and enjoy your new HAUHAU kitchen.
BESPOKE ISLAND FEATURES
INTEGRATED FUNCTIONALITY
Our bespoke islands can feature anything from integrated appliances and bespoke features such as inbuilt ice pockets to specialised zones for food preparation, cooking, dining or entertaining. Each design element is thoughtfully positioned to create intuitive workflows whilst maintaining your desired aesthetic.
STATEMENT SEATING AREAS
We create thoughtful designs that allow for conversations to be shared and memories to be made. Our bespoke islands are handcrafted with consideration for how you live in and use your space and how you want your island to serve you. Through intentionally designed layouts and seating arrangements, whether it’s breakfast bars with sleek barstools, banquet seating for larger gatherings or upholstered seating arrangements that open the kitchen island, each design works to foster connection with your loved ones while establishing visual interest within the overall island composition.
MADE FOR YOU
Our islands feature handcrafted bespoke details for a touch of understated luxury. Whether it's leather-lined drawers or temperature-controlled wine storage, your bespoke island can truly feature anything you desire, for a result that is a true reflection of you and your unique tastes.
EXCEPTIONAL MATERIALS AND MASTER CRAFTSMANSHIP
EXCEPTIONAL STONE SELECTION
Islands provide the perfect canvas for extraordinary natural stone. We source remarkable slabs with distinctive character. from Calacatta Oro with subtle gold-grey veining to the rich blue-green hues of Royal Peacock. Each stone was individually selected for its quality, color palette, and with consideration of how it worked with your specific island design.
HAND-SELECTED HARDWARE
We incorporate warm metallic hardware that adds depth and visual interest. Whether it's hand-selected antique brass or brushed bronze, each element is carefully chosen and expertly integrated to provide sophisticated contrast within the island composition.
SOLID WOOD COLLECTIONS
Our islands often showcase the beauty of exceptional solid woods. From rich American walnut with figured grain patterns and fumed oak with warm honeyed tones to hand-treated beige-grey or silhouette-stained oak, each piece is handcrafted with traditional methods and enhanced with hand-finished techniques for a bespoke kitchen island of unmatched quality and beauty.
EXPERT CRAFTSMANSHIP
We develop island proportions that achieve perfect balance within your kitchen space. Considering room dimensions, circulation paths, and architectural features, we create forms that establish presence without overwhelming—ensuring the island enhances spatial flow rather than impeding movement or creating visual imbalance.
FUNCTIONAL ZONING
Our bespoke islands incorporate thoughtful activity zones that support intuitive use. Preparation areas positioned for efficiency, cooking sections equipped for performance, and social spaces designed for interaction—each zone thoughtfully arranged to create natural workflow whilst maintaining overall design cohesion.
EXPERT LIGHTING DESIGN
We consider how lighting affects the end result of your design as a whole and design lighting schemes that not only serve as a functional feature but also as design elements in themselves that also work to set the ambience of your space. Task lighting illuminates work surfaces, ambient lighting can be achieved through tasteful fixtures or lighting elements that add to your space, and accent lighting highlights architectural details with subtlety; each is carefully layered to elevate your entire kitchen design.
HERITAGE CRAFTSMANSHIP STANDARDS
INDIVIDUAL ARTISAN ASSIGNMENT
Every HAUHAU bespoke kitchen project is entrusted to a single master craftsman who assumes personal responsibility for quality and consistency. This focused attention ensures subtle refinements and meticulous execution that distinguishes HAUHAU as exceptional, in contrast to the everyday.
FOURTH-GENERATION EXCELLENCE
Founded by Ben Rollings, whose family heritage spans over 150 years of master cabinetmaking, HAUHAU delivers unparalleled expertise to every commission. This legacy of excellence has created breathtaking kitchens for royalty, celebrated chefs, and connoisseurs who accept nothing less than perfection.
TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES ENHANCED
Our workshops combine joinery techniques taught across four generations of family cabinetmaker legacy with an undying dedication to excellence. Hand-cut dovetail joints provide structural integrity for generations, whilst modern finishing techniques ensure protection against demanding kitchen environments and intensive daily use.
WHY HAUHAU DEFINES BESPOKE KITCHEN EXCELLENCE
Founded by Ben Rollings, a fourth-generation master cabinet maker with over 150 years of family heritage, HAUHAU has become synonymous with timeless craftsmanship and design excellence. Building on this legacy, we bring our expertise to bespoke luxury kitchens—spaces that balance precision, design innovation, and work to understand how each client lives in their home.
At HAUHAU, we design kitchens that honour the character of period homes while embracing the possibilities of contemporary living. Every project is tailored to the property and the people who use it, blending architectural sensitivity with hand-selected materials and meticulous detailing to create a kitchen that feels both functional and effortlessly elegant.
From the first sketch to final installation, our team ensures a seamless, collaborative process, delivering not just a kitchen but a crafted environment where daily routines and special moments alike are elevated.
We proudly serve homes across Essex, London, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and the surrounding areas, with ourselves located in the historic village of Old Harlow in Essex, near the Hertfordshire and London border.
Contact HAUHAU today to arrange a personalised kitchen design consultation and discover how our craftsmanship can redefine the heart of your home.
PRIVATE CHEF EXPERIENCE
We know that our clients deserve the very best from their new kitchen. This is why, after every kitchen installation, we arrange for renowned chef Elliot Johnson-Paul of JP Dining to come in and prepare a complimentary private dining experience for up to 10 guests in your new space, to ensure you truly experience every aspect in its full glory.