Traditionally, kitchen units (including cabinets, drawer units, shelving units for example) have been constructed from MDF or chipboard which suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, timber cupboards are a frequent cause of rising damp in modern houses and quickly degrade when exposed to moisture. This can present hygiene as well as structural problems in the kitchen environment where food preparation takes place.

Conventional kitchen unit construction usually means that, once fitted, the layout cannot be substantially redesigned without removing and replacing the entire kitchen furniture.

There is thus a need for a modular kitchen unit design which seeks to overcome this and other disadvantages associated with conventional kitchen furniture.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a furniture assembly for use in a kitchen comprising a substantially planar worksurface supported between ground-engaging end supports, the worksurface comprising an integral structural unit of the assembly so that cabinets, drawer units, shelving units and the like can be suspended therefrom.

Preferably, said worksurface is provided with a liquid-channelling gutter located substantially in the region of its front edge. Ideally, the gutter has a smoothly curving profile.

The worksurface may comprise a single sheet of shaped steel. Alternatively, it may comprise a composite element having sheet steel at one end thereof and wood or like material at the other. Preferably, an aperture in the wood or like material end mounts a sink.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a cabinet suitable for suspending from the above-described furniture comprising panels having two skins of prefinished steel between which is bonded a core of synthetic foam. Four of said panels may have a common external skin with mitred grooves separating the panels so that they can be folded into a box formation, a rear panel being affixed to the rear face of said formation.

Preferably, the core comprises flame resistant polyurethane foam.

Preferably each of said panels is provided with one or more peripheral ridges which, when the cabinet is assembled, assist in retaining fixings for reinforcing the cabinet structure.

Preferably a sealing strip is disposed around a front opening of said cabinet so that a door closed against said sealing strip hermetically seals said cabinet.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the basic unit structure;

Figure 2 shows perspective views of a cabinet under construction; Figure 2A shows detail of a typical corner joint in the cabinet of Figure 2; Figure 3 is a section through a front edge of a cabinet showing a sealing strip therefor; and, Figure 4 is a side view, partly in cross-section, of an assembled cabinet.

Referring to Figure 1, the basic kitchen furniture assembly 100 comprises a worksurface 1 which acts as a structural beam, supported by two end supports 2. The whole structure is self-supporting i. e. does not require any kind of wall fixings which enables and facilitates its movement to different locations. End supports 2 may have legs 102, which are preferably adjustable to accommodate irregularities in floor surfaces.

Various storage options, for example cabinets, drawer units, shelving units etc, can be suspended from the beam structure formed by worksurface 1, as shown at 104. In this way, each element of the kitchen furniture can be selected and arranged in modular form and easily repositioned or replaced as desired by the householder.

The worksurface 1 has a number of perforated steel strips firmly affixed to its underside. Fixings on the cabinets, drawer units, shelving units etc can be hooked into the perforations so as to suspend the cabinet (for example) from the underside of the work surface 1.

The worksurface 1, end supports 2 and storage options are preferably constructed using pre-finished steel. The use of steel facilitates fabrication, especially when creating folded edging and deep profiles.

The steel also has a feeling of quality and robustness and is easy to clean and maintain in a hygienic manner.

The worksurface 1 is provided with a gutter 3 set into the front region of the surface for trapping liquids to facilitate cleaning. The gutter preferably has a smoothly curving profile so as to complement the radiused edging on other parts of the kitchen furniture. Apart from the aesthetic benefit, the curved edges and corners reduce the risk of injury compared with conventional angled edges.

The worksurface 1 is constructed from stainless steel with optional finishes. However, because apertures in steel tend to have sharp edges, and the steel of the beam would not facilitate deep drawing of an integral sink unit, the worksurface 1 may be composite. In this event, it is steel at one end la, but wooden or like material, at the other end lb, with a secure interconnection therebetween. For example, the wooden end lb may be provided with a"tenon"which is appropriately shaped to slot into the"mortice"formed by the profile of the steel worksurface la (see Figure 4 for profile). A sink unit 106 may then be mounted in or under an aperture 108 cut into the wooden or like material work surface end lb.

It will be appreciated that the design of the kitchen furniture is such that many desired combinations of wooden and steel worksurfaces can easily be realised and that shown in figure 1 is given by way of example only.

Referring to Figure 2, the cabinets 200, which are to be suspended from the beam structure, may be constructed from panels 4,7 each comprising two skins 5a, b of pre-finished steel which are bonded to a 20mm

core 6 of flame resistant polyurethane foam. The unit 200 is assembled as indicated in Figure 2 by folding over the panels 4 and bonded together along the mating surfaces of mitre grooves 108. Outside skin 5a is therefore continuous around the cabinet, providing aesthetically attractive outside edges 110. Back panel 7 is then inserted against rear face 109 of the cabinet 200, to provide an extremely strong yet lightweight cabinet with excellent durability.

In one embodiment, the end most cabinets themselves form the end supports of the structural beam.

Figure 2A shows a typical corner joint in the assembled cabinet. Each panel is provided with peripheral ridges 8 which, when the cabinet is assembled as shown in Figure 2A, serve to retain a retaining clip 9. The clip 9 not only reinforces the joint between adjacent panels, but also provides a smooth surface which is much easier to clean than the sharp corner area 10 which would otherwise be exposed to the contents of the cabinet.

The front exposed edges of the cabinet are provided with a composite PVC/neoprene door seal 11, a portion of which is shown in Figure 3. The door seal 11 is positioned as indicated in Figure 4 and comprises a box- section channel 12 of PVC or like plastics material which can be pushed onto the end of the exposed front face edge 110 of the cabinet 200. The channel 12 is provided with neoprene edging 13 which improves the grip on the cabinet edge, as well as the seal around the edge 110. A flexible neoprene seal 14 extends from the corner of the channel nearest (in use) the exterior of the cabinet and engages with a cabinet door, fascia panel or the like to maintain a seal when the cabinet is closed. The cabinets are thus hermetically sealed. This helps to prolong the

shelf-life of food stored therein and inhibit the escape of odours, especially if the cabinet is used for storing waste.

Referring to Figure 4, the cabinet 15 is closed with a slidable fascia panel 16. The fascia panel 16 is mounted on runners 17 (rather than conventional hinges) which improves access to the back of the cabinet and avoids problems associated with the positioning of hinged doors.

The fascia panels 16 are preferably removable so that they can be easily changed (for example to those of a different colour or surface finish) if it is desired to change the appearance of the kitchen.

It is envisaged that splashback panels and/or kickboards (ref. numeral 18 in Figure 4) substantially as described in our co-pending UK patent applications (of the same filing date) can be incorporated into kitchen furniture according to the present invention.