The new Michel Roux Jr kitchen range has just launched at Homebase

In between heading up the kitchen in his two Michelin-starred restaurant in London and filming BBC's Masterchef: The Professionals, leading chef Michel Roux Jr has designed a brand new range of kitchens, exclusive to Homebase. 

Naturally a keen home cook, Michel has combined his learnings from his own kitchen, as well as the professional kitchen in his restaurant, feeding this invaluable expertise into the designs of the new collection that bears his name.

New Michel Roux Jr kitchen range for Homebase

Roux Kitchens features three contemporary-styled finishes: a high gloss design, a subtle matt finish and a classic wood look. 

The high gloss comes in both white and pale gray, while the woods are available in pale, mid and russet oak shades as well as a gray wood finish. If it's color you're after, the matt finish comes in a choice of six subtle shades, from a soft white to a pale teal and a rich berry shade.

Next, choose from quartz, granite or premium laminate worktops in a host of colors and faux-look finishes. 

• Love this look? See more white kitchen ideas

We spoke to Michel to find out what he considers essentials when creating the perfect kitchen.

'I'm a firm believer that the design of a kitchen – whether it's in a very large room or a small compact space – has to look great,' says Michel. 'We spend the bulk of our time in kitchens from breakfast, right through to the end of the day, either socializing, cooking or eating so you have to love how it looks.'

'While professional kitchens are extremely durable and made of stainless steel, I certainly don't have that at home and it's absolutely not what I would want,' he continues. 

'I spend eight to 12 hours a day in a stainless steel environment so that's the last thing I'd want in my kitchen at home to look like. So it was important that as well as looking great, the new range was extremely durable, too.'

Storage-wise, the new kitchens are packed with clever features like bi-fold cupboards that automatically open by the push of a button, easy-to-access pull-out larders and clever drawers compartments making it easy to access cutlery and cooking utensils.

Roux agrees that kitchen storage ideas can make (or break) a kitchen. 'The practicality of a kitchen is key - storage is vital and everything has to be to hand. You don't want to have to cross the kitchen to grab the post and pans, They should be stored underneath or in a cupboard beside the hob.'

To finish, there's a wide range of sinks, integrated lighting and taps - including a hot water tap - to complete the look.

Prices for the Roux Kitchen range start from £4,470, based on an eight unit model with worktop (excluding sinks, taps and appliances).

Like what you see? Head to your local Homebase showroom to learn more about the new range of kitchens by Michel Roux Jr now.