What do you get when you cross classic English country house style with a French château kitchen?
The layout of this French château kitchen was influenced by English country-house style.
Set in the heart of Burgundy, with origins dating back to the 12th century, this historic château has recently been revitalised by its new owners.
‘They wanted to give the property a new lease of life,’ explains Rémi Fiacchetti of Neptune Paris, who was commissioned to create the new kitchen.
The space had previously been divided into two, with a stud wall added in the 1970s to accommodate a bathroom. As the owners enjoy cooking and entertaining, they envisioned a generous kitchen with a central island. ‘It made sense to remove the stud wall and open up the space,’ explains Rémi, who positioned a statement range cooker by La Cornue where the bathroom once stood.
It is beneath a bespoke chimney in the style of a traditional French fireplace, used here to conceal an extractor.
‘In the 1970s, some of the beautiful old Burgundian limestone flooring was removed to make way for the bathroom, so sourcing antique tiles to replace it was a painstaking process,’ he says.
The owners chose Neptune’s Chichester cabinetry, inspired by classic English country-house design, to complement the architecture of the château. Made to bespoke dimensions to suit the grand height and scale of the room, it is painted in Driftwood, a warm neutral, chosen to provide a paler contrast with the oak beams.
The island is finished in Constable Green to anchor the design and add a darker element. Softly illuminated glazed cupboards break up the tall cabinetry and provide space to display the owners’ collection of copper pots and apothecary jars.
‘This is a practical room with modern appliances and hardwearing surfaces, but it is also carefully designed with a timeless feel — as if it might always have belonged to the château,’ notes Rémi.
