A small galley-style kitchen was never going to satisfy the owners of an Arts-and-Crafts home in leafy Kent. Therefore, with their young children in mind, they chose to repurpose a large sitting room into a kitchen-dining-living space suitable for modern family life and relaxed entertaining.
‘The character and impressive size of the room made it well suited to becoming the heart of their family home,’ says deVOL senior designer Helen Robson, who was called upon to create a kitchen designed to make the most of the room’s soaring height, period windows and restored parquet floor.
Cabinetry from deVOL’s The Real Shaker Kitchen collection was chosen for its classic style, which was sympathetic to the age of the property, and its dark Pantry Blue-painted finish adds a touch of contemporary style and plenty of definition in such a large, off-white room.
The range cooker is recessed into the original fireplace, with an extractor concealed in the chimney breast above. Shelves on classic-style brackets, both above the cooker and sink, offer display space for the owners’ collection of vintage finds.
A large island is the main preparation area in the room, with one corner designed as a breakfast bar. For this reason, it’s topped in rustic oak, chosen to provide a surface that is warmer to the touch than the durable Opal Carrara Quartz surface used elsewhere in the kitchen.
More warmth is added by brass details, from cupboard latches to the hanging rail above the cooker, and large vintage factory lights sourced by the owners – try Trainspotters (www.trainspotters.co.uk) or Skinflint (www.skinflintdesign.com) for something similar – that can’t fail to catch the eye.
See www.devolkitchens.co.uk for more information.
Credit: Alamy
The kitchen dresser, and why it's 'more important than central heating'
What is a country kitchen without a dresser overflowing with crockery, car keys and keepsakes? Flora Watkins explains all.
Jason Goodwin: 'There must be a moral here, but I can’t work out what it is'
Our Spectator columnist ponders the highs and lows of picture hanging.
Credit: Plain English kitchen design
A kitchen that's a breath of fresh air in a world of homogeneity
Giles Kime takes a look at a new kitchen design that's taken the best elements of Victorian and Edwardian traditions
The new kitchen design mantra: Don’t be afraid of the dark
Dark colours and rich materials are creating moody new looks in kitchens, says Amelia Thorpe.
-
Splendid isolation overlooking one of Britain's tiniest towns, with a Thomas the Tank Engine-style railwayIn the hills away to the east of Welshpool you'll find Mount House, on the outskirts of the town of Llanfair Caereinion. Penny Churchill investigates.
-
If I could turn back time: Is your vintage watch the real deal? Yes — if you buy it directly from this watch brandIWC's new Curated collection takes the hassle out of vintage watch buying.
-
Farmhouse kitchens done right at these five beautiful country houses across BritainA country house with a farmhouse kitchen is the archetype of the bucolic dream in Britain. Arabella Youens picks out five on the market right now that have wonderful examples.
-
The designer's room: This kitchen in a Queen Anne-style home is proof that pretty and practical can go hand in handHiding the conveniences of modern-day living lends a timeless feel to the kitchen of this 18th-century house.
-
Curious Questions: Where did the viral Instagram Shaker kitchen come from — and how is it linked to Quakerism?The traditional and incredibly versatile Shaker kitchen is looked up to the world over, but where did it actually come from?
-
How to create a serene, yet hard-working kitchenPlain English worked with antique dealer Robert Young to make this traditional kitchen with an effortlessly relaxing colour scheme that marries perfectly with the views over beautiful gardens.
-
Why kitchens are going green — literallyGreen is the perfect colour for a kitchen, says Amelia Thorpe.
-
A modern kitchen perfectly framed by the exquisite ancient beamsArtichoke designed a discreet and timeless kitchen to complement a converted granary. Amelia Thorpe takes a look.
-
Yes, you can put a new kitchen in a Grade I-listed house — and this beautiful example shows howTraditional cabinetry was a key ingredient in the sympathetic restoration of a Grade I-listed Tudor house in Shropshire.
-
A London townhouse kitchen transformed to be sociable, practical and charmingThe new owners of this London townhouse have reconfigured it to create a sociable space for cooking and entertaining.
