How one family went about creating a welcoming kitchen in one of England's neo-Palladian houses

Grade I-listed Raynham Hall, near Fakenham, Norfolk, was built by Sir Roger Townshend in 1620 and extended by William Kent in the early 1720s. It is one of the earliest neo-Palladian houses in England.

A project to repair some of the damage caused by work in the 1950s and 1960s began in 2014 and, when Tom, Viscount Raynham, and his wife, Octavia, moved in, they set about creating a kitchen suited to their young family.

Having chosen a space previously used for entertaining, they asked kitchen designers deVOL for help. ‘They wanted a family kitchen, the heart of the home,’ says senior deVOL designer Francesca Froggatt. ‘As the building is so protected, all the services had to be accessed in the centre of the room so nothing on the walls would be damaged.’ The solution was to opt for freestanding furniture and the couple chose deVOL’s Classic English range of cabinetry.

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‘A traditional farmhouse style wouldn’t look right in a room of such grand proportions and detailing,’ adds Francesca.

The cabinets are painted in deVOL’s Refectory Red wall colour, which is original, and the team from Edward Bulmer Natural Paint helped with restoration work.

Due to planning restrictions, a Lacanche range cooker was incorporated into the island, rather than against a wall (an extractor is behind the hob). A bespoke gaselier double pendant with porcelain shades provides task lighting above the island, which has a Carrara-marble worktop. The sink is made of polished brass that glows when the light is right and the aged-brass taps tie in with the rest of the hardware. To the right is a dishwasher, bins and an under-counter fridge, integrated behind doors. Leading off the room is a pantry with all the large appliances, such as the fridge and freezer.

‘We were nervous about creating a kitchen in such a grand room, but are delighted with the results: it feels as if it belongs in the space,’ says Francesca.