The renovation of this Grade II-listed property involved close collaboration with the client, who, having grown up there, already knew which aspects worked well and which needed revising. The house is part of a crescent, so one of the most challenging aspects of this project was its unusual footprint: the curved plot means it is wider at the rear than at the front.
As a result, a series of adjustments was made, including an L-shaped sofa built bespoke on site to cater for the dimensions of the sitting room.
In the next-door kitchen, the island was configured to ensure ease of circulation for the young family. To create a good-sized dining space, the old television room was combined with the kitchen in the most transformative architectural intervention of the whole project. ‘It’s made the kitchen both larger and lighter,’ explains Sims Hilditch studio lead Scarlett Jones.
The kitchen itself was designed by Tom Howley (0161–848 1200) and the team from Sims Hilditch advised on decorative elements, including the colour of the island, which is in a striking and warm pink called Rhubarb, by Neptune (01793 934011). The bar stools are covered in a fabric from Studio Ashby, which adds a splash of pattern to the room (020–3176 2571). Aged brass fittings include the boiling tap and the handles on the Lacanche Cluny Classic range in stainless steel (01202 733011). Above the island hang Fleming pendant lights with Holophane glass shades by the West Country-based lighting specialists Felix (01225 315110).
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Kitchen island or table? The little distinction that makes a big differenceArabella Youens considers the renaissance of the cook’s table — a vortex of culinary activity, used for everything from rolling out pastry to boning a chicken.
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