Designing kitchens for Grade Listed Country Houses and period properties is a task our team really enjoy. As designers, cabinet makers and classically trained architectural joiners we love to consider the traditional detailing and historic characteristics of older homes, while making them homely and suitable for contemporary living.
There’s no doubt that older properties present design challenges. The Old Forge kitchen was designed and made at our workshop for an impressive Grade II listed country home in the Surrey Hills, with a backdrop of ancient trees and formal gardens. The owners, a family, asked for a kitchen that would preserve the history and original feel of the house, while providing a more practical living space for them to enjoy. If you’re contemplating renovating your kitchen, these are some elements we thought through specifically for our Old Forge kitchen project pictured here, which are likely to be relevant if you’re considering a new kitchen for your period property…
Handmade cupboards
In our view, traditional in-frame handmade cupboards are fundamental to the kitchen looking like it’s meant to be there in an older-style property. Cabinetry made by craftsman add to the heritage of the house. Ours are made using traditional techniques, so the look is timeless and elegant.
Low ceilings and wonky walls
One of the things we love most when designing kitchens for Grade Listed Country Houses is working with low ceilings and wonky walls. We think two things are important in making the design work in a room with low ceilings and uneven walls. Firstly, perfectly scribing the full-height cupboards to the ceiling. This actually creates a lovely highlight of wonderful wonky ceilings and beams. Secondly, where ceilings are low, it’s important to have made-to-order, smaller wall cabinets to keep the proportions pretty.
Modest floor space
Rooms, particularly kitchens in older style properties are usually much smaller than the open-plan kitchen dining spaces of more recent times. The owners of our Old Forge kitchen wanted a stretch of cabinetry that enables them to have all their dry food goods together, with bi-fold doors so they could easily see what they have. So that the pantry cupboard didn’t impose on the room we made a slim full height, double width pantry cupboard which perfectly fits in place. You can see a photo on the Old Forge page linked at the bottom of this blog.
Flooring
The house this kitchen was made for is over 400 years old in parts. To maintain the traditional feel, limestone slabs from Mandarin Stone were laid on the floor with insulation and underfloor heating to make it a comfortable family space.
Colour palette
The colour choices were heavily influenced by the limestone floor and the oak beams. It’s also traditional in older country houses to use paler colours in rooms that weren’t often ‘lived in’ with richer shades in the dining and drawing rooms. Of course, today many of us live in our kitchens, but in keeping with a time-honoured look we choose a soft warm neutral for all the cabinetry and countertops, letting the beams and bespoke oak tabletop thread the warmth through the room. It enhances the timeless look.
Worktop
The homeowners selected a strongly veined quartz which looks like marble. Marble would be a more traditional choice, but quartz is more practical and hardwearing. The Cove Ogee edge was picked for the quartz on the Island as it highlights the beauty of the stone and being ornate it complements the more traditional scheme.
The cooker
Finally, the Aga, brings warmth, colour and character. It’s a classic choice when designing kitchens for grade listed country houses.
This image features our Old Forge Kitchen which was custom-made by our cabinet makers at our workshop in Shere near Guildford, Surrey. Click here to see more images of this kitchen design.
We make kitchens to suit you and your property. If you would like to know more, please do contact us via [email protected]