Reading’s Award-Winning Kitchen Design Experts

A Hand-Painted 1909 Family Kitchen

Shiplake

Creating a kitchen that transitioned sensitively into a formal dining and living area was the challenge when creating this kitchen.

The owners were embarking on a total agricultural-to-residential barn conversion and required a large, multi-purpose kitchen-living space that would serve as the hub of their sociable home.

The brief was extensive and needed to cover very different levels of activity within the space. This included creating an area for sociable cooking, a breakfast bar area for low-key casual dining, and incorporating a dining table for up to 20 people.

State-of-the-art appliances, sufficient for catering to large parties of up to 60 people, was a key requirement. They were also keen to include a distinct bar area and desired the kitchen space to flow effortlessly into the lounge, maximising views of the open countryside.

The kitchen was to be a thoroughly modern space, with a real ‘wow’ factor without spending ‘wow’ money.

1909 shaker furniture was the perfect choice – John worked with the client in choosing these high quality timber doors which feature handcrafted detailing and versatile cabinet options. 1909’s contemporary take on a traditional Shaker door and the combination of hand painted colours gave a fresh, modern feel to the space.

John included a perfectly positioned glass splashback behind the hob. The clean lines and understated colour was toned to the cabinet colour to sit sensitively within the space. This created a neat focal point and helped anchor the large American-style fridge freezer into the space, with its echo of colour and shape.

An angled return into the corner of the room from the hob run required a flexible solution, here John designed bespoke tall open shelves along with glazed cabinets which created a lighter and more open look. This helped transition the kitchen into the formal dining and living space. An oak breakfast bar echoed the material of customer’s dining table and gave the eye a sense of cohesion and transition between the casual and formal dining areas.

Key Features

Designer        John Butler

Kitchen           Elements Signature Collection

Furniture        1909 Shaker

Colours          Hand-painted

Worktop       Bianco Massa Quartz with an Oak Bar

Appliances     Mercury, NEFF, & Elica.

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